WEBVTT 00:00:01.359 --> 00:00:03.560 Last week, as we were looking at Matthew 14, 00:00:03.859 --> 00:00:07.219 I showed how it tied into Psalm 23, or at least 00:00:07.219 --> 00:00:11.199 I endeavored to do that. But this morning, we're 00:00:11.199 --> 00:00:14.039 going to look at this entire psalm as a backdrop 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:18.359 as we go into next week. No doubt this is a familiar 00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:24.440 psalm to many of you all. I don't know if I have 00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:26.760 favorites. I guess if I did, it would probably 00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:31.480 be Psalm 46. I will tell you if I visit people 00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:34.420 in the hospital, typically the psalm that I will 00:00:34.420 --> 00:00:38.240 read or to many saints that I've prayed on their 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:41.719 deathbed, Psalm 46 is the one that I usually 00:00:41.719 --> 00:00:46.539 turn to. Let's read it in its entirety and ask 00:00:46.539 --> 00:00:52.299 God to help us. The psalmist writes, God is our 00:00:52.299 --> 00:00:56.640 refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 00:00:57.899 --> 00:01:02.579 Therefore, We won't fear, even though the earth 00:01:02.579 --> 00:01:04.680 is removed and the mountains be carried in the 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:08.400 midst of the sea, though its waters roar and 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:12.680 be troubled, though the mountains shake with 00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:18.560 its swelling. Selah. There is a river whose streams 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:22.620 shall make glad the city of God, the holy place 00:01:22.620 --> 00:01:27.099 of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in 00:01:27.099 --> 00:01:31.519 the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:35.799 shall help her just at the break of dawn. The 00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:41.319 nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. He, that 00:01:41.319 --> 00:01:44.560 is God, uttered his voice and the earth melted. 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:49.599 The Lord of hosts, Yahweh Sabaoth, is with us. 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:56.099 The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, 00:01:56.219 --> 00:01:59.239 behold the works of the Lord. who has made desolations 00:01:59.239 --> 00:02:03.099 in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end 00:02:03.099 --> 00:02:06.599 of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the 00:02:06.599 --> 00:02:09.900 spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire. 00:02:11.460 --> 00:02:16.840 Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:21.159 among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. 00:02:22.060 --> 00:02:26.599 The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob. 00:02:27.210 --> 00:02:33.349 Is our refuge. Selah. Let's pray. Father you 00:02:33.349 --> 00:02:38.490 are our king. We are your servants. Lord we have 00:02:38.490 --> 00:02:40.930 come. Not only to sing praises. But Lord God 00:02:40.930 --> 00:02:45.050 we want to hear. From you our king. Our sovereign 00:02:45.050 --> 00:02:48.569 who reigns over us. To be instructed Lord. To 00:02:48.569 --> 00:02:52.110 grow in our most holy faith. That Father Lord. 00:02:52.189 --> 00:02:54.629 You would take the word of God. And open it. 00:02:55.500 --> 00:02:59.039 Plant it deep within us, Lord, that it might 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:01.319 produce a righteous fruit, Lord, in our lives. 00:03:02.659 --> 00:03:07.620 God, all of us have dealt with fear, worry, anxiety. 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:10.900 Lord, there's not any of us here who can say 00:03:10.900 --> 00:03:12.620 that we have never experienced those emotions. 00:03:14.340 --> 00:03:16.240 But, Lord, when we look to you as our God and 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:20.719 King, we can have peace even amidst turmoil. 00:03:21.870 --> 00:03:24.289 Lord, would you feed us with manna from on high 00:03:24.289 --> 00:03:28.449 this morning. Would you show us Jesus from Psalm 00:03:28.449 --> 00:03:34.330 46. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. So the backdrop. 00:03:34.669 --> 00:03:39.069 What do you do personally when life is careening 00:03:39.069 --> 00:03:42.810 out of control? Fear suddenly now takes a hold 00:03:42.810 --> 00:03:45.650 and grips your heart. Or when chaos now wreaks 00:03:45.650 --> 00:03:48.879 havoc in your life in some way. Because if we're 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:51.159 honest, each of us would say this, life is uncertain. 00:03:52.479 --> 00:03:55.400 I have been with many people, immediately after 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:57.560 they received a phone call, they were unexpecting. 00:03:58.139 --> 00:04:00.719 And their life is forever marked, the day before 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:03.740 the phone call and the day after. Because life 00:04:03.740 --> 00:04:05.979 is full of twists, it's full of turns, and there's 00:04:05.979 --> 00:04:07.979 no way that we could possibly foresee everything 00:04:07.979 --> 00:04:11.780 that will come our way. So what do you do when 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:15.800 the unimaginable takes place? Well, I think we 00:04:15.800 --> 00:04:18.910 can look to Psalm 46. This is, as I said, a well 00:04:18.910 --> 00:04:21.149 -known, it's a very beloved psalm. I think it's 00:04:21.149 --> 00:04:24.269 good for us to remember that the psalms are songs. 00:04:25.069 --> 00:04:28.069 In fact, all the psalms, the 150 psalms, are 00:04:28.069 --> 00:04:31.649 the Psalter. It's a songbook of Israel. So when 00:04:31.649 --> 00:04:34.449 we look at Psalm 46, it's known as a liturgical 00:04:34.449 --> 00:04:37.910 song, meaning it was to be used in corporate 00:04:37.910 --> 00:04:41.410 worship. So what we just read, ancient Israel 00:04:41.410 --> 00:04:44.370 would have gathered in a synagogue and had been 00:04:44.370 --> 00:04:47.709 singing it. Now I think today it's probably best 00:04:47.709 --> 00:04:50.430 known as the backdrop for Martin Luther's famous 00:04:50.430 --> 00:04:54.389 hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, based on 00:04:54.389 --> 00:04:59.009 Psalm 46. It is a song of victory, of triumph, 00:04:59.290 --> 00:05:02.589 victory, mighty deliverance. We celebrate in 00:05:02.589 --> 00:05:05.589 this psalm God's strength in delivering and protecting 00:05:05.589 --> 00:05:09.589 his people. But I feel like we will miss the 00:05:09.589 --> 00:05:12.329 import of it if you don't understand the backdrop 00:05:12.329 --> 00:05:16.100 to it. Now many scholars connect Psalm 46 to 00:05:16.100 --> 00:05:20.040 the Assyrian invasion of Jerusalem when Hezekiah 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:22.819 was king of Judah. So let me give you the situation 00:05:22.819 --> 00:05:24.879 at that time, and I really think it will give 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:28.819 some light here on this text. So you have Sennacherib, 00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:31.459 who is the king of Assyria, a horrible nation. 