PSALMS | A Mighty Fortress | Psalm 46

Our text this morning comes from Psalm 46 We're going to look at Psalm 46 Lord willing, this morning, and then when I return back in a couple weeks, we're going to start a little series in the book of Malachi, but for this morning we'll be looking at Psalm 46.

Before we read it, let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Our heavenly Father, we come to you in prayer before we come to your word, because we recognize that apart from your Holy Spirit working in our hearts and opening up our eyes and our ears, we are here in vain. We are wasting our time, Lord. We are dead in our sins and our trespasses, and once we once walked, but Lord, we pray that you will enliven us now by your spirit. Help us to see what is true, help us to see what is good and beautiful and heavenly.

Lord, we pray that you will be merciful to us sinners. We pray that we would decrease and that Christ would increase, that we would see his beauty, that we would see his glory, and that we would hold fast to him and rest in him. Lord, be merciful now to your people, for Christ's sake.

And it's in His name we pray.

Amen.

People of God, hear God's word for us this morning, from Psalm 46 To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth.

A Song.

[1] God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. [2] Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, [3] though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah[4] There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. [5] God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. [6] The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. [7] The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah[8] Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. [9] He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.

[10] “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” [11] The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah Please be seated. He who has ears, let him hear now the word of God.

Last week we looked at Psalm Two, which also addresses the raging of the nations, and we're reminded that in every generation we are given reasons why we are to at least why we're told why we should be afraid with the wars around us, economic uncertainty, political turmoil, cultural confusions, violence, and hostility to Christians and morality. We live in a world that seems increasingly unstable and chaotic, but often the chaos and the fear we face is not so much out there, or even in the news.

Maybe it is, but sometimes the fear and chaos we experience is much closer to home. It is a

wayward child struggling, marriage, financial uncertainty, a loss of a loved one, and these things seem much more real to us and closer to us than what we might hear on on the radio or on the news. The things that we sometimes think are stable in our life, there are times when suddenly they've become loose and they begin shaking. Psalm 46 was one of Martin Luther's favorite psalms.

I don't know if you knew it, but Martin Luther often suffered periods of tremendous discouragement and depression, and it was this psalm that we are considering this morning that he would turn to again and again and again in his fear and his distress and his discouragement. In fact, he would pen a. Hymn that would be based off of this psalm, you might know it. It is called A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. And we'll have the, we'll get to sing it at the end of the service. This psalm is given to us to calm our fears, to calm our anxieties, to calm our worries. This psalm is a fear killer.

This psalm is a remedy for our anxious souls. The sons of Korah needed to remember, and they want us to remember something that we so easily forget. God is our refuge. God is our strength.

God is with his people, and it is because those three things are true. We do not have to fear. The psalm unfolds in three movements. You kind of see three sections. Each of those sections have a Selah, or a pause after them, but we see God first as a refuge for His people when the world shakes. The second, we might say God is the refuge for His people when the nations are shaking, and then the third is something that God is our refuge when heaven shakes and final judgment comes, so let's look at that psalm with those three sections in mind. First, the Lord is our refuge when the world is shaking, verses one through three. The psalm begins with one of the most comforting declarations in Scripture. Verse one: God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. He is our refuge, that is, He is our shelter. He is our fortress. He is our safe place.

And this language appears again and again throughout the scriptures, especially in the Psalms, Psalms eight, Psalm 18, verse two. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my stronghold.

Psalm 36 The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 91 He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty, and there we see it again and again.

God is our refuge, He is our refuge, He is our stronghold, He is our fortress. As Christians, there are so many things that we need to remember, and we so often forget, and here we are told to remember this. We need to remember again and again and again and again that God is our refuge, that He is our fortress, and really, you know, as that's what preaching is, that's what my job is to remind you of things you've heard already, that's all that I'm doing here is reminding of things you've heard again and again and again and again, and that's what this sermon is reminding us things that most of us already know.

