Psalm 46

Last week, as we were looking at Matthew 14,

I showed how it tied into Psalm 23, or at least

I endeavored to do that. But this morning, we're

going to look at this entire psalm as a backdrop

as we go into next week. No doubt this is a familiar

psalm to many of you all. I don't know if I have

favorites. I guess if I did, it would probably

be Psalm 46. I will tell you if I visit people

in the hospital, typically the psalm that I will

read or to many saints that I've prayed on their

deathbed, Psalm 46 is the one that I usually

turn to. Let's read it in its entirety and ask

God to help us. The psalmist writes, God is our

refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore, We won't fear, even though the earth

is removed and the mountains be carried in the

midst of the sea, though its waters roar and

be troubled, though the mountains shake with

its swelling. Selah. There is a river whose streams

shall make glad the city of God, the holy place

of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in

the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God

shall help her just at the break of dawn. The

nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. He, that

is God, uttered his voice and the earth melted.

The Lord of hosts, Yahweh Sabaoth, is with us.

The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come,

behold the works of the Lord. who has made desolations

in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end

of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the

spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire.

Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted

among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob.

Is our refuge. Selah. Let's pray. Father you

are our king. We are your servants. Lord we have

come. Not only to sing praises. But Lord God

we want to hear. From you our king. Our sovereign

who reigns over us. To be instructed Lord. To

grow in our most holy faith. That Father Lord.

You would take the word of God. And open it.

Plant it deep within us, Lord, that it might

produce a righteous fruit, Lord, in our lives.

God, all of us have dealt with fear, worry, anxiety.

Lord, there's not any of us here who can say

that we have never experienced those emotions.

But, Lord, when we look to you as our God and

King, we can have peace even amidst turmoil.

Lord, would you feed us with manna from on high

this morning. Would you show us Jesus from Psalm

46. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. So the backdrop.

What do you do personally when life is careening

out of control? Fear suddenly now takes a hold

and grips your heart. Or when chaos now wreaks

havoc in your life in some way. Because if we're

honest, each of us would say this, life is uncertain.

I have been with many people, immediately after

they received a phone call, they were unexpecting.

And their life is forever marked, the day before

the phone call and the day after. Because life

is full of twists, it's full of turns, and there's

no way that we could possibly foresee everything

that will come our way. So what do you do when

the unimaginable takes place? Well, I think we

can look to Psalm 46. This is, as I said, a well

-known, it's a very beloved psalm. I think it's

good for us to remember that the psalms are songs.

In fact, all the psalms, the 150 psalms, are

the Psalter. It's a songbook of Israel. So when

we look at Psalm 46, it's known as a liturgical

song, meaning it was to be used in corporate

worship. So what we just read, ancient Israel

would have gathered in a synagogue and had been

singing it. Now I think today it's probably best

known as the backdrop for Martin Luther's famous

hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, based on

Psalm 46. It is a song of victory, of triumph,

victory, mighty deliverance. We celebrate in

this psalm God's strength in delivering and protecting

his people. But I feel like we will miss the

import of it if you don't understand the backdrop

to it. Now many scholars connect Psalm 46 to

the Assyrian invasion of Jerusalem when Hezekiah

was king of Judah. So let me give you the situation

at that time, and I really think it will give

some light here on this text. So you have Sennacherib,

who is the king of Assyria, a horrible nation.

You have Hezekiah, king of Judah, southern kingdom.

Assyria was the strongest, most ruthless, violent

nation on the earth. They were barbaric people,

historically known to be very cruel. They were

fierce in the way that they thought. In fact,

when they would capture people, they showed little

to no mercy at all. But they had risen to be

the premier military power. They vanquished nations,

left destruction in their wake. In fact, their

area today that they controlled would be Iraq,

Syria, Jordan, and even Lebanon. They held quite

a bit of power. It seemed as though there wasn't

any army that could withstand them and much less

defeat them. The moment that this cruel nation

would have been mentioned, it literally would

have struck terror into the heart of the bravest

warrior. You would have rather have gone to war

with any other nation except Assyria. And up

to this point, 100 % victory. They had no defeats.