00:05:31.720 --> 00:05:35.100 You have Hezekiah, king of Judah, southern kingdom. 00:05:36.120 --> 00:05:40.600 Assyria was the strongest, most ruthless, violent 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:44.399 nation on the earth. They were barbaric people, 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:47.759 historically known to be very cruel. They were 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:50.019 fierce in the way that they thought. In fact, 00:05:50.019 --> 00:05:52.139 when they would capture people, they showed little 00:05:52.139 --> 00:05:56.060 to no mercy at all. But they had risen to be 00:05:56.060 --> 00:05:59.980 the premier military power. They vanquished nations, 00:06:00.279 --> 00:06:02.379 left destruction in their wake. In fact, their 00:06:02.379 --> 00:06:05.740 area today that they controlled would be Iraq, 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:10.740 Syria, Jordan, and even Lebanon. They held quite 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:13.670 a bit of power. It seemed as though there wasn't 00:06:13.670 --> 00:06:15.730 any army that could withstand them and much less 00:06:15.730 --> 00:06:19.389 defeat them. The moment that this cruel nation 00:06:19.389 --> 00:06:21.290 would have been mentioned, it literally would 00:06:21.290 --> 00:06:23.329 have struck terror into the heart of the bravest 00:06:23.329 --> 00:06:25.810 warrior. You would have rather have gone to war 00:06:25.810 --> 00:06:30.490 with any other nation except Assyria. And up 00:06:30.490 --> 00:06:34.569 to this point, 100 % victory. They had no defeats. 00:06:34.850 --> 00:06:37.790 They looked as though they were invincible. And 00:06:37.790 --> 00:06:40.829 now they set their sights on conquering Jerusalem. 00:06:42.029 --> 00:06:45.589 That tiny little capital city in southern Israel. 00:06:46.089 --> 00:06:49.850 So they attacked it. They laid siege to Jerusalem. 00:06:50.269 --> 00:06:53.290 And they insisted on a full and complete surrender. 00:06:54.870 --> 00:06:57.230 Militarily, Jerusalem was no match at all for 00:06:57.230 --> 00:06:59.930 Assyria. It would have been an easy conquest. 00:07:00.490 --> 00:07:03.209 In fact, you have the Rabshika, who was the Assyrian 00:07:03.209 --> 00:07:07.170 commander. He comes into Judah mocking the Jews 00:07:07.170 --> 00:07:10.350 and their God. And we see that in 2 Kings 18. 00:07:12.009 --> 00:07:15.329 Here's his words, the Rabshika, the Assyrian 00:07:15.329 --> 00:07:18.509 commander. Do not listen to Hezekiah, that is 00:07:18.509 --> 00:07:21.470 your king, when he misleads you by saying, the 00:07:21.470 --> 00:07:25.589 Lord Yahweh will deliver us. Has any of the gods 00:07:25.589 --> 00:07:28.670 of the nations ever delivered his land out of 00:07:28.670 --> 00:07:30.769 the hand of the king of Assyria? Look around 00:07:30.769 --> 00:07:34.050 you. Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? 00:07:34.790 --> 00:07:38.050 Where are the gods of Zepharvaim, Hannah, and 00:07:38.050 --> 00:07:41.560 Evah? Have they delivered Samaria? out of my 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:45.939 hand? Who among all the gods of the lands have 00:07:45.939 --> 00:07:49.879 delivered their lands out of my hand? That the 00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:53.579 Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? 00:07:53.899 --> 00:07:57.000 He's mocking them. Basically, he comes into their 00:07:57.000 --> 00:07:59.360 land and by the way, he speaks in the native 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:01.560 tongue so that everyone can hear him. He says, 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:04.720 you think that Yahweh, you think your God can 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:08.000 deliver you? Has any other God of any other land 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:10.879 been able to deliver? We're batting a thousand 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:14.240 here. Now listen and put yourselves in those 00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:16.699 who would have been living in Jerusalem at that 00:08:16.699 --> 00:08:19.579 time. What would they have been thinking? The 00:08:19.579 --> 00:08:23.759 world's most powerful, cruel, violent army has 00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:26.899 just laid siege to your city. They will do whatever 00:08:26.899 --> 00:08:30.420 it takes. They are ruthless. If you fall into 00:08:30.420 --> 00:08:34.000 their hands, it means certain torture. And by 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:36.600 the way, every other land has been defeated. 00:08:37.899 --> 00:08:39.519 I'm sure the men were thinking, what's going 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:42.480 to happen to our wives and children? If Assyria 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:45.000 is victorious here, what's going to happen when 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:47.460 our women and children fall into the hands of 00:08:47.460 --> 00:08:49.179 these barbarous people? Because you know what 00:08:49.179 --> 00:08:53.820 happened? Women were raped. Babies were thrown 00:08:53.820 --> 00:08:57.980 against rocks or slain with a sword, dashed in 00:08:57.980 --> 00:09:01.740 pieces. Now, I knew that from earlier, but I 00:09:01.740 --> 00:09:02.779 thought, well, I'm just going to look that up 00:09:02.779 --> 00:09:05.639 and just see from a secular source. So here's 00:09:05.639 --> 00:09:08.370 what I found. Researchgate .net. Here's what 00:09:08.370 --> 00:09:11.669 they said about ancient Assyria. It is well documented 00:09:11.669 --> 00:09:15.230 for its extreme cruelty toward conquered peoples. 00:09:15.769 --> 00:09:20.309 It included flaying, impaling, and burning victims. 00:09:20.769 --> 00:09:23.889 The practice of dashing infants against walls 00:09:23.889 --> 00:09:27.070 or rocks upon capturing a city was a deliberate 00:09:27.070 --> 00:09:31.070 method used to wipe out a whole lineage and to 00:09:31.070 --> 00:09:34.100 strike terror into any rival nation. So they 00:09:34.100 --> 00:09:36.039 were doing it to set a precedent, a deterrent, 00:09:36.039 --> 00:09:38.240 if you would. Because if you know, hey, surrender 00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:40.279 to us, because if not, here's what's going to 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:43.220 happen to your babies. This is a horrible, horrible 00:09:43.220 --> 00:09:45.679 people. Now, what was the capital of Assyria? 00:09:47.100 --> 00:09:50.159 Nineveh. You're probably thinking, oh, Nineveh. 