God is our refuge. He's our hiding place. You've heard that, but we have forgotten, and we need to hear it again. And that's what the psalmist is doing for us now. What does this refuge mean for us? It is the place that God is a place that we go when trouble comes and children, you might remember a time, especially here in Tampa, when there's a thunderstorm and it wakes you up in the middle of the night and you get up out of your bed and you run into your parents' bedroom because you want safety, you're afraid. I remember when I was a young child, there was a tornado nearby, and our dad woke us all up, and we went down into the cellar, and we hid down in the cellar. It was a place of safety when a storm and trouble was near. It was a place that we could be safe. Now, or maybe you visited a castle or a fortress of some place, and they have thick doors and impenetrable walls. This is the picture that the psalm has given to us. But our refuge is not a place, it is a person. It doesn't say God gives refuge, it says He is our refuge, and not only a refuge after we have exhausted all of our strength, not only a refuge as a last resort, as a last resort, He is strength. One of our temptations is to think, I've got this, and, and I'll go to God once I feel like I can't do it now, then I'll ask God for support, but this psalm is reminding us there is no strength, there is no real strength outside of God. God, all strength is really derivative strength. It all comes from God. Our lives are meant to be lived resting on the strong arms of our heavenly Father, and this is.

Well, a lesson that Paul had to learn, if you remember in the book of Acts, and he'll write too, Mike, he had to learn, and he would ask God for many things in times of trouble, but God would say, "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in your weakness, recognizing we aren't strong, but God is, and we must hide ourselves in him, he is a very present help in trouble. Oh, before I go to that, too, just also note, too, he's not a refuge, he is our refuge. You can even say my refuge, make it personal, not just some random abstract refuge out there. He is yours. He is mine. He is a very present help in trouble again.

Notice the tense, not was a help or will send help. He is help often in trouble. We pray for the Lord to take trouble away.

Sometimes He does, and sometimes He, He doesn't, but He always gives us His presence. He is near, He is available, He is actively helping His people, and that's important for us, because none of us schedule when our troubles are going to come. None of us have on our calendar, maybe some of you do, when maybe if you're visiting family, but none of us usually have on our calendar. Here's when trouble is going to start. It usually happens suddenly. We're not expecting it, and yet he is there. He is near trouble.

trouble will come in our life.

It is not a maybe. Job tells us man is born to trouble as sparks fly up. Essentially, Job is telling us, will trouble come upon you? And Job's answer is, well, do fish know how to swim?

It's kind of this redundant question. question, remember, God's promise to His people is not, "You'll never walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It's, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

Why? Because you are with me.

This is ultimately directing us to Jesus, isn't it, Emmanuel, God with us, a God who draws near to His people, the God who would even send His son, the God who would take on flesh, who would enter our suffering, who would experience our pain, who would suffer and die for us, that we might live, and that Paul would be able to write, and that we could say these are light and momentary afflictions are not compared for the glory that waits for us in Christ. God is our refuge because he is our strength and because he is near.

Therefore we will not fear truth about God always has a therefore. I had a professor who would emphatically emphasize to us that all theology is practical theology. What we learn about God is meant not to simply be interesting facts, it is meant to shape and affect our lives. The therefore is like a mathematical equation in our text, God is our refuge, plus God is our strength, plus God is near, and I put thou all in my calculator of my heart, and it equals no fear, that's essentially what the psalmist has for us. If, if it is true, God is with you. If God is on your side, it is illogical to be afraid. The God who rules over everything, the one who created everything out of nothing, the one who is near to me, the one who loves me, the one who would give his son for me, is with me.

What should I be afraid of? It's not because my circumstances change, it's because God hasn't changed, and He has promised to be with His people. We see the psalmist seeking to put his faith in the actions by giving us these, those, those, those, though the statements are given because the psalmist is not naive that troubles and problems won't come, and that actually being a Christian is meant to be this fluffy, very pleasant way of life. No troubles come, difficulties come. We'll talk about the sons of Korah in a little bit, but he gives us these scenarios. Think about it.

What are the things that you could be afraid of? What happens. The things we thought could never change begin to change the things that we think are most stable now are unstable. Well, what about a mountain or maybe even the earth itself?

And those are the first two, those though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, and he gives these because from our point of view, mountains and, and at least the earth is unmuted, is immutable, it's unstable, it's not changing, but even when these things that seem so secure to us begin moving, we don't have to be afraid, Spurgeon said, though the firmest of created objects should fall headlong to ruin and be submerged in utter destruction. God remains faithful. The most dependable things in this world will fail, but God will not fail, and He cannot fail, though its waters roar and foam. Remember, two waters are a picture of darkness and chaos, opposition to God. We looked at that at Psalm two two.

When things seem excited and the world is in fury, he sits on his throne and he laughs, not because evil is funny, because it's illogical and irrational to move God. We want a safe place for our children and for ourselves, and the reality is we can't protect our children from all evil. God must be their refuge. And the first section ends with Selah, and this was a musical pause for the instruments that take a break, or maybe to retune, but it is also a more than a musical pause. It's a pause for us to stop and consider. Allow the truth to sink down before moving on to the next section. Allow the truth of this to allow the meta marinate in your heart.

