Refuge and Strength

Hey, good morning, church.

Thanks for being with us again for our second virtual live stream.

It's good to be with you all, even if it's over the Internet.

Before we get started, I just want to highlight a couple announcements, since we're not able

to have announcements timed together like we would in a normal service.

First of all, we're going to have another church town hall this Wednesday, April the

first at 7 p.m. And so if you're finding it here, you can find it in the same place.

It's going to be on Facebook Live.

And just like we're doing for this message and our other videos, you can also find it

embedded on our website because we know that not everyone has Facebook.

So one thing that you all can help me with is spreading the word that you don't actually

have to have a Facebook account to be able to access our videos.

The other announcement I want to highlight is that Chris Bradley is starting a Sunday

school today at 4 p.m.

And if you want more details about that, you can email Chris with your church directory

that I'm sure you have.

Or you can also find all the details in our Friday email.

If you are not on the Friday email, that's one of our most important communication tools.

And it's very simple to be added.

You just need to go to our website and scroll down to the bottom right of any page.

And on the bottom right of any page, there will be a place where you can enter your email

address to sign up.

So I want to highlight that as we're beginning.

This morning, we are gathering together like we always do, no matter what, because we believe

that there's no one so good that they don't need God's grace and no one so bad that they

can't have it, which means it's important, whether we're in person or at home, to return

again and again to God and his word.

Last week, we finished our series on 1 Peter, and we're going to return for this Sunday to

the book of Psalms.

If you've been with us for a while, you know that we've been in Psalms multiple times.

We were there for Advent in December of 2018, and then we were also there this past summer

in 2019.

So you'll remember that the Psalms are a book in the Old Testament, and they're the prayer

book and the hymn book of God's people.

It's a guide for us of how we speak to God in various situations.

It's our guide for worshiping him.

And the Psalms continue to be used, not just by God's people in the Old Testament, but

also by the church in the New Testament.

It's an incredible resource for Christians, no matter what they face in life.

This Sunday, we're going to be talking or looking at Psalm 46.

And as we look at Psalm 46, it's going to address the topic of fear.

In fact, that's something that I've been thinking a lot about over the last couple weeks.

It's certainly our experience, right, during these times that we have the emotion of fear.

And yet we're going to see in this passage that God's going to tell us not to fear, which

can be confusing at times for us as Christians.

So we're going to look at what that actually means.

Just like I'm concerned at times when people say, have faith, depending on what they mean

by that.

I'm also concerned sometimes when people say, don't fear.

Do they mean that this is a license for foolishness, for example?

Does not having fear mean we can do whatever we want without fear of consequence?

Perhaps telling someone not to fear is a tool of shame, right?

They're sharing with you some of their frustrations and what they think might happen in the future,

and you'd rather not listen to it.

And so you just tell them not to be afraid.

There are certainly appropriate ways to use fear and inappropriate, and so we're going

to look at that this morning from Psalm 46.

What does it mean not to have a fear?

It's with that question, we're going to turn to God's Word.

You can turn with me in your Bible as I'm turning in mine.

You can turn on your phone, or you can also find it on the internet.

Just search Psalm 46.

And as we come to this Psalm, remember that this is God's Word.

And God tells us that His Word is more precious than gold, even the finest gold.

And it's sweeter than honey, even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb.

And so that's why we're going to read it now, starting at verse 1.

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.

Verse 4.

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.

Verse 6.

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.

Verse 8.

Come, behold the works of the Lord, how He has brought desolations on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear.

He burns the chariots with 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 fortress.

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

Our Father in heaven, we thank you that you are our refuge and our strength.

A very present help in trouble.

And we thank you that one of the ways that you are a present help to us is through your word.

And so we thank you for Psalm 46 and we ask that you would use it this morning.

That you'd speak to us through it.

You'd comfort us in our fears.

And you'd encourage us in our trials.

We ask all of these things knowing that you are with us.

And you're with us not because of what we've done.