00:09:50.679 --> 00:09:53.679 Where was the prophet Jonah commissioned to go 00:09:53.679 --> 00:09:57.879 preach a message of repentance? Nineveh, the 00:09:57.879 --> 00:10:00.860 capital of Assyria. Now do you start to understand 00:10:00.860 --> 00:10:03.720 why Jonah didn't want to go? He is very reluctant. 00:10:03.820 --> 00:10:07.080 He's very resistant. He hates the fact that God 00:10:07.080 --> 00:10:10.059 wants any preacher to go into that ancient city 00:10:10.059 --> 00:10:12.159 and preach a message of grace and repentance. 00:10:12.860 --> 00:10:15.759 They're violent. They're barbaric. And Jonah 00:10:15.759 --> 00:10:19.779 wants them to face judgment, not receive mercy 00:10:19.779 --> 00:10:23.620 from God. So you have God's people. They're living 00:10:23.620 --> 00:10:25.799 in very dangerous times. And when you live in 00:10:25.799 --> 00:10:27.779 dangerous times, you need strong leaders. So 00:10:27.779 --> 00:10:30.159 we see Hezekiah. What does he do? He goes to 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:32.159 the only place where he could find any help at 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:35.580 all. He did not consult with Israel's military 00:10:35.580 --> 00:10:39.139 leaders. He did not consult with political strategists 00:10:39.139 --> 00:10:41.980 or the wealthy men of the city. They were all 00:10:41.980 --> 00:10:45.440 powerless. Instead, he goes into the temple and 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:48.279 he prays to his God, Yahweh. And we find the 00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:51.580 prayer in 2 Kings 19, beginning in verse 14. 00:10:52.899 --> 00:10:55.220 Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, house 00:10:55.220 --> 00:10:59.080 of Yahweh, spread it before Yahweh. Then Hezekiah 00:10:59.080 --> 00:11:01.720 prayed before the Lord and said, O Lord God of 00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:05.679 Israel, the one who dwells between the cherubim, 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:11.620 you are God, you alone of all the kingdoms in 00:11:11.620 --> 00:11:16.139 the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline 00:11:16.139 --> 00:11:20.799 your ear, O Yahweh, and hear. Open your eyes, 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:24.820 O Yahweh, and see. Hear the words of Sennacherib, 00:11:24.820 --> 00:11:27.139 that's the king of Assyria, which he has sent 00:11:27.139 --> 00:11:30.220 to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:33.100 kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations 00:11:33.100 --> 00:11:35.659 and their lands. That's true. They have cast 00:11:35.659 --> 00:11:39.200 their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, 00:11:39.379 --> 00:11:42.080 but they were the work of men's hands, wood and 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:46.360 stone. That is why they destroyed them. Now therefore, 00:11:46.580 --> 00:11:50.990 O Yahweh, our God. I pray, save us from his hand, 00:11:51.090 --> 00:11:54.190 that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that 00:11:54.190 --> 00:12:00.110 you are the Lord God, you alone. Hezekiah is 00:12:00.110 --> 00:12:02.009 not denying that there's imminent danger. There 00:12:02.009 --> 00:12:07.210 is. Jerusalem is in peril. Hezekiah is a realist. 00:12:07.590 --> 00:12:09.690 It is absolutely true. All the other nations 00:12:09.690 --> 00:12:12.250 had been conquered. But the gods of those nations 00:12:12.250 --> 00:12:15.029 were not gods, okay? They were useless idols, 00:12:15.190 --> 00:12:17.519 wood and stone. That's why they could be burned 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:20.179 in fire. They were impotent to save and deliver. 00:12:21.480 --> 00:12:24.720 But now Sennacherib was coming to overthrow the 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:27.919 people of the Almighty. He had set his side on 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:30.559 God's covenant people. But the God of Israel 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:33.840 is not some local deity. He's not a regional 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:36.019 deity. Because that was the prevailing thought 00:12:36.019 --> 00:12:38.360 at that time. Every nation had its own gods. 00:12:38.539 --> 00:12:40.259 And whoever won in battle, they thought, well, 00:12:40.259 --> 00:12:42.019 that God. So if you won on a mountain, well, 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:43.539 that's the God of the mountain. Let's go into 00:12:43.539 --> 00:12:45.000 the valley, and the God of the valley will defeat 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:47.509 the God of the mountain. That's how they thought. 00:12:47.710 --> 00:12:49.549 And Hezekiah is like, that's rubbish, that's 00:12:49.549 --> 00:12:52.809 foolish. You are the creator of heaven and earth. 00:12:53.330 --> 00:12:56.649 You are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of 00:12:56.649 --> 00:13:00.769 the earth. Universal territory. You've made heaven 00:13:00.769 --> 00:13:04.750 and earth. Now, the Lord heard Hezekiah's prayer. 00:13:05.570 --> 00:13:09.049 And he sends the prophet Isaiah to speak to Hezekiah. 00:13:09.169 --> 00:13:12.230 So what will God's response be to Hezekiah's 00:13:12.230 --> 00:13:16.349 prayer? Same chapter, a little bit later. Then 00:13:16.349 --> 00:13:19.490 Isaiah, the son of Amos, sent to Hezekiah, saying, 00:13:19.730 --> 00:13:22.809 Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Because you 00:13:22.809 --> 00:13:24.590 have prayed to me against Sennacherib, king of 00:13:24.590 --> 00:13:27.629 Assyria, I have heard. And this is the word which 00:13:27.629 --> 00:13:30.269 the Lord has spoken concerning him. The virgin, 00:13:30.450 --> 00:13:32.950 the daughter of Zion, has despised you, laughed 00:13:32.950 --> 00:13:35.350 you to scorn. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken 00:13:35.350 --> 00:13:39.029 her head behind your back. Whom have you reproached 00:13:39.029 --> 00:13:41.710 and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised 00:13:41.710 --> 00:13:45.120 your voice? and lifted up your eyes on high against 00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:50.220 the Holy One of Israel. Verse 27. But I know 00:13:50.220 --> 00:13:52.480 your dwelling place. I know where you live. I 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:55.019 know you're going out and you're coming in. I 00:13:55.019 --> 00:13:57.779 know your rage against me. And he says, here's 00:13:57.779 --> 00:14:01.360 what I'm going to do. Verse 28. Because you rage 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:04.379 against me and your tumult have come up to my 00:14:04.379 --> 00:14:07.929 ears, therefore I will put my hook... in your 00:14:07.929 --> 00:14:11.149 nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn 00:14:11.149 --> 00:14:14.230 you back by the way which you came. Basically, 00:14:14.409 --> 00:14:17.990 shut up, fool. You have no power against me whatsoever. 