Think of a scenario that you might be afraid of, though, because I think that's a temptation. Well, I get afraid of this, though I get a diagnosis, though there's a hurricane, though what, though that. Remember, God is your refuge, He is your strength, and He is near, and that kills our fear. He's also a refuge in the midst of the nations. The scene shifts really from natural upheavals to the raging of man.

Verse four introduces a city.

There's a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the most high, you know, Jerusalem didn't have a river, so what is this river? This river is a picture of the abundant provision and presence of God Himself. This is again Psalm 23 He leads me beside still waters. Why the seas roar in chaos, God, God's river quietly and sufficiently sustains his people. This is a picture that God's going to provide for your every need.

He's going to give you everything you need. He's going to give you your daily bread.

The city of man might be unstable and chaotic, but this city of God is not. You know, other great cities, they had rivers, Babylon had the great Euphrates, and Egypt. Well, Egypt had the Nile, but here the picture is Jerusalem doesn't have a natural river, but it has the Lord. It doesn't depend on the geography, it depends on the Lord. Verse five, God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. And you notice the contrast, everything else is moving, the mountains are moving, the earth is moving, nations are moving, kingdoms are moving, but the city of God does not move. Why? Because God is there, the city can't be moved, because who will move Christ from his throne? Will Christ be removed? It can't happen. Could Babylon move? Where's Babylon these days? How about the Roman Empire? Can it be moved? Where's that? The Ottoman Empire. Some of you young people are like, never heard of it exactly. They all moved. They're not there.

Things that were thought to be unshakable in the world have been shaken and are in ruin. Did you know that the United States is not eternal? Did you know even though we're celebrating 250 years, history seems to tell us that, as if the Lord tarries, most likely the United States will be no more at some point in our Constitution, no more. Our hope is not in our country, it's not in our government, it is in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is in.

His city, where he sits enthroned, and he will not be moved, and his city will not be shaken. No earthly nation will last. It is Christ's kingdom that will last. Verse six sounds very much like Psalm two. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter.

He utters his voice. The earth melts again. A picture of nations in the uproar in protest against God. And what does God do? He speaks. He speaks a word, and the whole earth melts. It's a terrifying picture that God is like a fiery furnace, and the whole earth is like a little wax figurine, and it stands before Him, and the whole earth and all of its nations melt before Him.

He is not nervous, He reigns supreme. This is your God, who is your refuge, your strength, who is with you even now by the power of His Spirit. And then we have this refrain: the Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress, the God who rules over heaven and earth, the God who created all of angels and commands them is ours, not merely the God of Abraham, not merely the God of Isaac or Moses, the God of Jacob. Remember, Jacob's a schemer, Jacob's the deceiver, Jacob's the scoundrel. No one likes Jacob, but God is merciful to Jacob. God pours out abundant mercy on Jacob, and that is so encouraging for people like me.

Because God saves sinners, isn't that encouraging? That God saves people like Jacob, the God who saves sinners by His amazing grace, he is ours. Selah. Think about that. The God who commands all with the power of his voice is with you and for you. The God who saves wicked sinners, who has saved you and made you a citizen of his unshakable city that cannot be touched, that the gates of hell can in no way prevail over to the God who supplies your every need, the God who is most high, that is the God who is there, is nothing above him, there is nothing beyond him, everything is under him and under his control. He is yours. Take that truth and nestle yourself in it. Rest in it, Selah. Rest in it, our refuge until the final victory, the last point. When we come to this last section, we come only to imperatives, and you might have noticed that the psalmist hasn't actually told you to do anything yet, and that's one reason you might like the psalm.

It doesn't tell me anything to do until we come now to the end, and you're told to do something.

Come, behold the works of the Lord. It's a call not only to remember what God has done, but it's also a call to look ahead, what He will do. And this all gives us also a future vision of what God will do to the nations.