But because of what Jesus has done.

And so we ask it in his name.

Amen.

In December of 2018, when we were looking at the Psalms, when we came to Psalm 13, I shared with you the idea of the open when letter.

If you've been in a long distance relationship or you just have someone that you care about, a friend who's gone for a long time, maybe this is something on a deployment.

You might set together a list of letters, make a stack of letters, and you'd say you open this letter when a certain situation happens.

Open this letter when you're sad.

Open this letter when you've had a bad day.

Open this letter when you're missing home.

And as I told you then, the Psalms are God's open when letters.

He gives us different Psalms for different circumstances, knowing that we'll face all kinds of trials and struggles in this life.

This Psalm, Psalm 46, is an open when Psalm for times of crisis.

God knows that there will be times when we feel like the world is falling apart.

And he cares so much that he's given us a Psalm for moments like that.

And that Psalm, one of them, is Psalm 46.

It's a Psalm for when the world is falling apart.

And here, what's described is the world is actually literally falling apart.

Verses 2 and 3.

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.

In other words, things are so bad that the very mountains are falling.

I wonder if you've felt like the mountains are falling the last couple weeks.

And maybe, like, the world is literally falling apart.

Maybe it's something in your personal life.

Maybe you've lost a job.

Maybe you have fewer hours.

You have less income.

Maybe the world's falling apart because you're an extrovert.

And you're not just a normal extrovert.

You're a super extrovert.

And suddenly, you find yourself in your worst nightmare.

Having to stay at home.

Maybe your world's falling apart because you relied on the schools and what they provided.

The structure.

And then suddenly, all your children are at home.

And you have to figure out what's next.

All sorts of things are collapsing.

Maybe it's a bigger picture.

Maybe it's not something in your personal life.

But you look at the world around us.

And you think, there are things that seem so secure.

In fact, that's part of the point of this psalm.

The mountains, right?

What could be more secure than the mountains?

What could be more secure than our healthcare system?

What could be more secure than our economic system?

What could be more secure than our government?

Times of crisis highlight that there are many things that are not as strong or reliable or secure as we once thought they were.

It can feel like the mountains are falling into the sea.

It was all a facade or an illusion, right?

An illusion of security or control.

That's what the psalmist is speaking to in this passage.

And he tells us in the middle what we can do.

In verse 2, he says,

Therefore, we will not fear.

In the midst of this trial, in the midst of this trouble, in the midst of a situation where it feels like the world is literally falling apart,

the psalmist comes and says, God's people won't fear.

Which raises the question, what exactly does he mean by fear in that moment?

What's being described here?

There's different types of fear, different kinds of fear.

And it's important for us not to confuse them.

I've been asking this question the last couple weeks.

What is good fear and wrong fear?

What's appropriate and inappropriate fear?

And there's one man, a pastor named Michael Coggin, who's really helpful.

And he's given some categories for fear to help us think through these things.

He gives four types of fear.

I'm just going to highlight two of them.

The first type is this, a God-given emotional response for our benefit.

A God-given emotional response for our benefit.

In other words, there's actually types of fear that are good.

There's types of fear that are helpful for us that are gifts from God.

I'll give you an example.

Some of you may remember in September of 2018, I was gone for a couple Sundays,

and I was in Breckenridge taking some time away.

And while I was there, I took a hike on the Peaks Trail,

which is in the White River National Forest.

It's right by Peak 7, if you're a skier.

And while I was hiking on that trail all by myself,

enjoying some good introvert time, I came across a moose.

Now, if you're familiar with the moose,

you know that it's not a safe or tame animal.

And in that moment, when I saw this moose coming towards me,

I'm walking along the trail.

It's coming from my right side towards me.

There's a sense of fear that I felt, right?

And in that fear, what I didn't do was I didn't say,

well, I have faith.

And God tells me not to fear.

So I'm going to look this moose in the eyes,

and I'm going to let him know that I'm not afraid.