00:14:18.690 --> 00:14:21.190 And so we look down at verse 34 and 35 and we 00:14:21.190 --> 00:14:24.009 see what happened. God says in verse 34, for 00:14:24.009 --> 00:14:26.649 I will defend this city, Jerusalem, to save it 00:14:26.649 --> 00:14:28.990 for my own sake and for my servant David's sake. 00:14:29.049 --> 00:14:30.789 I made a covenant with David and I'm going to 00:14:30.789 --> 00:14:33.190 keep my promise. Look at verse 35. This is the 00:14:33.190 --> 00:14:36.059 answer. And it came to pass on a certain night 00:14:36.059 --> 00:14:38.220 that the angel of the Lord, the angel of Yahweh, 00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:41.240 went out and he killed in the camp of the Assyrians, 00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:42.980 remember they're the ones laying siege to Jerusalem, 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:47.519 185 ,000 soldiers. And when people rose early 00:14:47.519 --> 00:14:50.360 in the morning, there were the corpses. And I 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:52.779 love this, all dead. Isn't that redundant? Yeah, 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:54.320 there are corpses. Of course they were all dead. 00:14:55.580 --> 00:14:58.980 185 ,000 killed. Israel didn't lift a finger. 00:14:59.960 --> 00:15:02.019 Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, in his arrogance, 00:15:02.100 --> 00:15:04.460 he thought he was invincible because he had a 00:15:04.460 --> 00:15:08.639 premier military force. His past success filled 00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:11.440 his heart with pride. He was arrogant. He was 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:14.059 lifted up. He thought, I have accomplished all 00:15:14.059 --> 00:15:18.639 this by my own strength. I've not had any help. 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:22.320 And yet the truth was that God was simply using 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:27.600 this evil man. as a tool to execute God's judgment 00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:30.980 on those pagan nations. That's why God raised 00:15:30.980 --> 00:15:33.960 him up. Sennacherib was nothing more than a pawn, 00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:37.000 a tool in the hand of the Almighty that he was 00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:39.440 using to accomplish his own sovereign purposes. 00:15:40.659 --> 00:15:42.860 But as my grandma would say, he got too big for 00:15:42.860 --> 00:15:45.379 his britches, and now he's going to pay for it. 00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:48.820 Arrogance, folly is in the heart of this pagan 00:15:48.820 --> 00:15:52.120 king. He's assuming no one's ever going to defeat 00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:55.889 me. And pride goes before destruction. And a 00:15:55.889 --> 00:15:58.830 haughty spirit before a fall. And by the way, 00:15:58.830 --> 00:16:01.850 now, I spent a little time on this. That's the 00:16:01.850 --> 00:16:04.750 backdrop for Psalm 46. All that is what Psalm 00:16:04.750 --> 00:16:07.090 46. So now let's go to the psalm. You see the 00:16:07.090 --> 00:16:09.129 first three verses. I've already read them. But 00:16:09.129 --> 00:16:11.789 you see the situation here. It's like describing 00:16:11.789 --> 00:16:14.210 a great earthquake. Not a small earthquake. This 00:16:14.210 --> 00:16:17.490 is magnificent earthquake. The earth is coming 00:16:17.490 --> 00:16:20.590 undone. The earth is being removed. Mountains 00:16:20.590 --> 00:16:23.649 are falling. Mountains are shaking. And they're 00:16:23.649 --> 00:16:27.309 falling into a turbulent sea. Okay, that's what's 00:16:27.309 --> 00:16:29.750 happening. This is a very frightening scene. 00:16:30.549 --> 00:16:32.710 Again, if you're living at that time, this would 00:16:32.710 --> 00:16:34.230 have been enough to strike terror into the heart 00:16:34.230 --> 00:16:37.210 of the most courageous man. And against this 00:16:37.210 --> 00:16:42.169 backdrop, Assyria is at your doorstep. The psalmist 00:16:42.169 --> 00:16:47.490 confidently says, go sing this song. God. is 00:16:47.490 --> 00:16:51.970 our refuge. He is a place to which we run and 00:16:51.970 --> 00:16:54.950 hide. He is a place where we find strength and 00:16:54.950 --> 00:16:57.429 security. When the storms of life come, where 00:16:57.429 --> 00:17:01.429 do you run? Where do you turn? God offers absolute 00:17:01.429 --> 00:17:04.690 protection. Now, the psalmist did not say that 00:17:04.690 --> 00:17:07.630 God gives refuge. The psalmist did not say God 00:17:07.630 --> 00:17:10.230 will point out where refuge may be found. Instead, 00:17:10.430 --> 00:17:17.490 he said God is our refuge. He. Yahweh, God, Elohim, 00:17:17.630 --> 00:17:20.470 he is the place of protection. You want to be 00:17:20.470 --> 00:17:23.789 safe? It's found in him. And by the way, that's 00:17:23.789 --> 00:17:26.710 the promise of Emmanuel. What's Emmanuel, Matthew 00:17:26.710 --> 00:17:32.390 1? God with us. That's our hope. God is with 00:17:32.390 --> 00:17:35.549 us. God does not abandon his people in time of 00:17:35.549 --> 00:17:39.009 trouble. And he refuses to do so. Now, he may 00:17:39.009 --> 00:17:42.549 not, folks, remove the trial. He may not remove 00:17:42.549 --> 00:17:46.519 the thing that is causing you pain. but he promises 00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:50.079 to be with you in it. God offers you himself 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:55.259 the gift of his presence. He's our shelter, but 00:17:55.259 --> 00:17:58.220 he's also our strength. What's that mean? He 00:17:58.220 --> 00:18:01.740 gives you the ability to handle anything that 00:18:01.740 --> 00:18:07.259 he in his providence brings into your life. Your 00:18:07.259 --> 00:18:08.880 life may feel uncertain, and there are people 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:12.119 in this church, and I know that it does. Certainty 00:18:12.119 --> 00:18:17.019 really doesn't exist. Is your heart broken? Some 00:18:17.019 --> 00:18:20.299 people are. Does your life feel like it has no 00:18:20.299 --> 00:18:24.660 meaning? God says, listen, turn to me. I will 00:18:24.660 --> 00:18:27.359 be refuge. I will give you the strength that's 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:30.240 needed to endure. Because the truth is, all of 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:33.240 us, as the saints of God, we all go through uncertain 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:37.900 times. What do we do when life is uncertain? 00:18:38.460 --> 00:18:42.039 We do what God's people have always done. We 00:18:42.039 --> 00:18:45.470 run to him. Because notice the text. He is a 00:18:45.470 --> 00:18:49.549 very present help in trouble. Literally translated. 00:18:50.589 --> 00:18:54.369 God is a help in distresses found exceedingly. 