Refuge and Strength

Hey, church. Good morning. It's 1028, but I decided to go ahead and get this started, and I'll wait until 1030 before we actually get things rolling.

I was thinking about, man, all the things with COVID and what got us onto live streaming in the first place years and years ago.

So if you had been at our church in 2018 or 2019 and there was a snow day or a cold day, we just wouldn't have a sermon, and we didn't do any live streaming.

And then COVID came along, and we had to learn so many things so quickly.

And now we have the equipment, we have the setup, and I think at least once a year, we are here in my living room.

And so I was just reflecting on all those things this morning and how many years it's been since COVID and the world of live streaming.

And, you know, there was a time when we didn't have a live stream for our church.

We didn't have a live stream camera.

You know, if you missed the worship service, you just have to, the sermon audio recording was all there was.

So it's just funny to think about everything that's changed in the world the last five or six years or so.

And what I've learned, too, I remember back in COVID, just the learning curve of trying to figure out how to use the cameras and how to use Facebook Live and all those things.

And now it's just something we do and we have to.

So, okay, we're right at 1030.

So I'm going to go ahead and officially get us started.

As you join on, I would ask that if you're willing to make a comment and just where you are watching from, you can greet one another.

That does a couple of things for us.

First of all, it helps us understand who's actually with us.

It gives us a sense of being together, even as we are actually separated physically.

And it also helps me not feel quite so crazy.

So I'm not just here looking into a camera.

Even now I can see folks commenting.

So that's helpful for me, if for no one else.

We were supposed to have a congregational meeting today after church.

Obviously, we're not going to do that.

So that will be moved to next Sunday, January the 26th.

I also do want to give you guys a reminder that my sabbatical is coming up very soon.

February the 2nd will be my last Sunday with you all.

So I have two more Sundays.

After this morning, I have one more sermon.

This coming week, I'll be traveling for our regional church meetings three times a year.

The churches in Wyoming and Montana and Colorado get together.

So I'll be in Summit County for some of the week and up in the Denver area for part of it.

So Andy Perch will preach next Sunday.

Then I'll preach on the 2nd.

Then I'll be out.

I also want to remind you that starting February 9th,

Jonathan Clark is going to do a four-week series on evangelism that I'm really excited about.

And I hope you all are as well.

I think those are our announcements.

We've been in a very short series in the Book of Psalms.

The last couple weeks, the Book of Psalms is the songbook for God's people in the Old Testament.

It is the prayer book, the hymn book, the guide for worshiping God.

It's quoted all throughout the New Testament.

There's sort of a competition between the Book of Psalms and the Book of Isaiah

as to which is quoted more in the New Testament.

Depends on who you ask and how you add up the numbers.

This week, we're going to be in Psalm 46.

And for the sake of time, I'm actually going to hone in on verses 1 through 7.

And we're going to leave off verses 8 through 11,

just because this is such a rich passage with so much going on.

And Psalm 46 really asks one question.

What do we do when life falls apart?

What do we do when life falls apart?

It's with that I invite you to turn with me now.

You can turn on your phone or in your Bible or in your computer,

wherever you get access to the scriptures.

Wherever you turn, remember that this is God's word.

He tells us that it is more precious than gold, even the finest gold,

and sweeter than honey, even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb.

And so that's why we read now from Psalm 46.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.

Though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy habitation of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her.

She shall not be moved.

God will help her when morning dawns.

The nations rage.

The kingdoms totter.

He utters his voice.

The earth melts.

The Lord of hosts is with us.

The God of Jacob is our fortress.

I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.

Our Father in heaven, we do thank you for your word.

We thank you for the gift of technology that allows us to connect,

even as we're at a distance.

And we ask that you'd help us.

You'd help us to focus for a few minutes this morning on your word,

that we would worship you,

that we would see you clearly,

and that you would remove the many distractions that come with this sort of technology.

Instead, you'd help us.

You'd help us to see you in your word.

And we ask these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

One of my very best friends in the whole world

grew up in Asheville, North Carolina,

which is in western North Carolina.

And he had a very hard childhood with a lot of significant trauma.

And so home was not always a safe place for him.

But if you're familiar with western North Carolina,

you know that that's the mountains of North Carolina.

And while home was not safe, the mountains were.

He looked to the mountains as a place of comfort and solace and safety.

He eventually became an outdoorsman.

He worked in the outdoors industry for a while and I think directly connected to those experiences.

And you probably already know where I'm going with this.

In September of last year, Hurricane Helene came in.

And what did it do?

It wiped out western North Carolina.

Destroyed that part of the state with floods.

And the mountains themselves were covered in water.