They looked as though they were invincible. And

now they set their sights on conquering Jerusalem.

That tiny little capital city in southern Israel.

So they attacked it. They laid siege to Jerusalem.

And they insisted on a full and complete surrender.

Militarily, Jerusalem was no match at all for

Assyria. It would have been an easy conquest.

In fact, you have the Rabshika, who was the Assyrian

commander. He comes into Judah mocking the Jews

and their God. And we see that in 2 Kings 18.

Here's his words, the Rabshika, the Assyrian

commander. Do not listen to Hezekiah, that is

your king, when he misleads you by saying, the

Lord Yahweh will deliver us. Has any of the gods

of the nations ever delivered his land out of

the hand of the king of Assyria? Look around

you. Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad?

Where are the gods of Zepharvaim, Hannah, and

Evah? Have they delivered Samaria? out of my

hand? Who among all the gods of the lands have

delivered their lands out of my hand? That the

Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

He's mocking them. Basically, he comes into their

land and by the way, he speaks in the native

tongue so that everyone can hear him. He says,

you think that Yahweh, you think your God can

deliver you? Has any other God of any other land

been able to deliver? We're batting a thousand

here. Now listen and put yourselves in those

who would have been living in Jerusalem at that

time. What would they have been thinking? The

world's most powerful, cruel, violent army has

just laid siege to your city. They will do whatever

it takes. They are ruthless. If you fall into

their hands, it means certain torture. And by

the way, every other land has been defeated.

I'm sure the men were thinking, what's going

to happen to our wives and children? If Assyria

is victorious here, what's going to happen when

our women and children fall into the hands of

these barbarous people? Because you know what

happened? Women were raped. Babies were thrown

against rocks or slain with a sword, dashed in

pieces. Now, I knew that from earlier, but I

thought, well, I'm just going to look that up

and just see from a secular source. So here's

what I found. Researchgate .net. Here's what

they said about ancient Assyria. It is well documented

for its extreme cruelty toward conquered peoples.

It included flaying, impaling, and burning victims.

The practice of dashing infants against walls

or rocks upon capturing a city was a deliberate

method used to wipe out a whole lineage and to

strike terror into any rival nation. So they

were doing it to set a precedent, a deterrent,

if you would. Because if you know, hey, surrender

to us, because if not, here's what's going to

happen to your babies. This is a horrible, horrible

people. Now, what was the capital of Assyria?

Nineveh. You're probably thinking, oh, Nineveh.

Where was the prophet Jonah commissioned to go

preach a message of repentance? Nineveh, the

capital of Assyria. Now do you start to understand

why Jonah didn't want to go? He is very reluctant.

He's very resistant. He hates the fact that God

wants any preacher to go into that ancient city

and preach a message of grace and repentance.

They're violent. They're barbaric. And Jonah

wants them to face judgment, not receive mercy

from God. So you have God's people. They're living

in very dangerous times. And when you live in

dangerous times, you need strong leaders. So

we see Hezekiah. What does he do? He goes to

the only place where he could find any help at

all. He did not consult with Israel's military

leaders. He did not consult with political strategists

or the wealthy men of the city. They were all

powerless. Instead, he goes into the temple and

he prays to his God, Yahweh. And we find the

prayer in 2 Kings 19, beginning in verse 14.

Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, house

of Yahweh, spread it before Yahweh. Then Hezekiah

prayed before the Lord and said, O Lord God of

Israel, the one who dwells between the cherubim,

you are God, you alone of all the kingdoms in

the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline

your ear, O Yahweh, and hear. Open your eyes,

O Yahweh, and see. Hear the words of Sennacherib,

that's the king of Assyria, which he has sent

to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the

kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations

and their lands. That's true. They have cast

their gods into the fire, for they were not gods,

but they were the work of men's hands, wood and

stone. That is why they destroyed them. Now therefore,

O Yahweh, our God. I pray, save us from his hand,

that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that

you are the Lord God, you alone. Hezekiah is

not denying that there's imminent danger. There

is. Jerusalem is in peril. Hezekiah is a realist.