00:18:55.289 --> 00:18:57.529 I know that's awkward. It's cumbersome. That's 00:18:57.529 --> 00:19:00.109 why it's not translated that way. Let's see what 00:19:00.109 --> 00:19:03.869 it's saying. Our father is always, always willing 00:19:03.869 --> 00:19:06.329 to help his children. The very moment you need 00:19:06.329 --> 00:19:09.190 him, he's there. Isn't that what a good father 00:19:09.190 --> 00:19:11.730 does? The moment you need him, he's there for 00:19:11.730 --> 00:19:14.490 you. So what the psalmist is saying, he's a present 00:19:14.490 --> 00:19:17.289 help. There is immediate access. You don't need 00:19:17.289 --> 00:19:19.450 to make an appointment with God. You don't need 00:19:19.450 --> 00:19:21.430 to check his calendar or see if you might reach 00:19:21.430 --> 00:19:24.430 him or when he might be available. No. When life 00:19:24.430 --> 00:19:27.250 is uncertain, when life is chaotic, the believer 00:19:27.250 --> 00:19:32.849 has immediate access to the Father. Because you're 00:19:32.849 --> 00:19:37.529 his son. And you have 24 -7 access to the throne 00:19:37.529 --> 00:19:40.769 room of God. God is our Father. He's also our 00:19:40.769 --> 00:19:45.339 King. As a father, he cares. Jesus said, not 00:19:45.339 --> 00:19:48.940 a hair will fall from your head, what the Father 00:19:48.940 --> 00:19:53.059 in heaven noticing. But as our king, he wields 00:19:53.059 --> 00:19:56.579 all power to do whatever we need him to do. His 00:19:56.579 --> 00:19:59.799 arm is not shortened. In verse 2 and 3, it says, 00:19:59.859 --> 00:20:02.059 therefore, I love this, that because of that, 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:06.240 we're not going to fear. The logic. Since the 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:09.839 Almighty, Elohim, God Most High, since He is 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:12.240 our refuge, since He is our strength, therefore 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:15.480 we have no cause to fear. I love this with Psalm 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:19.380 27 .1. The Lord is my light and salvation. Whom 00:20:19.380 --> 00:20:21.779 shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my 00:20:21.779 --> 00:20:26.819 life. Of whom shall I be afraid? God is with 00:20:26.819 --> 00:20:29.559 us. He's Emmanuel. God is with us. He won't leave 00:20:29.559 --> 00:20:32.059 us. He'll never forsake us. Therefore, we have 00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:34.400 no reason for worry. We have no reason to fear. 00:20:34.579 --> 00:20:37.599 What about if the earth is removed? What about 00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:39.660 if the mountains start suddenly crumbling and 00:20:39.660 --> 00:20:42.720 falling into the sea? If you go back into the 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:44.740 Bible, the reason the psalmist uses mountains 00:20:44.740 --> 00:20:47.799 is because the earth and mountains represented 00:20:47.799 --> 00:20:51.920 stability, security, permanence. They considered 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:54.650 them to be permanent. So the psalmist is describing 00:20:54.650 --> 00:20:57.609 a situation here where the very foundation of 00:20:57.609 --> 00:21:01.009 human life is being compromised. The earth is 00:21:01.009 --> 00:21:05.349 coming undone. It's ultimate disaster. So everything 00:21:05.349 --> 00:21:07.950 in your life that is stable suddenly becomes 00:21:07.950 --> 00:21:12.450 unstable. What do we do? Even when the world 00:21:12.450 --> 00:21:15.710 seems to be unraveling, rogue nations seem to 00:21:15.710 --> 00:21:20.849 be threatening, we can be calm. We can be confident. 00:21:22.160 --> 00:21:25.460 Because God is with us. The created order is 00:21:25.460 --> 00:21:29.779 very unreliable. But God remains unchanged. He's 00:21:29.779 --> 00:21:31.940 the same yesterday, today, and forever. See, 00:21:31.980 --> 00:21:33.619 I love this. This is why we can go to him. He's 00:21:33.619 --> 00:21:36.460 a rock. He's an anchor. God is unfazed by the 00:21:36.460 --> 00:21:39.059 circumstances of life. Now, listen, the psalmist 00:21:39.059 --> 00:21:41.059 does not deny sadness. He doesn't say you won't 00:21:41.059 --> 00:21:43.700 be sad. He says you just don't have to fear. 00:21:44.700 --> 00:21:47.339 You don't have to fear. You may grieve. You may 00:21:47.339 --> 00:21:51.220 lament over the situation you are enduring. But 00:21:51.220 --> 00:21:53.039 you don't have to live in terror because of it. 00:21:53.500 --> 00:21:57.559 Look at verses 4 and 5. In verse 3, you had turbulent 00:21:57.559 --> 00:22:01.059 waters, a turbulent sea. But verse 4, I love 00:22:01.059 --> 00:22:05.079 this. There is a river whose streams make glad 00:22:05.079 --> 00:22:08.279 the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most 00:22:08.279 --> 00:22:11.680 High. Notice, notice the contrast. In verse 3, 00:22:11.740 --> 00:22:14.480 you got turbulent, churning waters. Mountains 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:16.940 are falling under the violent sea. But in verse 00:22:16.940 --> 00:22:20.769 4, there's a gentle stream, a river. passing 00:22:20.769 --> 00:22:23.769 through Jerusalem, the city of God. Now Jerusalem 00:22:23.769 --> 00:22:26.589 doesn't have a river passing through it. What 00:22:26.589 --> 00:22:28.369 he's saying is where God is present, remember 00:22:28.369 --> 00:22:32.869 where is the temple? In Jerusalem. There's peace, 00:22:33.089 --> 00:22:37.009 there's tranquility, there's even joy. So what 00:22:37.009 --> 00:22:39.750 the word picture is giving here is the world 00:22:39.750 --> 00:22:43.690 is languishing, the world is reeling, but not 00:22:43.690 --> 00:22:46.670 the people of God. There is a difference for 00:22:46.670 --> 00:22:50.190 them. There's a sense of calm. and well -being. 00:22:50.490 --> 00:22:54.710 Why? God is in our midst. Here's the promise 00:22:54.710 --> 00:22:58.589 of stability. She shall not be moved. The city 00:22:58.589 --> 00:23:00.390 of Jerusalem shall not be moved. I don't care 00:23:00.390 --> 00:23:03.309 what Sennacherib says. And here's the promise 00:23:03.309 --> 00:23:07.609 of consolation. Why won't she be moved? God will 00:23:07.609 --> 00:23:10.529 help her. And that right early, in the early 00:23:10.529 --> 00:23:12.970 morning hours. What happened? When did God strike 00:23:12.970 --> 00:23:14.829 the Assyrians dead? Sometime through the night. 00:23:14.869 --> 00:23:17.390 And when Israel woke up, there was 185 ,000 dead 00:23:17.390 --> 00:23:21.339 Assyrians. They didn't lift a finger. But I want 00:23:21.339 --> 00:23:22.640 you to notice something else. So you've got that 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:25.420 river there. It's the streams whereof make glad 00:23:25.420 --> 00:23:27.460 the city of God. This is an important picture 00:23:27.460 --> 00:23:30.779 because in the arid Near East where Israel is, 00:23:30.980 --> 00:23:33.319 even today, water is a very precious commodity. 00:23:34.380 --> 00:23:36.500 It's a picture of life. It's a picture of prosperity. 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:39.900 So this gentle stream flowing through Jerusalem 00:23:39.900 --> 00:23:43.559 was a sign of God's provision. So God not only 00:23:43.559 --> 00:23:46.299 defends his people, but he also provides for 00:23:46.299 --> 00:23:49.160 his people. But it's not just a gentle stream. 