Of course, not up to their topstrap, but they're flooded.

Inaccessible.

And so we find here, verse 2.

Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.

And to be honest with you,

I've always thought of that verse in Psalm 46

as sort of being this exaggeration, this hyperbole.

You know, of course, the mountains will never fall into the sea.

It's just using this image to help us understand,

well, the worst thing that you can imagine happening,

which of course won't happen,

God is stronger still.

I'm going to have to eat my words on that

because what is Hurricane Helene but water from the sea

in a hurricane that comes in and floods the mountains?

So my image, my idea, my thoughts about Psalm 46 have changed

because of that, because of my conversations with my friend.

The point is this.

Sometimes the most stable things in the world

are shaken, are removed, are destroyed.

Sometimes the most stable things in the world

are shaken and removed and destroyed.

And if you've lived long enough,

you have probably experienced that,

something that you thought was the bedrock

of your life disappeared.

Maybe your spouse told you

that he or she wanted out of the marriage.

Maybe the stock market crashed

and along with it disappeared your wealth.

And with your wealth, your chance of retiring.

We could think of another natural disaster,

the wildfires that are going on in Los Angeles.

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal

that came out recently and the title was this.

Their wealth is in their homes.

Their homes are now ash.

And it featured folks who are in their 60s and their 70s

in their home.

Their house was a large portion

of their retirement plan, of their wealth.

In addition to that, before the fires,

insurance companies had stopped supporting,

had dropped, I think State Farm especially,

their coverage for wildfires.

And so you have people who are in this double bind.

On the one hand, they've lost their insurance.

Then the fire comes in and takes out their wealth.

Maybe the stable thing for you is your job that you lost.

Maybe it's that your mind and your body

slowly start to fail and betray you.

This psalm reminds us that we can't leave this life unscathed.

And so it's about this.

It's about the question that I mentioned to you earlier.

What do we do when life falls apart?

What do we do when the earth gives way?

Well, it tells us in that very same verse, verse 2,

we will not fear.

Now notice what it doesn't say.

It doesn't say we won't grieve.

It doesn't say we won't be sad.

It says we will not fear.

Why?

Well, look one verse earlier, verse 1.

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

The psalm goes on immediately,

verses 4 through 7,

to give us a picture of what that means.

There's this contrast.

So you're going to want to look at your Bible now with me.

We're going to be moving around quickly on different verses.

There's this contrast between what happens in verses 1 through 3,

and then what we see in verses 4 through 7.

So in verses 2 and 3,

we have these threatening waters that destroy.

That's what's happening in the world.

Verse 4,

we have a river that brings life.

There is a river whose streams may clad the city of God.

Verses 2 and 3,

what do we see?

The mountains are moved into the heart of the sea.

Okay, so the mountains,

the stable things in life,

they can be destroyed.

They can be upset.

Verse 5,

talking about God's city,

Jerusalem,

God is in the midst of her same word,

she shall not be moved.

So I want you to see the contrast.

Waters that destroy,

waters that give life.

Things that are stable,

seemingly,

but can be moved,

God's city cannot be moved.

Then we're told,

verses 4 and 5,

this is the habitation of God.

This is where he dwells.

He's in the midst of her.

God's presence is there.

Verse 5,

we're told that God is going to help.

God will help her when morning dawns.

And then verses 5 through 6,

God is actually more powerful

than all these other forces.

Verse 6,

the nations rage,

the kingdoms totter,

he utters his voice,

the earth melts.

Whatever power there is in this world,

God is more powerful.

Whatever power there is in this world,

God is more powerful.

The world,

the things that we see

as most reliable

and most stable,

may collapse.

And at some point,

they will.

God's city

will not.

Things that are most stable

in this world,

seemingly,

can,

and it sometimes will,

collapse.

God's people

will not.

The world

may be falling apart.

God's church

stands firm.

The waters are roaring

and chaotic

out there.

The waters are nurturing

and safe

and life-giving

in here.

So I want you to see

there's this kind of

black and white distinction.

There's

this contrast

that's being drawn.

Here's the world,

unstable,

unsteady,

always full of risk,

volatile.

Here's God's city,

here's his church,

unshakable.

Why don't we fear?

Because there's a place

where the waters are calm.

Why don't we fear?

Because Jerusalem,

verse 5,

shall not

be moved.

Now you might be thinking,

man,

that sounds like a real

pie-in-the-sky

sort of hope.

How does that help me now?

How does that help

people in Los Angeles

whose houses have been

destroyed?

What does it mean

on Monday

or Tuesday

that God is my refuge

and strength,

that he's a very present help?

