So we're gonna be reading Psalm 46, and we will also be looking at all 11 verses of Psalm 46 together this morning. Psalm 46, starting at verse one, this is God's word. To the choir master of the sons of Korah, according to the Alamoth, a song. 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 in 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. 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. That's the end of Psalm 46. As usual, I would encourage you to keep your Bibles open as we'll be looking at these 11 verses together this morning. Dear people of God, in my parents' living room, there's a glass plaque on the windowsill that my mom's had for, well, years. On this glass plaque are the words, we don't know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future. That's a helpful thing for us to keep in mind this morning. We've just entered into a new year, and entering into a new year often comes with excitement, fear, and pretty much everything in between. No matter what we face this year, no matter what blessings we receive or what burdens we experience, we can have the confidence that our faithful God will preserve us and protect us. Because when we begin to understand who our God is and what he's done for us in Jesus Christ, we realize that ultimately we have nothing to fear. Really, that's the core message of Psalm 46. In fact, Charles Spurgeon called this psalm the song of holy confidence. Martin Luther considered this psalm to be so saturated with Christological imagery that he based his incredible hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, on this psalm. My hope and my prayer is that as we continue and enter into 2023, we'll think and reflect on Psalm 46, and that we'll receive joy, comfort, and strength from God and his word in the year that lies ahead. And so this morning, we'll reflect on this song of holy confidence a little bit together. But just before we dive in and do that, allow me to make one quick comment. You might notice that at the end of verses 3, 7, and 11, there's that little word selah. You probably noticed that I didn't actually read that word or say that word when we read through the psalm, and I did that on purpose. Because while there is debate about what this word means specifically, in general, this word selah has something to do with pausing and reflecting on what was just said and heard. It's a word that prompts reflection, and I tried to have a little bit of a longer pause at the end of verse three, seven, and 11. Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn't. But in addition to that, the word selah also divides Psalm 46 into three sections. And so this morning, we're going to take each of those three sections one by one. And so with that established and in the back of our minds, we'll look at verses one to three. And verse one begins with an incredible statement. Just the first four words, God is our refuge. Right off the bat, we have to realize that the word refuge implies that danger is close by. If you need a refuge, that means you need to be protected and kept safe from something ominous or dangerous. But what makes this statement incredible in verse one is that typically when you think of a refuge, you think of some kind of physical structure. You think of a castle, you think about city gates, or maybe you think about a bomb shelter. But here, right at the beginning of the psalm, the sons of Korah, who wrote this psalm, are saying that the refuge for God's people isn't a physical structure, it isn't a physical thing. Instead, the refuge for God's people is God himself. This fits with the theme that we see throughout the Psalms. Think of Psalm 18, verse 2. Or think about verse seven of Psalm 20. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Or just one more example, Psalm 27 verse one. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When you think about it, when you begin to break this statement down, you realize that statements like this and others that are found in the Psalter are absolutely saturated with faith. As believers, we don't find rest and refuge in our finances. We don't find rest and refuge in our own strength or talents. We don't find rest and refuge in our reputation or our job or even in political figures. Rather, we find rest, shelter, security, peace, blessing, and refuge in our faithful God who has promised to preserve us, who has promised to protect us no matter what. As Christians, God is our refuge. Notice in verse one that God is not only our refuge, he's also our strength, our power, our ability, or even our resolve to do anything comes from God. We don't possess any power in and of ourselves. Think of what Jesus says in John 15. Apart from me, you can do nothing. Why? Because apart from Christ, we're still dead in our trespasses and sins. But in Christ, we've been made alive. And now, because of God's amazing grace, Christ lives in our hearts by his Spirit. And that same Spirit is the Spirit that furnishes us, equips us, and empowers us to live for Jesus and to serve our God at all times and in every way. His grace is sufficient for us because His power is made perfect in our weakness. God is our strength. So having established that, the psalmist then bring these two ideas together at the end of verse one. God is a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Very present. Our God is always near us. Our God is forever with us. When trials arise, when troubles come, and when temptations afflict us, our God is right there beside us every single step of the way. He is faithful. He never fails to keep his promises. And so we are never truly alone because our God is always there. So never doubt the faithful, powerful presence of your all-powerful God. And that idea of the ever-present help and trouble provides us with incredible comfort. And the psalmists speak about that in verses two and three. To