No, that wouldn't be faith, right?

That wouldn't be faith.

That would be foolishness.

The last thing I want is an encounter with this moose.

This moose does not have good things in mind for me,

and so I used my God-given Lamberfittis,

and I got out of there.

In that moment, fear was a gift from God to me.

It was a gift to help me take the right and appropriate action

in that situation.

I mention that because sometimes I've heard,

even in this crisis,

people misusing this idea of not having fear.

They might say, well, we have faith, right?

God is going to take care of us,

and so we don't need to worry about the virus.

We're going to go out into wherever we want,

whatever group we want to,

and we're not going to be scared or afraid

because God is so great,

and yet that's not faith.

That's foolishness.

There is a right and good fear

of things that are threatening in this world.

God gives us fear to help us.

It's an emotional response

that's meant to propel us to action,

often the right action,

and so that's a category one of fear.

It's not always wrong to feel afraid.

Sometimes, in fact, it's a gift from God.

Imagine, for example, if I had decided

I was not going to do anything about this moose.

I was just going to stand there on the trail.

That might not have ended very well.

The next category that I'm going to highlight

is a different one,

fear as a sinful response

to God's providential care.

Fear as a sinful response

to God's providential care.

This is the kind of fear

that's being talked about in this psalm.

And this man, Michael Coggin,

defines it this way,

our default mode is to doubt God's goodness.

We know that we've slipped into that kind of fear

when our default mode is to doubt God's goodness.

He also describes it this way,

the belief, I have to do this on my own.

God isn't good,

and it's up to me to make it happen.

I actually don't believe

that God's a good and loving father.

Instead, I believe that he has left me alone as an orphan.

That's the type of fear

that's being talked about in this psalm.

And so that's what we are talking about in verse two

when we say,

therefore we will not fear,

though the earth gives way.

We continue to believe that God's a good father.

And we know that we're not alone,

and we don't have to do it all by ourselves.

We know, as the psalmist is going to highlight later,

that God is with us.

He says that in verses seven and 11.

But before we get there,

it's easy on the one hand to say,

don't fear.

It's a much harder thing to do.

So what is it that helps us not to fear?

What are the tools that we have

when the mountains are moved into the heart of the sea?

Well, the psalmist goes on to tell us,

and he's telling us in verses four through seven

about God's city.

And there's a contrast here being drawn

between what's happening in the world

and what's happening in God's place.

In the world,

the mountains are moved into the heart of the sea.

There's these threatening waters, right,

that are roaring and foaming, verse three.

In God's city,

things are different.

There's a river,

not an ocean,

and it's not roaring.

This river has streams

that make glad the city of God.

So rather than being a place of chaos,

it's a place of peace and blessing.

It's not waters that destroy,

but a river that gives life.

We see the same thing

in verses two and three in verse five.

Verse two,

the mountains are moved.

God's city, verse five, is not.

God is in the midst of her.

She shall not be moved.

God will help her

when morning dawns.

The mountains are moved.

God and his city

and his people are not.

Waters of chaos and destruction,

river of life.

Things that are moved,

things that are not moved.

Then in verses four and five,

we learn why it is

that these things don't move.

Verse four,

this is the holy habitation

of the Most High.

This is where God lives.

God lives in his city.

Verse five,

God is in the midst of her.

She shall not be moved.

The mountains may move.

God and his people will not

because he is with them.

And it tells us in verse five

that he's going to help them.

So why is it that these people

don't fear?

It's because of this.

God is more powerful

than the other forces

in the world.

Verses five and six,

especially verse six.

The nations rage,

the kingdoms totter.

He uttered his voice,

the earth melts.

Again, a contrast.

The mountains may fall

into the sea.

God is so powerful

that he can make

the entire earth melt.

And so the world

around us may collapse.

God and his people

will not.

The world around us

may collapse.

God and his people

will not.

They will stand firm

because God is with them.

Now this does not mean

there isn't a real suffering.