Well,

to get at that,

we have to remember

that when we look

at the Old Testament

and we see references

to Zion or Jerusalem,

a place where God dwells,

the center,

the capital of his people,

we now think of where

God's people are now,

which is not in Jerusalem,

but is in the church.

God is here

in the midst

of his people,

his church,

he's very present,

and he's very present

in a variety of ways,

a variety of practical ways.

Remember that God's church

is where he's given us

to each other,

and so God gives

his people

to his people.

One of the ways

that God is

very present with you

is the other people

who worship with you

at Cheyenne Mountain

Presbyterian Church.

That is a piece,

a part

of God's presence.

God does not merely

call us as sons

and daughters,

but when he does,

what does that mean?

We also have brothers

and sisters.

And I think

when we've been

in the church

for a long time,

it's easy to forget

how isolated

the world out there is.

how hard it is

to make real,

true,

deep friendships

outside of the community

that God's given us.

I'm not saying

it's impossible,

but in our current age

in 2025,

an age of isolation

and individualism,

it is hard.

It is uphill.

If you're in the church,

God is present with you.

If we were here together,

I'd say the people

next to you.

We're not next to each other,

but you know what I mean.

God's also very present

to us in his word.

He's given us his word

to guide us

and to instruct us.

We could even say

that this psalm,

Psalm 46,

is one of the ways

that God is very present

with us in trouble.

God's given us strength

in the sense that

he's given us this psalm.

So it's not just

that he's a refuge,

right?

Verse 1,

he's also our strength.

And he's our strength

in a variety of ways.

One of the ways

is he reminds us

of what's true.

We're told in this psalm

we don't fear.

Well, what is fear

but a belief

about the future?

And what does God

tell us in his word?

He tells us

what the future looks like.

He tells us

what we need to know

to not fear.

We could also say

that God

is a very present help

in trouble

because he is

immediately accessible

to us in prayer.

I told you

a few weeks ago

that you

are in fact

more powerful

than Elon Musk.

And you're more powerful

than him

in this particular sense

that you

have access

to the living God.

You can pray to him

whenever you want.

And God himself

is more powerful

than Elon Musk.

Verse 5,

verse 6,

the nations rage,

the kingdoms totter.

He utters his voice,

the earth

holds.

James chapter 1,

James 1:5

verse 5,

tells us

God gives wisdom

wisdom

to those who ask

for it.

That's a promise.

He's saying,

look,

if you believe

and you pray to God

and you say,

I need wisdom,

this is a promise.

There's no qualifications.

It says God

will give you wisdom.

He gives wisdom

to those who ask.

Actually,

I think there is

a qualification

that we ask in faith,

right?

James chapter 5,

James 5:17

verse 17,

tells us

God really does

answer prayer,

right?

Elijah prayed

and God answered.

Do we believe that?

Do we believe

God's promises

about the power

of prayer?

Do we believe

that he is

more powerful

than the other forces

in this world?

Do we believe

that he answers,

that he hears

when we cry out?

Do we believe

that he's our refuge

and strength,

a very present help

in trouble?

God's also

very present

with us

by his Holy Spirit.

Jesus makes promises

in both John chapter 14

John 14 · chapter mention

and John chapter 16

John 16 · chapter mention

that he's going to

send the Spirit

to his people.

In John 14,

he refers to the Spirit

as a helper,

the one who's going

to be with us.

John 16,

Jesus says,

hey,

the Spirit's actually

so powerful

that it's better

that I leave you

because then I can

send the Spirit.

And that's mind-blowing.

I've talked about that

a number of times

in sermons

that Jesus would say,

actually,

it's better that I go

because the Holy Spirit

is so valuable.

You know,

our instinct is to think,

man,

if Jesus were just here,

and Jesus says,

no,

actually,

there's something

better than me.

There is my Spirit.

Verse 2,

again,

tells us,

sorry,

verse 1 tells us

that he's our strength.

It's our strength

in a variety of ways.

The Spirit is one of them.

The Spirit gives us

what we need

to obey God.

It's also a strength

in that he gives us

truths that we need.

Truths that anchor us,

allow us to move forward.

God's our strength

and our refuge

because he's promised us

things that we can't lose.

Every once in a while,

I try to remind you all

of 1 Peter 1,

1 Peter 1:3

verse 3,

verse 4,

excuse me,

which tells us

that because of the resurrection,

we have an inheritance

in heaven.

And that inheritance

is described

with three words.

It is imperishable,

undefiled,

and unfading.

Which is another way

of saying,

whatever happens

out there,

it can't touch,

it can't damage

what's in here.

It cannot damage

what God has prepared

for his people.