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:54.440 It's a river. There's abundance. This is a picture 00:23:54.440 --> 00:23:58.400 of grace. Now, there is this picture of a river. 00:23:59.079 --> 00:24:01.599 If you know the Bible and you go all the way 00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:02.900 to the last chapter of the Bible, all the way 00:24:02.900 --> 00:24:07.619 to Revelation 22, there is another river pointing 00:24:07.619 --> 00:24:11.539 to the end -time vision of a new Jerusalem. Revelation 00:24:11.539 --> 00:24:16.599 22 .1. And he, the angel speaking to John, showed 00:24:16.599 --> 00:24:21.660 me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, 00:24:21.859 --> 00:24:26.400 proceeding from the throne of God and of the 00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:31.180 Lamb. That river represents the perpetual, refreshing 00:24:31.180 --> 00:24:34.279 providence and peace of God. Now that's a mouthful 00:24:34.279 --> 00:24:36.880 to say very fast, I will tell you that. So in 00:24:36.880 --> 00:24:40.500 verses 2 and 3, the created order is disintegrated. 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:46.529 But in verse 5, God is in the midst of her. She's 00:24:46.529 --> 00:24:50.809 not going to be moved. Absolute stability. God 00:24:50.809 --> 00:24:53.250 stands with his people and the people of God 00:24:53.250 --> 00:24:56.650 stand against turmoil. Because he's with us. 00:24:57.309 --> 00:24:59.809 Now in verses 1 -3 you saw a natural calamity, 00:24:59.829 --> 00:25:02.750 but in verses 6 and 7 there's human caused calamity. 00:25:02.769 --> 00:25:05.950 Look at the text. The nations are raging, kingdoms 00:25:05.950 --> 00:25:08.930 are being moved, but God uttered his voice and 00:25:08.930 --> 00:25:11.650 the earth melted. Now look at this. The nations 00:25:11.650 --> 00:25:16.839 raged. What's that mean? Political uproar. Military 00:25:16.839 --> 00:25:20.519 campaigns are being waged. So the context, again, 00:25:20.700 --> 00:25:23.920 the Assyrian army is laying siege to Jerusalem. 00:25:24.339 --> 00:25:27.019 So let's put it this way. Assyria is raging. 00:25:28.779 --> 00:25:33.480 Notice the text. God lifts his voice. That's 00:25:33.480 --> 00:25:37.140 the end of it. Assyria was terribly powerful, 00:25:37.420 --> 00:25:42.599 but God's word has ultimate power. When Jesus 00:25:42.599 --> 00:25:46.009 comes at the end, How does he strike his enemies 00:25:46.009 --> 00:25:50.450 down? With the word of his mouth. He speaks and 00:25:50.450 --> 00:25:52.890 they're done. That's the same thing that's happened 00:25:52.890 --> 00:25:56.789 here. You find Assyria, the most violent, fierce 00:25:56.789 --> 00:26:00.190 fighting people, destroyed simply by a word. 00:26:00.470 --> 00:26:03.450 And this is how God deals with raging nations. 00:26:03.849 --> 00:26:06.589 He simply speaks and it says the earth melts. 00:26:07.450 --> 00:26:10.650 Before him. Because God rules over creation. 00:26:10.990 --> 00:26:13.730 He's sovereign over the rise and fall of kingdoms. 00:26:14.089 --> 00:26:17.349 He controls the raging of nations. He also controls 00:26:17.349 --> 00:26:20.529 the shaking of kingdoms. Listen, the political 00:26:20.529 --> 00:26:23.630 front is certainly tenuous at best. I mean, it 00:26:23.630 --> 00:26:25.750 changes. And we don't know what the future holds. 00:26:26.470 --> 00:26:29.910 But we know who holds the future. Notice the 00:26:29.910 --> 00:26:32.859 text. The Lord of hosts is with us. And this 00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:34.980 is something that's so very important. The Lord 00:26:34.980 --> 00:26:37.940 of hosts, Yahweh, the Lord of hosts, Sabaoth. 00:26:39.500 --> 00:26:41.960 That's a title that was given to God. He's the 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:45.059 supreme commander of the heavenly armies. You 00:26:45.059 --> 00:26:47.700 could also say he's the commander of angelic 00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:51.339 armies or the army of angels. So notice a contrast. 00:26:52.299 --> 00:26:55.480 Assyria had a very impressive army. But the Lord 00:26:55.480 --> 00:26:58.700 of hosts, the supreme commander of the supernatural 00:26:58.700 --> 00:27:03.079 army, It's with us. That's why God's people don't 00:27:03.079 --> 00:27:05.559 have to fear. I mentioned this last week when 00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:08.319 we were talking about Psalm 23, and I'll mention 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:11.259 it again this morning. In 2 Kings 6, do you remember 00:27:11.259 --> 00:27:14.519 now the king, not of Assyria, but of Syria? The 00:27:14.519 --> 00:27:16.579 king of Syria wanted to come and find the prophet 00:27:16.579 --> 00:27:19.259 Elisha. He hated him because Elisha was informing 00:27:19.259 --> 00:27:22.789 Israel of his plans to attack. So he sends his 00:27:22.789 --> 00:27:25.670 army, he dispatches the Syrian army to go over 00:27:25.670 --> 00:27:27.490 to the city where Elisha and his servant were 00:27:27.490 --> 00:27:30.269 to surround the city and take Elisha and let's 00:27:30.269 --> 00:27:32.730 get him out of the way. Let's kill him. So now 00:27:32.730 --> 00:27:34.750 what happened? Elisha's servant wakes up and 00:27:34.750 --> 00:27:37.809 he sees the Syrian army all around the city and 00:27:37.809 --> 00:27:39.450 he's terrified. He said, what are we going to 00:27:39.450 --> 00:27:42.109 do? We're vastly outnumbered. Now pick up the 00:27:42.109 --> 00:27:45.470 text in verse 16. Elisha answered his servant. 00:27:45.869 --> 00:27:49.349 He said, don't fear. Same thing the psalmist 00:27:49.349 --> 00:27:51.549 is saying. For those who are with us are more 00:27:51.549 --> 00:27:54.670 than those who are with them. Elisha, I think 00:27:54.670 --> 00:27:58.009 you're mistaken here. Verse 17, Elisha prayed 00:27:58.009 --> 00:28:00.490 and he said, Lord, that is Yahweh, I pray, open 00:28:00.490 --> 00:28:03.130 his eyes that he may see. Then the Lord opened 00:28:03.130 --> 00:28:05.650 the eyes of the young man and he saw, and behold, 00:28:05.849 --> 00:28:08.289 the mountain, he didn't see this before, the 00:28:08.289 --> 00:28:11.349 mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire 00:28:11.349 --> 00:28:15.369 all around Elisha. What's that mountain being 00:28:15.369 --> 00:28:18.089 full of, the horses and chariots of fire? That's 00:28:18.089 --> 00:28:22.160 the angelic army. God had dispatched his angelic 00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:25.279 army to go defend Elisha. And what does the psalmist 00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:28.000 say in Psalm 46? The God of hosts, the Lord of 00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:32.539 hosts, Yahweh Sabaoth. Listen, the Rabshika and 00:28:32.539 --> 00:28:36.559 Sennacherib, big deal what they say. God and 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:39.420 his army are with us. He's the warrior God. But 00:28:39.420 --> 00:28:42.559 he's also the God of Jacob. Covenant keeping 00:28:42.559 --> 00:28:44.980 God. Who's Jacob? Jacob's name was changed to 00:28:44.980 --> 00:28:47.819 Israel. This is the God of Israel. The people 00:28:47.819 --> 00:28:50.869 of God. unlike those pagan nations, are in covenant 00:28:50.869 --> 00:28:54.049 with God, and thus he will move and do whatever 00:28:54.049 --> 00:28:56.869 he must do to protect and defend his people. 