understand the point that the psalmists are making here, we have to realize that these are extreme examples. Imagine if the entire earth suddenly became a massive sinkhole right underneath your feet. Imagine if the coastal mountains near Vancouver all fell like a house of cards into the ocean. Or imagine if a massive earthquake shook the entire world. Try to wrap your head around that. And then realize that the psalmist's point is that even if the entire physical world, this earth and the entire cosmos were to be completely altered, annihilated, blasted into oblivion or undone in a moment, God's people would ultimately still have nothing to fear. Because the truth is that none of these catastrophic events can do anything to change the fact that God is our refuge and our strength. None of these things can change who we are as God's chosen and redeemed people. None of these things can take us away from our God. None of these things can undo what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. And so even if the entire physical world fell apart completely, as God's chosen people, we would still have nothing to fear. Do you have this kind of faith? Do you trust and believe that God will protect you and that he is faithful to his promises? Is God your refuge? Is God your strength? When you hear the words of your Savior, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, do those words encourage your heart and comfort your soul? If not, then ask yourself, why not? What am I missing? Am I just trusting in myself? Am I trusting in the things of this world, the possessions that I have? Am I finding my refuge and strength in and from my finances or my talents, my family or my job? Ask yourself, what's preventing you from finding in Jesus all that you need for life and for death? Think about that and wrestle with it as you enter into this new year. But if those words of Christ, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, if those words do comfort you, then continue trusting in the Lord. Continue to put your faith in trust and confidence in the God who is your refuge and your strength. Find peace in the knowledge that your God doesn't change and that he will never leave you or forsake you. Think about who your God is. Think about who you are in Christ and reflect on that as you enter into 2023. That takes us into the second section of Psalm 46 because the psalmists continue. And as the psalm develops, the psalmists begin to highlight more reasons why we aren't to fear. After encouraging us to reflect on verses one to three with that little word selah, the psalmists broaden their focus. And they move from talking about the physical world to talking about the battle that exists between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. And because of that, and in that sense, this psalm actually encourages us to move from the individual comfort that we receive when we understand who our God is, that comfort that we find in verses one and three, to a more corporate comfort that belongs to the true church of Christ. Look at verses four and five. 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. Notice the beautiful imagery here. Right after the inspired psalmist talk about the water of the earth roaring and foaming, they present this beautiful image of a life-giving river. It reminds us of Psalm 1 where we read about that righteous man who is like a tree planted by streams of water. It makes us think about Revelation 22 and the eternal river of life that flows to nourish and equip God's people forever. And it makes us think of Jesus' words to the woman at the well in John 4. Jesus says there, everyone who drinks of this water, meaning the water of that physical well, will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will come in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. Jesus, the life-giving Spirit, gives us living water to nourish our souls. Through the Spirit, Christ gives us himself. And this living water makes the city of God glad. The city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High, refers here to the holy city of Jerusalem. It's the place where the Lord has set his name. The place where he chose to take up his dwelling in this world. We know that God is everywhere. But Jerusalem was the special place of his special presence with his special people. And as the story of redemptive history unfolds, we come to realize this city of God refers to the true church of Jesus Christ. The church is the place that the Lord has made his holy habitation. The life-giving spirit of God sent from the Father and the Son gives life and nourishment to the church of Christ Jesus. Our God will help us at the break of day. This is one of the reasons why we sing that the church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord. Because we know that Christ Jesus, who gives us living water that nourishes our souls forever, will always protect and preserve his church. Christ will lose none of those that the Father has given him, and he will raise them up on the last day. We can have this trust and this confidence because we know that the Lord is in our midst. Again, the church is the place where the Lord has set his special presence. It's the dwelling place of God Most High. And if God is in our midst, we have nothing to fear. Think about what Elisha said to his servant, 2 Kings 6. Elisha's servant was beside himself with fear and anguish when he saw the armies of Syria. But in 2 Kings 6, 16 to 17, we read, And Elisha prayed and said, O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see. So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Our God is in our midst, and we will not be moved. You see, if there's anyone who wants to ultimately destroy us, they'll have to destroy our God first. Why? Because God is our refuge and our strength. And the idea that our all-powerful and all-sovereign God