It's an invitation of the joyful citizens of Zion and His holy city to go forth and look at the remains of those who have opposed God and His anointed. He brings desolations, that is devastations. He breaks bows, He shatters spears, He burns chariots, He makes wars cease, and He brings peace. This is not peace through a negotiation, is it? This is not God bringing peace through a treaty and pleading with the nations that somehow I hope that they will one day listen, and if they don't, you know, we'll have to delay until they come to their senses. There is a day pointed in history when Christ will return and He will bring desolations to all those who oppose him. Every enemy will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. Then comes the most well-known verse in this psalm, in verse 10, probably could be still and know that I am God, and that verse is often used, and maybe you said it too to encourage personal meditation or personal quiet time, personal devotion, and I think there is an aspect of that to. To this verse, but it isn't primarily that. Remember, the nations are shouting, the kingdoms are boasting, enemy armies are are marching, and, and here God is saying, "Enough, shut your mouth, be quiet, be still, and know that I am God. It's a command to the entire world to stop striving, to come to your senses, stop raging, stop resisting. It's a warning, really, to surrender, to lay down your arms, you can't win.

You will not be exalted. I will be exalted, says the Lord your God. God will notice, God doesn't say I hope to, I hope to one day be exalted. Perhaps it might happen. I will be exalted.

It is a fact. It will happen. It is a certainty, and it is fixed.

Be still and know that I am God.

Is essentially God saying we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You've heard that you can lay down your arms now, and repent, and believe, and rest in my son, or you will be desolated, decimated, you will be destroyed, you will be smashed. If you are in Christ, you are safe, and you will share in the victory of Christ. Verse 11, the Lord of hosts is with us, the Lord, the God of Jacob, is our fortress. That repeat, and why repeat? Why repeat? We forget, we forget, we've probably already forgotten. Do not forget. Repeat, we need to hear it again. Our fearful hearts need to remember, remember God. Remember who He is. Remember that He is the refuge. He is your strength. He is near to his people, Selah.

Remember Paul's meditate, think not wealth, not health, not governments, not military might is my strength and refuge and peace. It is God alone, Christ alone. He is with us now. I want to end just with a brief consideration about who wrote this psalm. The psalm was written by the sons of Korah, and you may remember, maybe you don't remember, but you can look at it in Numbers, chapter 16.

Numbers 16 · chapter mention

Korah led a rebellion, he led a rebellion against God. He rebelled against God's appointed Moses, who was foreshadowing of Christ. But Korah led a rebellion, and remember what happened to Korah. The earth literally gave way beneath him, the ground opened up and swallowed up Korah and all who joined in his rebellion. Yet we're told later that something astonishing happened in Numbers chapter 26 but the sons of Korah did not die. God showed mercy to them. God preserved them, even though they did not deserve it, and here, thou, they're even leading God's people in, in worship, and who better to write, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way. Their family knew what it was like for the earth to literally give way, they knew what it was like to deserve judgment. They knew what it was like now to receive mercy. And that's our story too. We are rebels, we deserve judgment. Yet God, in His love and great mercy, sent His Son, and Jesus entered the world that was shaking under the curse of sin, and he took the curse upon himself. He took the judgment that you and I deserved. He bore God's wrath in our place, and he died, and he rose again, that sinners who rest in him might find refuge, might find peace.

Numbers 26 · chapter mention

Psalm Psalm 46 is a call for you not to just be strong, it's a call to take refuge to know that your only hope when you stand before God is to be found in Christ. Is to run to Christ, hide yourself in Him, trust in Him, believe in Him, and when we are in the cleft of the rock that is Christ, the fortress that is Christ, we can look at the frightening world all around us and maybe even in our own lives, and say I will not fear, not because the trouble isn't real, but because I'm in Christ, and He's a refuge, He's my refuge, He is my strength, a very present help in trouble.

The Lord of hosts is with me, the God of Jacob is with us. He is our fortress. So Sela, let us pause and meditate and remember these truths, and we can leave this day without fear, though we turn on the news and we see this or that, we see mountains falling into the sea, we see the earth itself being moved and rocked, we don't have to fear.

God is with you. He has given you His son. How much more will He freely give you all things for His glory? Let's pray.

Our heavenly Father, we pray that you will help us not to forget we are forgetful people, and Lord, we confess we are a fearful people. None of us have arrived, and so, Lord, we need to steal ourselves with these truths when we are afraid to remember your word, to remember you, to remember your great love to us in Christ, and to remember that He is our shelter, He is our refuge, He is our fortress, He is our strength, and he is very present, and even now he is with his people by the power of his spirit. Lord, we thank you that that you have not left us or forsaken us. And, Lord, we also remember that what can separate us from your love? Is there anything in all of creation? There is not nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in the Lord, that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Lord, strengthen us and be merciful to us. Forgive us for our lack of faith. Strengthen it now, and it's in Jesus's name. Amen.

You.