Psalm 46, please give your attention to God's word as it is read. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling, There is a river whose streams 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 uttered his voice. The earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the ends 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. May the Lord bless the reading of his word to our hearts. Well, as I've been saying throughout the morning so far, we are at the last Sunday of 2020. And I'm sure all of you are ready to get this year over with. I know I am. The year began like many other years and years passed, and I'd be willing to bet that if I told you back in late February or even early March how the rest of this year would turn out, you would probably have called me crazy. You probably would have looked at me and said, what have you been eating? What have you been drinking? I'm not sure that, you know, you must be crazy. But yet here we are. This year, if it has taught us anything, is that things can go south very quickly. Now, if what can be said of 2020 in general is true, then it's even more true in the lives of ordinary people in the church. I mean, think of how fast your world can come tumbling down due to the loss of a beloved spouse, or due to the loss of a job, or to the loss of your livelihood, perhaps even the loss of your quality of life due to a devastating accident. If you think you are in control of your life, that's when life takes the moment to let you know who is really in control. Now in the church, we believe God is in control, right? Amen to that, God is in control. But we also know that God sovereignly orchestrates events for our good and for his glory. and that if anything bad has happened to us, it has been allowed to happen by our sovereign God for his sovereign purposes. And what that means for the Christian is that even when it feels like the world is falling apart around us, we can be confident, we can be confident that God is in control and that he is providentially working out things for our good and for his glory. And that's what we're gonna see here this morning in Psalm 46. Psalm 46 is considered by the scholars as a psalm of confidence, a psalm of confidence. And as we look at this psalm this morning, we're gonna see three things. In verses one to three, we're gonna see the challenge of confidence. In verses four through seven, we're gonna see the secret of confidence. And finally, in verses eight through 11, the vindication of confidence. And the big idea for this morning is that God is our refuge and our strength. Therefore, we can be confident. Therefore, we can have hope. Well, first let us look at the challenge of confidence in verses one through three. All of Scripture, of course, is God-breathed. All of Scripture is inspired by the Spirit. But I think there are certain portions of Scripture that kind of stand out above the others. If you think of Scripture as a mountain range, there are several peaks in Scripture that are just really, you know, you just really sense the inspiration of God here. And I think Psalm 46 is one of those passages. In fact, as many of you probably know, Psalm 46 inspired the great reformer Martin Luther to write the classic hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, which we will sing at the close of our service. In fact, Luther once wrote of this psalm, we sing this psalm to the praise of God because God is with us and powerfully and miraculously preserves and defends his church and his word against all fanatical spirits, against the gates of hell, against the implacable hatred of the devil, and against all the assaults of the world, the flesh, and sin. Now, as with the previous four Psalms we've looked at so far, Psalms 42, 43, 44, 45, Psalm 46 also was composed by the sons of Korah. And also, as with the previous Psalms we've looked at, we don't know the circumstances that inspired this particular Psalm. Now, commentators have had some theories on it. Some think that this psalm may have been inspired by the invasion of the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, during the reign of King Hezekiah, which you can read about in 2 Kings 18-19. It's also retold in Isaiah 36-37. Now, while that seems like it might be plausible, we can't state that dogmatically. But what is clear, what is clear beyond any doubt is that this psalm begins with a confession of confidence. In verse one, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. And that word refuge speaks in particular as a place of refuge from a storm or a place of refuge from danger. It is used to refer to God as our refuge many times, particularly in the Psalms. And furthermore, God is not only our refuge, but he is our strength. He often does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. And all in all, this paints a picture of God as our only port in the storms of life. Furthermore, it paints a picture of us as weak and vulnerable. You may be thinking to yourself, well, I'm not weak, I'm not vulnerable. Well, in a spiritual sense, yes you are. We're all weak, we're all vulnerable by God's standards. Again, think about it. How much control do you really have over your life? How much control do you think you have over the things that happen in your life? If by the grace of God you've been able to make a good life for yourself, realize it is, as I said, by the grace of God. But as we said earlier, it doesn't take much to turn a whole world upside down, right? But here's the payoff. If God is our refuge and our strength, then what is the result? The result is in verse two where he says, therefore, we will not fear. As Paul will say centuries later in Romans 8, if God is for us, who can be against us? If God is our refuge and our strength, what causes there to fear? If we can take shelter in the arms of the creator of the universe, then why should we ever fear? Now, the psalmist goes on in verses two and three to discuss all kinds of things that would generate fear in us were God not our refuge and strength. He says, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Think of these images, the earth and the mountains. These are normally images of stability and strength, things that don't move. Yet here we see them being moved and carried into the midst of the sea. And this is the image of seas. The image of the sea is the image of chaos and danger. The point being that though the very earth, the mountains and the sea, though the very world around us come crashing down, what? We will not fear. Why? because