There are some things

in life

that will not fall

into the sea.

There are some things

in life

that cannot be shaken.

Those are the things

and only the things

that God gives

to us.

I said this already,

fear

is based on

what we believe

about what is going

to happen in the future.

God's saying,

don't fear.

I've already told you

the future.

It's secure.

It's secure

and cannot be lost.

We're not looking

at verses 8-11

this morning,

but verses 8-11

give us another glimpse

of the future.

And they're saying,

look,

God wins.

God wins

and he is going

to fully

and finally

be seen

for who he is.

He's going to bring

full and final justice

to this earth.

Hebrews chapter 13

Hebrews 13 · chapter mention

gives us

a reminder of this,

speaking specifically

about wealth.

It says,

keep your life free

from the love of money

and be content

with what you have.

For he has said,

I will never leave you

nor forsake you.

So we can confidently

say,

the Lord is my helper.

I will not fear.

What can man do

to me?

Why is it

that we don't fear

when the earth

gives way

and the mountains

fall into the heart

of the sea?

We don't fear

because God has told us

I will never leave you

nor forsake you.

We don't fear

because we can confidently

say,

the Lord is my helper.

What can man

do to me?

Remember,

Jesus says,

don't fear

those who can

kill the body.

Fear God,

the one

who has power

over the soul.

You will lose

things

of great value

in this life.

there's no way

around that.

There's no amount

of money

you can pile up

to keep you safe.

There's no friend

with enough influence

to keep you

from harm.

You will lose

things of great value.

There is something,

though,

of ultimate value

that we cannot

lose.

There are things

of ultimate value

that will not

be lost.

Those are the things

that God gives to us.

And they cannot

be lost

because of

Jesus' resurrection.

Peter tells us,

1 Peter 1,

1 Peter 1:4

verse 4,

I already quoted it to you.

There's an inheritance.

It's imperishable,

unfading,

undefiled.

The verse before that,

verse 3,

tells us why we have

this inheritance.

We have this inheritance

because of the resurrection.

That it's Jesus' death

and his resurrection

that makes those things

unlosable

and unshakable.

Because he's promised

them to us.

He's given them to us,

those who believe

in Christ

and follow him

by faith.

And he's able

to do that

because of Jesus'

life and death

and resurrection.

Because just Jesus died

and took the punishment

that we deserve.

and he lived

and lived the life

that we should have lived

so that we can have life

with him.

So there's many things

that can happen to you

in this life

that are terrible

and tragic.

None of them

can take that away.

I've told you before,

you may end up

in prison, right,

for the rest of your life.

You may end up

because of something

you actually did

or something you're

falsely accused of.

and in a sense

that might feel

like the end

of your existence

in this world.

But it can't touch

your future.

Can't touch the future

promise to those

who are in Christ.

My friend,

who I mentioned

at the beginning,

told me this.

He said,

I've always looked

to the mountains

as a stable thing,

found comfort

and solace

in the mountains.

But the flood,

that is the floods

of Western North Carolina,

showed me

even the mountains

are not unshakable.

The mountains

aren't my refuge.

Ultimately,

the Lord

is my refuge.

That's one of the ways,

by the way,

that God uses

tragedies like that.

He uses them

to shake us up

and remind us

of what is secure

and what isn't secure.

That's why we see

after tragedy,

often there's sort of

this mini revival.

Some of you will remember

after 9-11,

there was this

mass return to church.

Because people

were shaken up,

they realized,

hey, the things

that I place security in,

those things are not

as steady

or as stable

as I thought.

Catastrophes clarify

how stable

the world is.

They remind us

that it isn't.

And there is,

though,

that one thing

that is stable.

What's stable

is the things

that we have

in God,

with God,

because of Jesus'

resurrection.

Jesus himself

makes us a promise

about that stable future.

We'll end with this,

Jesus' words

in John 14.

Let not your hearts

be troubled.

Man,

that sounds a lot

like Psalm 46.

Let not your hearts

be troubled.

Believe in God,

believe also in me.

In my Father's house

are many rooms.

If it were not so,

would I have told you

that I go to prepare

a place for you?

And if I go

and prepare a place

for you,

I will come again

and will take you

to myself,

that where I am,

you may be also.

Let's pray.

Our Father in Heaven,

we do thank you

and praise you

for your word.

We thank you

for this psalm,

Psalm 46.

We ask that you

would use it

as one of your tools

to be very present

with us

in our troubles.

That while we may grieve

and we may be sad,

we would not fear

because we know

that what we have

in you

cannot be lost.

And we ask these things

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Thanks, church.

Look forward to seeing

you all again

very soon.