00:28:57.250 --> 00:28:59.329 The earth can quake, the mountains can fall, 00:28:59.430 --> 00:29:02.329 but God will defend her. Let me just say this, 00:29:02.329 --> 00:29:03.950 this covenant thing, let me give it a little 00:29:03.950 --> 00:29:08.809 side here. This is why I place a premium on baptism. 00:29:09.529 --> 00:29:13.950 It is ultra important. Why? It's the covenant 00:29:13.950 --> 00:29:17.819 sign. It's what marks you off as the son or daughter 00:29:17.819 --> 00:29:20.980 of God. We're not pagan people. We're not heathen 00:29:20.980 --> 00:29:24.279 people. We are the baptized people of God. What 00:29:24.279 --> 00:29:27.279 do you mean by that? Because in baptism, God's 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:30.019 name, the triune name, was placed upon you, and 00:29:30.019 --> 00:29:33.400 we are marked off as his people. Why is that 00:29:33.400 --> 00:29:35.700 important? Because God has bound himself by an 00:29:35.700 --> 00:29:39.339 oath to his covenant people. He has placed his 00:29:39.339 --> 00:29:42.099 steadfast love upon his covenant people. This 00:29:42.099 --> 00:29:44.799 is why we cannot fall, although we do suffer, 00:29:44.980 --> 00:29:48.059 because nothing ultimately can separate us from 00:29:48.059 --> 00:29:51.920 God's love given to us in Christ. This is why 00:29:51.920 --> 00:29:54.799 this is so important. Not earthquakes, not rogue 00:29:54.799 --> 00:29:57.619 nations, not a quick -spreading virus, not a 00:29:57.619 --> 00:30:00.700 rapidly deteriorating culture. Nothing can separate 00:30:00.700 --> 00:30:03.319 us from the love and protection of God found 00:30:03.319 --> 00:30:08.470 in Christ. Look at verses 8 and 9. Come, behold 00:30:08.470 --> 00:30:11.289 the works of the Lord. The psalmist is saying, 00:30:11.329 --> 00:30:13.890 look through the eyes of faith. Perceive through 00:30:13.890 --> 00:30:16.670 faith what God is doing in world events. See 00:30:16.670 --> 00:30:20.009 what his hand is doing. Who has made desolations 00:30:20.009 --> 00:30:22.890 in the earth? Referring to God's judgment upon 00:30:22.890 --> 00:30:27.609 his enemies. How did God defend Israel? He defends 00:30:27.609 --> 00:30:30.049 and protects his people by judging their enemies. 00:30:30.250 --> 00:30:33.529 He judged Assyria. Israel didn't have to lift 00:30:33.529 --> 00:30:36.710 a finger. They didn't have to fight. God fought 00:30:36.710 --> 00:30:39.750 for them. Notice it says he breaks the bow and 00:30:39.750 --> 00:30:42.529 the spear and he burns the chariots. All those 00:30:42.529 --> 00:30:45.890 are instruments of war. God is creating peace. 00:30:47.049 --> 00:30:50.150 Who's the ultimate peacemaker? God is. There's 00:30:50.150 --> 00:30:54.549 no human power or human authority that can outmatch 00:30:54.549 --> 00:30:58.009 his authority. No one can. So I think of King 00:30:58.009 --> 00:31:00.910 Sennacherib. He thought he was untouchable and 00:31:00.910 --> 00:31:04.460 he's no match for the king of kings. Psalm 118 00:31:04.460 --> 00:31:07.400 verse 6 says, The Lord, Yahweh, is on my side. 00:31:07.519 --> 00:31:10.400 I will not fear. What can man do unto me? Do 00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:12.500 you see what he's saying? Do you see the security? 00:31:12.759 --> 00:31:16.160 Do you see the hope that you have? So what's 00:31:16.160 --> 00:31:21.099 our response? Look at verse 10. Be still and 00:31:21.099 --> 00:31:25.019 know that I am God. I will be exalted among the 00:31:25.019 --> 00:31:28.039 nations. I will be exalted in the earth. Now 00:31:28.039 --> 00:31:29.480 this be still, I will tell you, this is something 00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:32.519 new I learned this week. Be still has a dual 00:31:32.519 --> 00:31:34.839 context. If you look at it in context, the first 00:31:34.839 --> 00:31:37.700 context is not to us to be still. It's actually 00:31:37.700 --> 00:31:41.400 addressed to the nations which are raging. God's 00:31:41.400 --> 00:31:44.059 saying, quiet down now. You be still. You are 00:31:44.059 --> 00:31:47.259 to drop your weapons. It's a command. It's a 00:31:47.259 --> 00:31:49.900 stern command. Drop your weapons and recognize 00:31:49.900 --> 00:31:54.140 my authority. But secondarily, it does apply 00:31:54.140 --> 00:32:01.089 to God's people. Be still. Let go. Relax. This 00:32:01.089 --> 00:32:03.390 is not a suggestion. This is not a TED talk. 00:32:03.869 --> 00:32:10.509 It's a stern command. Relax. Let it go. Your 00:32:10.509 --> 00:32:13.329 God is in control. Quit wringing your hands. 00:32:13.390 --> 00:32:15.890 Quit staying up all night worried. That's not 00:32:15.890 --> 00:32:18.849 going to do anything. Stop doubting and trust 00:32:18.849 --> 00:32:22.650 in God's ability to protect and defend you. That's 00:32:22.650 --> 00:32:26.569 what he's saying here. Don't panic. Don't fear. 00:32:28.480 --> 00:32:30.440 Because we recognize that our Father in Heaven 00:32:30.440 --> 00:32:34.079 has complete, sovereign authority. We know that 00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:39.039 He is God. We see that He's Elohim, God Most 00:32:39.039 --> 00:32:43.220 High. On many nights, our children have woken 00:32:43.220 --> 00:32:45.440 up in the middle of the night and sometimes they're 00:32:45.440 --> 00:32:47.059 scared and they cry out for me and cry out for 00:32:47.059 --> 00:32:50.559 Daddy. When I enter the room and just hold them 00:32:50.559 --> 00:32:53.319 and assure them of my presence, then they're 00:32:53.319 --> 00:32:55.680 once more at peace. They drift back off into 00:32:55.680 --> 00:33:01.160 sleep. Likewise, when we realize, friends, when 00:33:01.160 --> 00:33:04.440 we know that our Father God, and if you can know 00:33:04.440 --> 00:33:06.859 this, if we can keep this truth before us at 00:33:06.859 --> 00:33:09.579 all times, if we know that our Father God is 00:33:09.579 --> 00:33:13.539 near, that he's right there with us, we can be 00:33:13.539 --> 00:33:17.579 at peace. What a precious commodity. It's what 00:33:17.579 --> 00:33:19.480 the world searches for and it's elusive. They 00:33:19.480 --> 00:33:22.039 won't find it. Peace is found in the Prince of 00:33:22.039 --> 00:33:25.109 Peace. God says, I will be exalted in the earth. 00:33:25.210 --> 00:33:27.109 Why is he saying that? Because what did Sennacherib 00:33:27.109 --> 00:33:29.450 think? He thought he would be exalted in the 00:33:29.450 --> 00:33:31.809 earth. After all, he had already destroyed and 00:33:31.809 --> 00:33:34.349 defeated, conquered many countries. He thought 00:33:34.349 --> 00:33:36.730 no one could oppose him. But God says, no, the 00:33:36.730 --> 00:33:40.710 nations belong to me. I will be exalted. Yeah, 00:33:40.750 --> 00:33:44.250 the nations may rage in rebellion, but God guarantees 00:33:44.250 --> 00:33:48.009 his ultimate triumph. I will be exalted in the 00:33:48.009 --> 00:33:52.190 earth. And look at verse 11, the last verse there. 