It is absolutely true. All the other nations

had been conquered. But the gods of those nations

were not gods, okay? They were useless idols,

wood and stone. That's why they could be burned

in fire. They were impotent to save and deliver.

But now Sennacherib was coming to overthrow the

people of the Almighty. He had set his side on

God's covenant people. But the God of Israel

is not some local deity. He's not a regional

deity. Because that was the prevailing thought

at that time. Every nation had its own gods.

And whoever won in battle, they thought, well,

that God. So if you won on a mountain, well,

that's the God of the mountain. Let's go into

the valley, and the God of the valley will defeat

the God of the mountain. That's how they thought.

And Hezekiah is like, that's rubbish, that's

foolish. You are the creator of heaven and earth.

You are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of

the earth. Universal territory. You've made heaven

and earth. Now, the Lord heard Hezekiah's prayer.

And he sends the prophet Isaiah to speak to Hezekiah.

So what will God's response be to Hezekiah's

prayer? Same chapter, a little bit later. Then

Isaiah, the son of Amos, sent to Hezekiah, saying,

Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Because you

have prayed to me against Sennacherib, king of

Assyria, I have heard. And this is the word which

the Lord has spoken concerning him. The virgin,

the daughter of Zion, has despised you, laughed

you to scorn. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken

her head behind your back. Whom have you reproached

and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised

your voice? and lifted up your eyes on high against

the Holy One of Israel. Verse 27. But I know

your dwelling place. I know where you live. I

know you're going out and you're coming in. I

know your rage against me. And he says, here's

what I'm going to do. Verse 28. Because you rage

against me and your tumult have come up to my

ears, therefore I will put my hook... in your

nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn

you back by the way which you came. Basically,

shut up, fool. You have no power against me whatsoever.

And so we look down at verse 34 and 35 and we

see what happened. God says in verse 34, for

I will defend this city, Jerusalem, to save it

for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.

I made a covenant with David and I'm going to

keep my promise. Look at verse 35. This is the

answer. And it came to pass on a certain night

that the angel of the Lord, the angel of Yahweh,

went out and he killed in the camp of the Assyrians,

remember they're the ones laying siege to Jerusalem,

185 ,000 soldiers. And when people rose early

in the morning, there were the corpses. And I

love this, all dead. Isn't that redundant? Yeah,

there are corpses. Of course they were all dead.

185 ,000 killed. Israel didn't lift a finger.

Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, in his arrogance,

he thought he was invincible because he had a

premier military force. His past success filled

his heart with pride. He was arrogant. He was

lifted up. He thought, I have accomplished all

this by my own strength. I've not had any help.

And yet the truth was that God was simply using

this evil man. as a tool to execute God's judgment

on those pagan nations. That's why God raised

him up. Sennacherib was nothing more than a pawn,

a tool in the hand of the Almighty that he was

using to accomplish his own sovereign purposes.

But as my grandma would say, he got too big for

his britches, and now he's going to pay for it.

Arrogance, folly is in the heart of this pagan

king. He's assuming no one's ever going to defeat

me. And pride goes before destruction. And a

haughty spirit before a fall. And by the way,

now, I spent a little time on this. That's the

backdrop for Psalm 46. All that is what Psalm

46. So now let's go to the psalm. You see the

first three verses. I've already read them. But

you see the situation here. It's like describing

a great earthquake. Not a small earthquake. This

is magnificent earthquake. The earth is coming

undone. The earth is being removed. Mountains

are falling. Mountains are shaking. And they're

falling into a turbulent sea. Okay, that's what's

happening. This is a very frightening scene.