God's people here

aren't pretending

that something isn't wrong.

In fact, they acknowledge it.

The mountains are falling

into the seas.

They're not putting their hands

over their ears

and closing their eyes.

They recognize

the real trouble

that's going on in the world.

That's why this psalm is here

because there's real problems.

And yet,

it's not that they

don't recognize that.

It's that they have security.

It's not that they

don't recognize

that the world around them

is frightening

and unpredictable.

It's that they also

recognize that God

is fixed

and secure.

And so it's not that

one is true

and the other isn't

but that the two truths

are put together.

The world may be

falling apart.

God is not.

God is not.

Many things

of great value

will be lost

during this time.

What we have

that is of ultimate value

will not be lost.

Many things

of great value

will be lost

during this time.

What we have

that is of ultimate value

will not be lost.

when this passage is talking about the city of God

the people in the Old Testament would have understood it as the city of Jerusalem

now we know that we don't look to the city of Jerusalem

specifically for God's presence as we're the church

but we look to him as he's in the middle of his people

in the same way he dwelled in the middle of his people in the tabernacle

when they moved in the desert

and so our hope is in what we can't lose

not in what we can

I had a friend remind me this week that if we have faith in God

there's always a future for us

if we have faith in God there's always a future for us

and so that's what causes us not to fear the knowledge

that because of our faith and trust in God

we don't have to be afraid of this being the end

I'll put it a different way

and I'm not going to say this in any way to be morbid

but to bring clarity to this situation

what our hope looks like

because of the coronavirus

there will be Christians that die

and they have a future

and so in that sense

they don't need to fear

you can imagine this

what if a dear brother or sister in the Lord became infected

and it came to a point where because of that infection

God brought them home to be with himself

they died

we can say

they don't need to fear in the midst of that

in the sense that they know

that their relationship with God

is not threatened by that

and we don't need to fear

in the sense that we know

the same thing

and so what does it mean

that we will not fear

well there's a healthy sense of fear

right

we actually fear

what's going on right now

in the sense that it could hurt our ability to care

for others and ourselves

and so that sense of fear

propels us to the appropriate actions

it propels us to be careful in certain situations

it propels us to take precautions that are appropriate

that's a right sense of fear

we don't have fear

in the sense that we know it can't threaten

what's of ultimate value

and so there's a right fear

and a wrong fear

God's people have the kind of fear

not that allows them to escape this world

but to have hope beyond this world

they know

there's a river who makes glad

streams make glad the city of God

and this city of God

cannot be moved

no matter what happens in the world

and so that is the kind of fear

that we refuse to have

about a year and a half ago

almost two years ago

I had a phone call with a friend of mine

that helped me clarify

what good and wrong fear looked like

he was in between jobs at the time

he was moving from one part of the country

to the other

and he wasn't sure what his future held for him

in fact he shared with me

that he had about a hundred dollars

left to his name at that point

and he wasn't sure

where his next paycheck

was going to come from

but he was also someone

who has faith

in Jesus Christ

and as he described to me

the way that he was thinking through this

and working through it

as he had his own fears and anxieties

I found it so helpful

that actually at the time

I sat down and I wrote it down

I asked his permission yesterday

to share this

this is essentially what he said to me

he said something like this

when our body and mind

in a fallen state are going crazy

we remember God's truth and love for us

my body and mind are going crazy on me

I know that God will provide for me

and I have to trust him

this is an opportunity for me to seek him

and to exercise faith

I know that God is not going to leave me

I don't know the future

and I'm really anxious about it

but I'm choosing to believe in that

that God loves me

he is for me

he is with me

and it's going to be okay

it might look like I'm failing

but God is with me

brothers and sisters

that is what faith rather than fear looks like

it's not a denial of the reality around us