could possibly be undone or defeated by any of his creatures is an absolutely ridiculous thought. So with God in our midst, we will not be shaken. We will not be undone because God is our refuge and our strength. And that fact shines incredible light on verse six, the nation's rage, the kingdom's totter. He utters his voice, the earth melts, the nation's rage. Literally the Hebrew word that's used here is the word roar, which is the same word that's used in verse three. But even if the nations become as violent and aggressive as the roaring and raging waters of the sea, we still, as God's people, have nothing to fear. In fact, throughout the world, with all their rage, with all their anger, with all their opposition to the kingdom of God, what happens? The kingdoms totter. They split, they stumble, and they fall. Think of what we read in Psalm 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. What's God's response to this anger and this opposition? The psalmist tells us, He who sits in the heavens laughs. He scoffs. The Lord holds them in derision. The kingdoms of this world fall at the voice of the Lord. The Lord doesn't need to use swords or weapons of mass destruction to undo and overthrow the nations of the world. He could simply speak a word and they would be finished. Why? Because he made them. Because he spoke them into being. Because everything, every creature that God has ever made answers to him and does his bidding. The earth melts at the voice of the Lord. If God simply said the word, then the world would be completely undone. Everything would fall to pieces if the Lord gave that command. That is the power of our God. And when you think about that power, it's comforting to know that that powerful God is our refuge and our strength. And so the psalmist says in verse seven, the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Notice the language here, the Lord of hosts, Lord Sabaoth, means the covenant God of Israel who commands the armies of heaven. This is the God who keeps his promises. This is the great I am. This is the God who leads his people into battle and claims the victory on their behalf. And the sons of Korah say that that God is with us. That phrase is with us, is key. Think of Matthew 1, verse 23. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which means God with us. That's the name that was given to Christ, and when we reflect on the personal work of Christ, when we reflect on the personal work of Immanuel, God with us, we come to realize that Christ is the mighty conqueror. Christ is the lion of the tribe of Judah who has sealed the victory over sin, over death, over Satan, and over hell for the sake of his redeemed and chosen people. See the conqueror mounts in triumph. Do you find comfort and peace in those words? Because we live in a pagan world of sin and wickedness. You see, whether they know it or not, all the tyrants and kingdoms of this world who oppose the Lord and his anointed are instruments and pawns of the devil himself. They are the devil's allies. And Satan employs them to do battle against the kingdom of God and against the church of Christ. And throughout history, it seems like kingdoms and empires have been trying to outdo each other in terms of power, prestige, immorality, and longevity. The nations continually rise up against the church and against the Lord. They reject the message of the gospel and they seek to silence that message. But they won't win. In fact, they can't win. Because they're fighting a battle that's already been lost. The head of the serpent has already been crushed by the power of Christ. The war has already been won. To be sure, it still rages for a time. The victory has already been sealed by Christ our Savior. And so for all their ingenuity, for all their progress, for all their apparent power, the result is always the same. The kingdoms of the world come and the kingdoms of the world go. Where is the mighty empire of Egypt? Where is the mighty empire of Assyria or Babylon? or Greece, or Rome. They've all been ruined. They've all been razed to the ground. They've all been done by the voice and the power of the Lord. Because the truth is that there's only one kingdom that will reign eternally, and that kingdom is the kingdom of God. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church of Christ, and the kingdom of God will endure forever, because the Lion of the tribe of Judah has triumphed. So no matter what we as a church face in 2023, no matter how much this world tries to silence the gospel, no matter how sinful and rebellious this world becomes, and no matter what type of raids the world might hurl at us, we rest on this sure foundation that the Lord of hosts, the God of armies is with us, and the God of Jacob is our fortress. Christ has triumphed, and so we will not be moved, we will not be shaken, because Emmanuel, God with us, Christ the King, will protect us and defend us from all our enemies. The church will never perish. And that takes us to the third and the final section of Psalm 46. Once again, the psalmist encourages us to continue on. We move on from the personal comfort we receive in verses one and three to the corporate confidence that we have as the church in verses four to seven. Now in verses eight to 11, the psalmist issues a call for us to behold and consider what God has done and who he is. Look at verse eight. Come behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. Look at all the things that God in his might and his power has done. He's brought earthquakes and tsunamis. He's destroyed kingdoms and tyrants. And yet through all of that, the Lord has never abandoned his people and the children of God have never been eternally lost. Scan the annals of redemptive history in world history. When you do, you come to realize that God has never failed to keep his word to his chosen people. Our loving, compassionate, and