Again, if you're living at that time, this would

have been enough to strike terror into the heart

of the most courageous man. And against this

backdrop, Assyria is at your doorstep. The psalmist

confidently says, go sing this song. God. is

our refuge. He is a place to which we run and

hide. He is a place where we find strength and

security. When the storms of life come, where

do you run? Where do you turn? God offers absolute

protection. Now, the psalmist did not say that

God gives refuge. The psalmist did not say God

will point out where refuge may be found. Instead,

he said God is our refuge. He. Yahweh, God, Elohim,

he is the place of protection. You want to be

safe? It's found in him. And by the way, that's

the promise of Emmanuel. What's Emmanuel, Matthew

1? God with us. That's our hope. God is with

us. God does not abandon his people in time of

trouble. And he refuses to do so. Now, he may

not, folks, remove the trial. He may not remove

the thing that is causing you pain. but he promises

to be with you in it. God offers you himself

the gift of his presence. He's our shelter, but

he's also our strength. What's that mean? He

gives you the ability to handle anything that

he in his providence brings into your life. Your

life may feel uncertain, and there are people

in this church, and I know that it does. Certainty

really doesn't exist. Is your heart broken? Some

people are. Does your life feel like it has no

meaning? God says, listen, turn to me. I will

be refuge. I will give you the strength that's

needed to endure. Because the truth is, all of

us, as the saints of God, we all go through uncertain

times. What do we do when life is uncertain?

We do what God's people have always done. We

run to him. Because notice the text. He is a

very present help in trouble. Literally translated.

God is a help in distresses found exceedingly.

I know that's awkward. It's cumbersome. That's

why it's not translated that way. Let's see what

it's saying. Our father is always, always willing

to help his children. The very moment you need

him, he's there. Isn't that what a good father

does? The moment you need him, he's there for

you. So what the psalmist is saying, he's a present

help. There is immediate access. You don't need

to make an appointment with God. You don't need

to check his calendar or see if you might reach

him or when he might be available. No. When life

is uncertain, when life is chaotic, the believer

has immediate access to the Father. Because you're

his son. And you have 24 -7 access to the throne

room of God. God is our Father. He's also our

King. As a father, he cares. Jesus said, not

a hair will fall from your head, what the Father

in heaven noticing. But as our king, he wields

all power to do whatever we need him to do. His

arm is not shortened. In verse 2 and 3, it says,

therefore, I love this, that because of that,

we're not going to fear. The logic. Since the

Almighty, Elohim, God Most High, since He is

our refuge, since He is our strength, therefore

we have no cause to fear. I love this with Psalm

27 .1. The Lord is my light and salvation. Whom

shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my

life. Of whom shall I be afraid? God is with

us. He's Emmanuel. God is with us. He won't leave

us. He'll never forsake us. Therefore, we have

no reason for worry. We have no reason to fear.

What about if the earth is removed? What about

if the mountains start suddenly crumbling and

falling into the sea? If you go back into the

Bible, the reason the psalmist uses mountains

is because the earth and mountains represented

stability, security, permanence. They considered

them to be permanent. So the psalmist is describing

a situation here where the very foundation of

human life is being compromised. The earth is

coming undone. It's ultimate disaster. So everything

in your life that is stable suddenly becomes

unstable. What do we do? Even when the world

seems to be unraveling, rogue nations seem to

be threatening, we can be calm. We can be confident.

Because God is with us. The created order is

very unreliable. But God remains unchanged. He's

the same yesterday, today, and forever. See,

I love this. This is why we can go to him. He's

a rock. He's an anchor. God is unfazed by the

circumstances of life. Now, listen, the psalmist

does not deny sadness. He doesn't say you won't

be sad. He says you just don't have to fear.

You don't have to fear. You may grieve. You may

lament over the situation you are enduring. But

you don't have to live in terror because of it.

Look at verses 4 and 5. In verse 3, you had turbulent

waters, a turbulent sea. But verse 4, I love

this. There is a river whose streams make glad

the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most

High. Notice, notice the contrast. In verse 3,

you got turbulent, churning waters. Mountains

are falling under the violent sea. But in verse

4, there's a gentle stream, a river. passing

through Jerusalem, the city of God. Now Jerusalem

doesn't have a river passing through it. What

he's saying is where God is present, remember

where is the temple? In Jerusalem. There's peace,

there's tranquility, there's even joy. So what

the word picture is giving here is the world

is languishing, the world is reeling, but not

the people of God. There is a difference for

them. There's a sense of calm. and well -being.