it's not a denial of the facts

but it's a recognition

that we can still believe

and have faith

as he says here

this is an opportunity for me to seek him

and exercise faith

I know that God is not going to leave me

the same is true for us

if we have faith in Jesus

we know no matter what happens

he is not going to leave us

now this passage tells us

verse 1

God's our refuge and strength

a very present help in trouble

I've given you some sense at this point

of what it means for him to be

that refuge and strength

there's a refuge there right

in the sense that

what's most valuable can't be taken away from us

but it also tells us that he's very present

and he's a help

what does that mean in practical terms

what does that mean in everyday terms

what does that mean this afternoon

as we think about what's going on in our world

and we're tempted

with fear and anxiety

I've made a list

of a few things here

that I believe are true

from the Bible

and true for us

first of all

God provides real help

for his people

verse 5

God will help her

when morning dawns

that doesn't mean

we won't suffer

it does mean

God will never leave us

nor forsake us

second

God provides

his people

for his people

God provides

his people

for his people

we should take these references

to Zion now

and we can apply them

to the church

there's a talk of a city

well what is in a city

there's people

you're not alone

not only in the sense

that God hasn't left you

but he's also provided

a community for you

he's provided other people

to come alongside you

and walk with you

no matter what you suffer

he is present

in the sense

that he's given us

each other

and so God's a help

because he provides real help

he's a help

because he's given us each other

he's also a very present help

because he's given us

his word

to guide us

and instruct us

the fact that Psalm 46

is in the Bible

and it's designed as a psalm

for times of crisis

when it feels like

the world is falling apart

is a very present help to us

this psalm

that we're looking at right now

is part of God's

very present help

God's also very present to us

in the sense that

he's immediately available to us

through prayer

and we have promises

about that

in the Bible

in James chapter 1 verse 5

James 1:5

he promises to give wisdom

to people who ask for wisdom

in James chapter 5 verse 17

James 5:17

he promises us

that prayer really does change things

and so I said earlier

God's presence

his help doesn't mean

that we're going to escape suffering

that's true on the one hand

on the other hand

we believe that God

really does provide help

to people who pray to him for it

both of those things are true

they are part of God's help for us

his very present help

finally God gives us

not just a very present help

it tells us he's our strength

part of that means

he's given us his spirit

to live in us

it also means he's given us

the truths and the story

that we need to move forward

it's that strength

that my friend drew upon

when he was in

a moment of uncertainty

with almost no financial resources

and unsure of what the future held for him

he drew strength

from the knowledge

of what we're reminded here

in this psalm

knowing that God

was going to provide for him

and God was not going to leave him

Hebrews chapter 13 verses 5 and 6

Hebrews 13:5

tell us this

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

finally

God tells us

not just that we have a future

but we see in verses 8 through 11

that he tells us the future

that is part of our strength

and help

we see in verses 8 and 9

that one day

God is going to bring

wars to cease

to the end of the earth

there's going to come a time

when there will be

no more war in this world

we could adapt this

if we wanted to

and we could say

he makes pandemics

to cease

to the end of the earth

there will come a time

when we don't fear

sickness or disease

anymore

and nothing that happens

in this world

can threaten that

we're told

at the very end

of the book of Revelation

that God's going to

wipe every tear

away from

from our eyes

and so we see

a vision here

of what's coming

one day

God will bring

wickedness and evil

to an end

we see that here

in verse 9

bringing wars to an end

and his name

is going to be exalted

among all the nations

and all the earth

the mountains may fall

into the sea

and we may tremble

verse 6

the nations may rage

and the kingdoms totter

but verse 10

God will be exalted

among the nations

God will one day

be recognized

for what he already is

which is the one

who is in control

of all things

and the one

who's more powerful

than any other force

in the world

and so we can say

as it said here

in verse 11

the Lord of hosts

is with us