gracious Heavenly Father has already given us salvation in Jesus Christ. Our biggest need has been met. When we reflect on that, when we think about the salvation we have already received, and then we look at God's power and majesty displayed in the world, we need to be reminded of our faithful and all-powerful God who loves us and preserves us. When we consider the desolations that God has brought on the earth, we need to, at the same time, be reminded of our God's tenderness and compassion that he has shown to us in the cross of our Savior. Verse nine gives us even more comfort. It says there, he makes war cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns the chariots with fire. You see in verse six, we saw that the Lord has overthrown kingdoms and raging nations simply by the breath of his mouth. But verse nine takes that one step further. Here not only are the raging nations destroyed, but one day war itself will be destroyed forever. In other words, a day of eternal peace and tranquility is coming. There will be a day when the Church of Christ will dwell secure with no threats whatsoever. Bows will be broken, spears will be shattered, and chariots will be burned with fire. Anything and everything that the world puts its confidence in, anything that the wicked, raging nations think they can use and employ to destroy the purpose of God and His Church will be destroyed forever. A reign of eternal peace is coming. We know that this reign of eternal peace will finally arrive when Christ returns. When Christ comes back, the hope of the new heavens and the new earth, the hope of Revelation 21 and 22 will become our reality. Nothing will threaten us anymore because Satan, his demons, all of God's enemies, all of our enemies will be utterly and completely ruined and destroyed for all of eternity. They won't threaten the church anymore because the Lord will make war itself cease forever. Until that day comes, what do we do? 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. Rest, be still. find comfort and peace in the fact that God, our God, is exactly who he says he is. He is the unchanging, the great I am. He is the faithful God of heaven and earth who sent his only begotten son to save us. He's the sovereign God who rules over all things and guides all things for his glory and our good. As Isaiah says, our God is the Lord and there is no other. One day all the nations and all the peoples of the world will exalt Him. He will be exalted in all the earth. Now some will exalt Him because in His justice and vengeance, He will punish them for all of eternity. Their eternal punishment will be to the praise of His righteousness and holiness. They will see His majesty and His power, but they will hate Him for it to their everlasting shame and ruin. but for His people, His chosen ones, the ones whom He has redeemed, we will exalt and glorify His name by the sea of glass forever. We will praise the name of our God forever and ever because of who He is and because of what He's done for us in Christ Jesus. That's why verse 11 ends in a very similar way to the psalm began. It reminds us of what we read in verse seven. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. You see, we need to know that the God of armies, the King of all kings, the faithful covenant God of Israel is always with us. Christ is with us by his spirit. He is with us always, even to the end of the age. Because of who our God is and because of who we are in him, we have absolutely nothing to fear. So when you unpack this psalm a little bit, when you just scratch the surface, it's no wonder that Luther based his incredible hymn on Psalm 46. You begin to see why Spurgeon called it the song of holy confidence. Because this psalm speaks about the power, about the love, and about the eternal faithfulness of our God. This psalm is absolutely saturated with the message of the gospel. It's filled with the hope and the confidence that Christians must have and do have in their faithful and all-powerful God. So as you enter into the new year, remember the words of Psalm 46. We don't know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future. Through all the ups and all the downs, through all the burdens and all the blessings, the message that Psalm 46 preaches is special and comforting in our ears. Find your rest, find your comfort, find your confidence in the fact that the Lord of hosts is with you, that the God of Jacob is your fortress. Be still and know that he is God. And believe and trust that nothing will separate you from the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus, your Lord and your Savior. Let's pray together. Our powerful, sovereign, eternal God, we praise your name for who you are as the powerful, eternal, and sovereign God, as the God who guides all things according to your plan and purpose, as the God who is perfectly good and wise, the God who is totally just and righteous altogether. We praise you that you are our refuge and our strength, that we are your children, that we've been adopted to be your children because of what Christ has done for us. We thank you that we can have the trust and the confidence that you are our faithful God, that you are an ever-present help in trouble. The Lord of hosts is with us and that the God of Jacob is our fortress. As we enter into this new year, with all the concerns and anxieties, with all the joys that we anticipate and the blessings we anticipate receiving, we pray that you remind us of this. You encourage our hearts as we reflect on who you are and what you have done for us. As we think about the gospel, may we be furnished and reminded of your great love and compassion, your tenderness and your mercy toward us. Equip us father by your spirit. May we live for you. May we look to you for all that we need for body and for soul. We pray this all in Jesus most holy and precious name.