Why? God is in our midst. Here's the promise

of stability. She shall not be moved. The city

of Jerusalem shall not be moved. I don't care

what Sennacherib says. And here's the promise

of consolation. Why won't she be moved? God will

help her. And that right early, in the early

morning hours. What happened? When did God strike

the Assyrians dead? Sometime through the night.

And when Israel woke up, there was 185 ,000 dead

Assyrians. They didn't lift a finger. But I want

you to notice something else. So you've got that

river there. It's the streams whereof make glad

the city of God. This is an important picture

because in the arid Near East where Israel is,

even today, water is a very precious commodity.

It's a picture of life. It's a picture of prosperity.

So this gentle stream flowing through Jerusalem

was a sign of God's provision. So God not only

defends his people, but he also provides for

his people. But it's not just a gentle stream.

It's a river. There's abundance. This is a picture

of grace. Now, there is this picture of a river.

If you know the Bible and you go all the way

to the last chapter of the Bible, all the way

to Revelation 22, there is another river pointing

to the end -time vision of a new Jerusalem. Revelation

22 .1. And he, the angel speaking to John, showed

me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,

proceeding from the throne of God and of the

Lamb. That river represents the perpetual, refreshing

providence and peace of God. Now that's a mouthful

to say very fast, I will tell you that. So in

verses 2 and 3, the created order is disintegrated.

But in verse 5, God is in the midst of her. She's

not going to be moved. Absolute stability. God

stands with his people and the people of God

stand against turmoil. Because he's with us.

Now in verses 1 -3 you saw a natural calamity,

but in verses 6 and 7 there's human caused calamity.

Look at the text. The nations are raging, kingdoms

are being moved, but God uttered his voice and

the earth melted. Now look at this. The nations

raged. What's that mean? Political uproar. Military

campaigns are being waged. So the context, again,

the Assyrian army is laying siege to Jerusalem.

So let's put it this way. Assyria is raging.

Notice the text. God lifts his voice. That's

the end of it. Assyria was terribly powerful,

but God's word has ultimate power. When Jesus

comes at the end, How does he strike his enemies

down? With the word of his mouth. He speaks and

they're done. That's the same thing that's happened

here. You find Assyria, the most violent, fierce

fighting people, destroyed simply by a word.

And this is how God deals with raging nations.

He simply speaks and it says the earth melts.

Before him. Because God rules over creation.

He's sovereign over the rise and fall of kingdoms.

He controls the raging of nations. He also controls

the shaking of kingdoms. Listen, the political

front is certainly tenuous at best. I mean, it

changes. And we don't know what the future holds.

But we know who holds the future. Notice the

text. The Lord of hosts is with us. And this

is something that's so very important. The Lord

of hosts, Yahweh, the Lord of hosts, Sabaoth.

That's a title that was given to God. He's the

supreme commander of the heavenly armies. You

could also say he's the commander of angelic

armies or the army of angels. So notice a contrast.

Assyria had a very impressive army. But the Lord

of hosts, the supreme commander of the supernatural

army, It's with us. That's why God's people don't

have to fear. I mentioned this last week when

we were talking about Psalm 23, and I'll mention

it again this morning. In 2 Kings 6, do you remember

now the king, not of Assyria, but of Syria? The

king of Syria wanted to come and find the prophet

Elisha. He hated him because Elisha was informing

Israel of his plans to attack. So he sends his

army, he dispatches the Syrian army to go over

to the city where Elisha and his servant were

to surround the city and take Elisha and let's

get him out of the way. Let's kill him. So now

what happened? Elisha's servant wakes up and

he sees the Syrian army all around the city and

he's terrified. He said, what are we going to

do? We're vastly outnumbered. Now pick up the

text in verse 16. Elisha answered his servant.