00:33:53.069 --> 00:33:57.410 The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob 00:33:57.410 --> 00:33:59.890 is our refuge. He's bookending this. He's really 00:33:59.890 --> 00:34:03.289 wanting to leave an impression here. Yahweh Sabaoth, 00:34:03.549 --> 00:34:07.089 the Lord of hosts. Remember? The supreme commander 00:34:07.089 --> 00:34:13.190 of heaven's army. He's with us. He is our refuge. 00:34:14.710 --> 00:34:19.070 He's the hiding place. Proverbs 18 says, The 00:34:19.070 --> 00:34:21.409 name of the Lord, the name of Yahweh, is a strong 00:34:21.409 --> 00:34:26.110 tower. And the righteous run to it. And they're 00:34:26.110 --> 00:34:28.969 safe. Friends, our hope is not in the absence 00:34:28.969 --> 00:34:31.130 of trouble. Don't put your hope there. It will 00:34:31.130 --> 00:34:33.130 not be found. It's not in the absence of trouble, 00:34:33.190 --> 00:34:36.309 but rather in the presence of God. Jesus, in 00:34:36.309 --> 00:34:38.309 the world you will have tribulation, but be of 00:34:38.309 --> 00:34:40.190 good cheer, I've overcome the world. You will 00:34:40.190 --> 00:34:42.070 have trouble. You will have affliction. You will 00:34:42.070 --> 00:34:44.110 have trials in your life. So your hope cannot 00:34:44.110 --> 00:34:46.469 be that I'm going to have smooth sailing. No, 00:34:46.550 --> 00:34:48.409 our hope is in the presence of our King with 00:34:48.409 --> 00:34:51.760 us. And this is what gives life meaning. This 00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:54.280 is what gives life joy. This is what makes life 00:34:54.280 --> 00:34:59.280 bearable, I think. So as we close, Lord willing, 00:34:59.400 --> 00:35:03.059 next Lord's Day, we'll look over to Matthew 14 00:35:03.059 --> 00:35:07.219 and Jesus and Peter walking on the water. This 00:35:07.219 --> 00:35:09.639 psalm richly complements that particular passage. 00:35:10.679 --> 00:35:13.800 Here the waters are raging. Next week we'll see 00:35:13.800 --> 00:35:17.960 Jesus walking on raging waters. In Psalm 46 we're 00:35:17.960 --> 00:35:21.960 said, don't fear. The Lord of hosts is with us. 00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:24.659 If you return, you don't need to. In Matthew 00:35:24.659 --> 00:35:27.519 14, Jesus comes to disciples walking on the water 00:35:27.519 --> 00:35:30.619 and they're afraid. And what does he say? Take 00:35:30.619 --> 00:35:36.559 heart. Be still. It is I. Don't be afraid. I'm 00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:38.960 with you. The psalmist wrote, there's a river 00:35:38.960 --> 00:35:42.659 whose streams make glad the city of God. In John 00:35:42.659 --> 00:35:46.300 chapter 2, Jesus spoke of a river. He said, he 00:35:46.300 --> 00:35:49.260 cried out, if anyone thirsts, let him come to 00:35:49.260 --> 00:35:51.949 me and drink. Because he who believes in me, 00:35:52.150 --> 00:35:55.730 as the scripture has said, out of his heart will 00:35:55.730 --> 00:36:01.929 flow rivers of living water. The point is, here's 00:36:01.929 --> 00:36:04.909 the point, that the God who is Israel's refuge 00:36:04.909 --> 00:36:11.929 in Psalm 46 is revealed in the gospels as Jesus 00:36:11.929 --> 00:36:16.769 Christ, the divine son. That is why we call him 00:36:16.769 --> 00:36:22.039 Emmanuel, God. with us. He is present in every 00:36:22.039 --> 00:36:26.880 storm of life. And blessed are all who put their 00:36:26.880 --> 00:36:30.840 trust in him. I close with this because I feel 00:36:30.840 --> 00:36:36.039 like I must. Friends, when we hear word of gospel 00:36:36.039 --> 00:36:39.980 or who God is, we need to be warned. And I think 00:36:39.980 --> 00:36:45.639 this is so very apropos. A storm is coming. The 00:36:45.639 --> 00:36:49.349 wrath and judgment of God is coming. A day of 00:36:49.349 --> 00:36:52.530 fierce judgment and of darkness is coming. And 00:36:52.530 --> 00:36:55.969 there's only one refuge. There's only one shelter. 00:36:56.610 --> 00:37:01.170 There's only one ark. There's only one door, 00:37:01.190 --> 00:37:06.510 one gate, one way. And that is Jesus the Christ 00:37:06.510 --> 00:37:10.670 sent from God. Blessed are all those who put 00:37:10.670 --> 00:37:13.929 their trust in him. And friends, today most of 00:37:13.929 --> 00:37:16.269 us have. And we get to come to the table and 00:37:16.269 --> 00:37:18.829 we celebrate and commune with the risen Christ. 00:37:19.090 --> 00:37:22.849 But if you haven't today, I implore you, I beg 00:37:22.849 --> 00:37:25.809 you, and God commands you, repent of your sins 00:37:25.809 --> 00:37:28.829 and bow your knee before Jesus and trust in him. 00:37:29.329 --> 00:37:32.809 Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord, for your 00:37:32.809 --> 00:37:35.949 word. It is rich. It is so very good. Lord, I'm 00:37:35.949 --> 00:37:38.170 so very thankful, God, that you have given to 00:37:38.170 --> 00:37:41.590 us the Psalms, Lord. I'm thankful for Psalm 46. 00:37:43.179 --> 00:37:46.900 God, feed us, Lord. Let us not have spiritual 00:37:46.900 --> 00:37:49.280 amnesia that as soon as we walk out these doors, 00:37:49.460 --> 00:37:54.340 this simply becomes a distant memory. But Father, 00:37:54.380 --> 00:37:58.840 Lord, in times of trouble, in times of peril, 00:37:58.940 --> 00:38:02.340 Lord, help us to remember that you are our refuge 00:38:02.340 --> 00:38:05.780 and strength, a very present help in a time of 00:38:05.780 --> 00:38:09.360 trouble. Therefore, we will not fear. God, there 00:38:09.360 --> 00:38:10.880 are some of my brothers and sisters here this 00:38:10.880 --> 00:38:12.480 morning, and that's where they are. They find 00:38:12.480 --> 00:38:15.199 themselves in that scary moment, that dark moment 00:38:15.199 --> 00:38:17.900 of uncertainty. God, may you encourage them. 00:38:18.260 --> 00:38:20.500 Lord, there are some in here today who, Lord, 00:38:20.579 --> 00:38:23.099 they are dead in their sins, and they will face 00:38:23.099 --> 00:38:27.320 the unrelenting, unmitigated wrath of God. Lord, 00:38:27.360 --> 00:38:30.179 I pray this morning, God, would you please convict 00:38:30.179 --> 00:38:32.780 them, open their eyes, and show them the beauty 00:38:32.780 --> 00:38:35.460 of the gospel. And Father, Lord, some of us, 00:38:35.460 --> 00:38:37.300 Lord, whose life right now there seems to be 00:38:37.300 --> 00:38:38.960 in a reprieve, and Lord, we're enjoying your 00:38:38.960 --> 00:38:41.659 blessing. God, we want to simply say thank you, 00:38:41.679 --> 00:38:44.539 Lord. God, help us to remember. Help us not to 00:38:44.539 --> 00:38:46.880 soon forget. And Lord, as we come to the table 00:38:46.880 --> 00:38:49.280 of Christ, as we come to the table of the Lord, 00:38:49.440 --> 00:38:52.320 we do so confessing our sins, finding forgiveness 00:38:52.320 --> 00:38:56.099 in the broken body and shed blood of Jesus, our 00:38:56.099 --> 00:38:58.659 Savior and Lord. It's in his name we pray, Lord. 00:38:58.920 --> 00:39:01.800 Amen. I'm going to ask as the junior church comes 00:39:01.800 --> 00:39:03.900 in that the deacons come and prepare the table, 00:39:03.960 --> 00:39:04.179 please.