the God of Jacob

is our fortress

we can have hope

in that now

even when we know

it won't be fully realized

until the future

in fact

Jesus

himself

instructs us

to look to the future

when we need hope

he tells us

in John chapter 14

John 14 · chapter mention

let not your hearts

be troubled

believe in God

believe also in me

and he tells us

how our hearts

are untroubled

is a picture

towards the future

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 I will take you

to myself

that where I am

you may be also

when we suffer

and we face

moments of crisis

it's a wonderful time

for us to look

and focus

on the glories

of heaven

to long

for the time

when Jesus

is going to make

all things right

not as a form

of escapism

and not as a way

to say that this world

doesn't matter

but as an act

of hope

and actually

to say this world

matters so much

that God's coming

back to restore

everything

one day

and so it's that

future orientation

that helps us

we're told twice

in this psalm

that God

is with us

verse 7

the Lord of hosts

is with us

verse 11

the Lord of hosts

is with us

now this would have

been a comfort

and an encouragement

towards the people

originally reading

this psalm

in the Old Testament

and yet it wasn't

fulfilled

we know

from the promise

of Isaiah chapter 7

Isaiah 7 · chapter mention

that there was going

to be one

named Emmanuel

which means

God with us

in Matthew chapter 1

Matthew 1:23

verse 23

tells us who

this person is

and it's Jesus

our ultimate hope

and confidence

comes from knowing

that God

has not just

given us words

that he's with us

but he's given us

his action as well

he's given us

his very son

who came

as a man

and walked

on this earth

living the life

that we should have

lived

and dying the death

that we should have

died

he's God's seal

and promise to us

that he truly

is with us

so much so

that he became

a man

and so all of this

hope is tied up

with our hope

and our faith

in Jesus Christ

the hope

that's offered

in this psalm

the fear

that we can avoid

is something

that it is

for Christians

and it's only

for Christians

it's only

for people

who long

and want

to be

part of that city

so if you're

someone who

is unsure

about Jesus

and Christianity

this psalm

holds out

part of the hope

that God offers

for his people

and it's for those

who have faith

in Jesus Christ

faith

has three parts

to it

according to

Charles Spurgeon

it is

belief

it's believing

the facts

about the gospel

that Jesus

came

that we deserve

God's punishment

for our sin

but he took it

on our behalf

it's not just

knowledge

but it's also

belief

actually believing

those things

are true

and then it's

not just belief

but it's also

trust

it's living

as if those

things are true

demonstrating

by our lives

that we have

hope

and faith

in Jesus Christ

that's what's

offered

to God's

people

and so

that's the

offer

for you

as well

to repent

and believe

the gospel

and to follow

after Jesus

we're told

a story

in several

of the gospels

about a time

that Jesus

is with his

disciples

in a boat

and a great

storm comes up

while they're

in the boat

and they're

very afraid

being very

afraid

they wake

up

Jesus

and ask

for his

help

they wonder

why it is

that he's

sleeping

Jesus calms

the storm

and then he

rebukes them

and says

oh ye of

little faith

because during

the storm

even before

he calmed

anything

Jesus was

with them

and so

they were

safe

and after

the storm

he was

with them

as well

it wasn't

their

circumstances

that determined

whether they

should fear

or not

but it was

Jesus presence

with them

brothers and

sisters

that's our

same

hope

as well

and so

why is it

that we

don't fear

we don't

fear because

we know

that even

if the

mountains

fall

God

and his

love for

us will

not

the mountains

can't

threaten

what's of

ultimate

value to

us

we don't

fear

because we

know that

we have

a future

and we

don't fear

because we

know that

God is a

very present

help to

us

in trouble

and so

we can

say

with the

psalmist

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

please pray

with me

our father

in heaven

we thank

you

that you

give us

tremendous

strength

and encouragement

through your

word

we ask

you do

that this

morning

you remind

us of

what's

true

and you

use it

to give

us an

unshakable

confidence

even as we

see mountains

falling around

us we know

that you

will not

and so we

can trust

you and

hold on

to you

no matter

what

happens

we thank

you that

this is

not because

of anything

that we've

earned or

deserved

but it's

because of

Jesus

and so we

ask it

in his

name

amen