He said, don't fear. Same thing the psalmist

is saying. For those who are with us are more

than those who are with them. Elisha, I think

you're mistaken here. Verse 17, Elisha prayed

and he said, Lord, that is Yahweh, I pray, open

his eyes that he may see. Then the Lord opened

the eyes of the young man and he saw, and behold,

the mountain, he didn't see this before, the

mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire

all around Elisha. What's that mountain being

full of, the horses and chariots of fire? That's

the angelic army. God had dispatched his angelic

army to go defend Elisha. And what does the psalmist

say in Psalm 46? The God of hosts, the Lord of

hosts, Yahweh Sabaoth. Listen, the Rabshika and

Sennacherib, big deal what they say. God and

his army are with us. He's the warrior God. But

he's also the God of Jacob. Covenant keeping

God. Who's Jacob? Jacob's name was changed to

Israel. This is the God of Israel. The people

of God. unlike those pagan nations, are in covenant

with God, and thus he will move and do whatever

he must do to protect and defend his people.

The earth can quake, the mountains can fall,

but God will defend her. Let me just say this,

this covenant thing, let me give it a little

side here. This is why I place a premium on baptism.

It is ultra important. Why? It's the covenant

sign. It's what marks you off as the son or daughter

of God. We're not pagan people. We're not heathen

people. We are the baptized people of God. What

do you mean by that? Because in baptism, God's

name, the triune name, was placed upon you, and

we are marked off as his people. Why is that

important? Because God has bound himself by an

oath to his covenant people. He has placed his

steadfast love upon his covenant people. This

is why we cannot fall, although we do suffer,

because nothing ultimately can separate us from

God's love given to us in Christ. This is why

this is so important. Not earthquakes, not rogue

nations, not a quick -spreading virus, not a

rapidly deteriorating culture. Nothing can separate

us from the love and protection of God found

in Christ. Look at verses 8 and 9. Come, behold

the works of the Lord. The psalmist is saying,

look through the eyes of faith. Perceive through

faith what God is doing in world events. See

what his hand is doing. Who has made desolations

in the earth? Referring to God's judgment upon

his enemies. How did God defend Israel? He defends

and protects his people by judging their enemies.

He judged Assyria. Israel didn't have to lift

a finger. They didn't have to fight. God fought

for them. Notice it says he breaks the bow and

the spear and he burns the chariots. All those

are instruments of war. God is creating peace.

Who's the ultimate peacemaker? God is. There's

no human power or human authority that can outmatch

his authority. No one can. So I think of King

Sennacherib. He thought he was untouchable and

he's no match for the king of kings. Psalm 118

Psalms 118:6

verse 6 says, The Lord, Yahweh, is on my side.

I will not fear. What can man do unto me? Do

you see what he's saying? Do you see the security?

Do you see the hope that you have? So what's

our response? Look at verse 10. Be still and

know that I am God. I will be exalted among the

nations. I will be exalted in the earth. Now

this be still, I will tell you, this is something

new I learned this week. Be still has a dual

context. If you look at it in context, the first

context is not to us to be still. It's actually

addressed to the nations which are raging. God's

saying, quiet down now. You be still. You are

to drop your weapons. It's a command. It's a

stern command. Drop your weapons and recognize

my authority. But secondarily, it does apply

to God's people. Be still. Let go. Relax. This

is not a suggestion. This is not a TED talk.

It's a stern command. Relax. Let it go. Your

God is in control. Quit wringing your hands.

Quit staying up all night worried. That's not

going to do anything. Stop doubting and trust

in God's ability to protect and defend you. That's

what he's saying here. Don't panic. Don't fear.

Because we recognize that our Father in Heaven

has complete, sovereign authority. We know that

He is God. We see that He's Elohim, God Most

High. On many nights, our children have woken

up in the middle of the night and sometimes they're

scared and they cry out for me and cry out for

Daddy. When I enter the room and just hold them

and assure them of my presence, then they're

once more at peace. They drift back off into

sleep. Likewise, when we realize, friends, when

we know that our Father God, and if you can know

this, if we can keep this truth before us at

all times, if we know that our Father God is

near, that he's right there with us, we can be

at peace. What a precious commodity. It's what

the world searches for and it's elusive. They

won't find it. Peace is found in the Prince of

Peace. God says, I will be exalted in the earth.

Why is he saying that? Because what did Sennacherib

think? He thought he would be exalted in the

earth. After all, he had already destroyed and

defeated, conquered many countries. He thought

no one could oppose him. But God says, no, the

nations belong to me. I will be exalted. Yeah,

the nations may rage in rebellion, but God guarantees

his ultimate triumph. I will be exalted in the

earth. And look at verse 11, the last verse there.

The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob

is our refuge. He's bookending this. He's really

wanting to leave an impression here. Yahweh Sabaoth,

the Lord of hosts. Remember? The supreme commander

of heaven's army. He's with us. He is our refuge.

He's the hiding place. Proverbs 18 says, The

name of the Lord, the name of Yahweh, is a strong

tower. And the righteous run to it. And they're

safe. Friends, our hope is not in the absence

of trouble. Don't put your hope there. It will

not be found. It's not in the absence of trouble,

but rather in the presence of God. Jesus, in

the world you will have tribulation, but be of

good cheer, I've overcome the world. You will

have trouble. You will have affliction. You will

have trials in your life. So your hope cannot

be that I'm going to have smooth sailing. No,

our hope is in the presence of our King with

us. And this is what gives life meaning. This

is what gives life joy. This is what makes life

bearable, I think. So as we close, Lord willing,

next Lord's Day, we'll look over to Matthew 14

and Jesus and Peter walking on the water. This

psalm richly complements that particular passage.

Here the waters are raging. Next week we'll see

Jesus walking on raging waters. In Psalm 46 we're

said, don't fear. The Lord of hosts is with us.

If you return, you don't need to. In Matthew

14, Jesus comes to disciples walking on the water

and they're afraid. And what does he say? Take

heart. Be still. It is I. Don't be afraid. I'm

with you. The psalmist wrote, there's a river

whose streams make glad the city of God. In John

John 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, Jesus spoke of a river. He said, he

cried out, if anyone thirsts, let him come to

me and drink. Because he who believes in me,

as the scripture has said, out of his heart will

flow rivers of living water. The point is, here's

the point, that the God who is Israel's refuge

in Psalm 46 is revealed in the gospels as Jesus

Christ, the divine son. That is why we call him

Emmanuel, God. with us. He is present in every

storm of life. And blessed are all who put their

trust in him. I close with this because I feel

like I must. Friends, when we hear word of gospel

or who God is, we need to be warned. And I think

this is so very apropos. A storm is coming. The

wrath and judgment of God is coming. A day of

fierce judgment and of darkness is coming. And

there's only one refuge. There's only one shelter.

There's only one ark. There's only one door,

one gate, one way. And that is Jesus the Christ

sent from God. Blessed are all those who put

their trust in him. And friends, today most of

us have. And we get to come to the table and

we celebrate and commune with the risen Christ.

But if you haven't today, I implore you, I beg

you, and God commands you, repent of your sins

and bow your knee before Jesus and trust in him.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord, for your

word. It is rich. It is so very good. Lord, I'm

so very thankful, God, that you have given to

us the Psalms, Lord. I'm thankful for Psalm 46.

God, feed us, Lord. Let us not have spiritual

amnesia that as soon as we walk out these doors,

this simply becomes a distant memory. But Father,

Lord, in times of trouble, in times of peril,

Lord, help us to remember that you are our refuge

and strength, a very present help in a time of

trouble. Therefore, we will not fear. God, there

are some of my brothers and sisters here this

morning, and that's where they are. They find

themselves in that scary moment, that dark moment

of uncertainty. God, may you encourage them.

Lord, there are some in here today who, Lord,

they are dead in their sins, and they will face

the unrelenting, unmitigated wrath of God. Lord,

I pray this morning, God, would you please convict

them, open their eyes, and show them the beauty

of the gospel. And Father, Lord, some of us,

Lord, whose life right now there seems to be

in a reprieve, and Lord, we're enjoying your

blessing. God, we want to simply say thank you,

Lord. God, help us to remember. Help us not to

soon forget. And Lord, as we come to the table

of Christ, as we come to the table of the Lord,

we do so confessing our sins, finding forgiveness

in the broken body and shed blood of Jesus, our

Savior and Lord. It's in his name we pray, Lord.

Amen. I'm going to ask as the junior church comes

in that the deacons come and prepare the table,

please.