God is our refuge and our strength. Now, a couple of points of application can be made here. First, it's one thing to say God is our refuge and our strength, therefore we will not fear, but do we actually believe this? Again, closing the gap between our profession and our practice in our lives, right? That's what we need to do. Faith is tested in the midst of trials, when the world is actually coming down around us. It is then that our character shines through. Will we become bitter or will we become better? Will we trust in the Lord to provide or will we complain and shake our fists at God? When our faith and our confidence is challenged, how will we respond? Second, are we treating God like fire insurance? You know what I mean? Happy to have it when the house burns down, but you really don't think about it otherwise? God is not only a refuge and strength in times of trouble, but he is a refuge and strength at all times, right? Yes, the psalmist says God is a very present help in times of trouble, but God never stops being a very present help to us in our lives. Third point of application here, what are the things that we place our confidence in besides God? According to the psalmist here, nothing in this world is a suitable substitute in which to place our confidence. Now again, look at what has happened so far in this year, in 2020. Freedoms that were once enshrined and protected by our Bill of Rights seem to be eroding before our very eyes. Our politicians, who are supposed to be working for us, seem to be more interested in securing their own power. A virus that was barely known a year ago has effectively shut down the economy of the entire world. And things in which we once placed our trust and confidence in have let us down time and time again. but not God, right? Not God. He is our refuge and strength. Therefore, we will not fear. Let us now move on to our second point, the secret of confidence in verses four through seven. If the challenge of confidence is the things of this world falling away, then the secret of our confidence is the truth that God is in the midst of his people. Look at verses four and five. 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." Here, the psalmist is talking about the city of God, Zion, or Jerusalem. And this city is described as having a river flowing through it, and a city that is described as having containing the tabernacle of God, a city that shall not be moved, as having God in her midst. While the seas are images of chaos and danger, rivers in the Bible are an image of blessing and restoration. In Genesis 2.10, we learn that Eden, the garden temple of God, was described as having a river that flowed out of it to water the garden. And when we see Eden reconstituted at the end of the age in Revelation 22.1, we see the new Jerusalem that contains a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and from the Lamb. And this river, this river is what makes glad the city of God. But moreover, this city contains the tabernacle of God. The tabernacle, as you well know, is that traveling tent that the Israelites carried with them throughout the whole wilderness. That tabernacle was the mobile throne room of God. It contained the Ark of the Covenant, which is seen as God's throne. And it contained all of the vessels and the utensils that the Jews used in their worship of God. But more importantly, the tabernacle, and then later the temple, represents the presence of God amongst his people. When the tabernacle was erected and the glory cloud descended upon it, God was in the midst of his people. And precisely because of this presence of God amongst his people, the city shall not be moved because God is in her. Therefore, the secret of our confidence is that God is in the midst of his people. Therefore, we will not be moved. Therefore, we will not fear. Now, as splendid as the city of God sounds, in reality, the city of Jerusalem was not a particularly special city. I mean, certainly during the height of Solomon's reign, many came from all around to see the splendors of Solomon's kingdom, his palace, the great temple, and all these things. But for the most part, Jerusalem's grandeur has been surpassed by other more magnificent cities from a world perspective. But what made Jerusalem special was not its buildings, not its temple, not its palace, but it was the fact that God was in her midst. That is what made Jerusalem special. In fact, if this psalm was indeed inspired by the attack of King Sennacherib during the reign of Hezekiah, then it was because God was in the midst of her that Sennacherib's invasion attempt failed. In fact, in Isaiah 37, verse 36, we learn that an angel of the Lord single-handedly slew 185,000 men of the Assyrian army in a single night. Is there any doubt, then, that God is our refuge and our strength? And that's what we see here in verse six. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved, God uttered his voice, and the earth melted. Again, think of Psalm 2, when the nations of the earth are in an uproar, they plot and they scheme and they make their plans against the Lord and his anointed, and then God sits on his throne, and is he worried? No, he sits on his throne and he laughs. It's like these pitiful little people think that they can take over my city. Psalm 46, the nations rage but God utters his voice and the earth melts. It is the power of the voice of the Lord. And the secret of our confidence, again, is that God is in our midst. And that's what he says in verse seven. The Lord of hosts is with us. And that word, that phrase, the Lord of hosts is God as the commander of a great angelic army. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Now, while the secret of our confidence is that God is in our midst, what happens if that's not the case? Not that God would ever abandon us or forsake his people, but his people throughout Scripture have forsaken him, right? That great example of the Lord destroying the enemies of Israel during the days of Hezekiah happened because the Lord was in our midst. But we also know that due to Israel's apostasy and idolatry, the people forsook their God. And we hear of the glory of the Lord leaving the temple in Ezekiel chapter 10. In fact, if you've been with us through any of our studies so far through the book of Revelation, we see what happens to churches that lose their focus on God and on Christ, and they let false doctrine into the church. They forsook their God and sought their favor with the world, and then Christ comes and takes their lampstand away. They cease being a church. We are only strong and secure when we recognize God as our refuge and our strength. And while this is true for the church as a whole, it is also true for each individual Christian. While the church is the new Jerusalem and a holy temple unto the Lord, each individual Christian is also a temple for the Holy Spirit. That's what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6. And it is vital for Christians then to maintain a holy lifestyle, knowing that it's the Holy Spirit who lives in us and who is conforming us into the image of his son, Jesus Christ. And while a true Christian can never fully and finally fall away, it is possible for a Christian to fall into seasons of sin and disobedience. which is all the more reason then to continue to work out of us what God is already working in us by his Holy Spirit. Let's look at our final point here now in verses eight through 11 as we see the vindication of confidence. Let's look again at verses eight and nine, where the psalmist says, come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars to seize to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire. So here the psalmist now comes and invites us to come and see the works of the Lord. This is a call to behold all the saving works of the Lord on our behalf. After seeking solace in the Lord as our refuge and strength, and after seeing the Lord grant us victory because he is in our midst, the Lord now invites us to behold his saving works before us. Now, we've often spoke about how the greatest act of redemption in the Old Testament is the Exodus, where God promised to deliver his people from their bondage and slavery in Egypt. And after raining down 10 devastating plagues on the Egyptians, Moses then leads the people of God out of Egypt. But Pharaoh, in one last act of defiance against God, sends his armies out to crush the people of Israel. And here, the Jews are caught literally between a rock and a hard place, between the Red Sea and the advancing Egyptian army. And as the people complain, Moses says to them in Exodus 14, 13, do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more. And the rest, of course, is as they say, history, right? Now as great as that act of redemption was, it was but a foretaste for a far greater act of redemption in the life and the death and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So when we behold the works of the Lord, we behold these works when we recall the good news of the gospel. We behold the works of the Lord when we share that good news with our unsaved friends and families and loved ones. And every Lord's Day when the church meets, we declare the saving works of the Lord to a watching world. But as you look at the language here of the psalmist in verses eight and nine, what we see here is an allusion now to the ultimate victory of Christ over his enemies on the last day. The saving work of the Lord is seen in the desolations of the earth. The saving work of the Lord is seen in his making wars to cease, breaking the bow, cutting the spear. These are all pictures that point forward in their ultimate fulfillment to Christ's return at the end of the age. In fact, consider what the prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 2, verse 4, where he says, they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. This is an end times prophecy that looks forward to the messianic kingdom, at Christ's return. And when he returns, there will be no more war, because Christ will have conquered all of his and our enemies. Now the psalmist here closes his meditation in verses 10 and 11, where he says, 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. Now that phrase there, be still and know that I am God, that is a popular memory verse. You probably see it on refrigerator magnets and all kinds of things, right, keychains. And it's sometimes seen as a call to quietly meditate on the fact that God is God and you are not. Be still and know that I am the Lord. But in reality, that phrase, be still, can be translated as relax, cease striving. Far from a call of quiet contemplation, it's a call for us to stop striving in our own strength to fix the world, to fix our lives, and to fix the lives of others. Remember, we have no real strength. We have no real power. This whole psalm is meant to draw our attention to this very fact and then to focus our hearts and minds on the Lord, who is alone our strength and our refuge. Our job is to, by faith, live lives of thankful obedience to the Lord, who alone is our refuge and our strength. So continue loving God and loving your neighbor. Continue making use of the ordinary means of grace. Continue diligently seeking the Lord in prayer and in his word. All the while seeking your comfort and solace in the strong arms of the Lord, who is our refuge and our strength. and in the end the Lord will be exalted among the nations and he will be exalted in the earth. This whole psalm moves in that direction, the ultimate exaltation of the Lord. He is the one in whom we can take refuge when it feels like the whole world is falling apart. He is the one who dwells in our midst and keeps our enemies at bay. He is the one who will vindicate our confidence in him as he crushes both his and our enemies so that we will be exalted, so that he will be exalted. in all the earth. I know the call to be still and know that I am God can be difficult, particularly in this nightmare year of 2020, right? The temptation to vent your frustrations on social media, to speak ill of those with whom we disagree is strong. And I know it's strong because I fight those very same temptations every day. I mean, I look at the craziness that is going on around us every day. I don't need to provide a list. We all know what they are. And sometimes I just want to scream or punch something. But I must recognize that this is my flesh talking, right? This is not the Christian way. But this psalm calls us not to fear, and why is that? Because though the world may be falling down all around us, God is our refuge and our strength. He gives us shelter in the storms of life. He gives us strength when we are weak. And moreover, the church, the new Jerusalem, the city of God, will not be moved, though, because God is in our midst. Jesus told his disciples that he would build his church, right? And what did he say? He said, the gates of hell will not prevail against it. You look at Emanuel Reformed Church. We don't look very strong, we don't look very powerful, but God is in our midst, right? As long as we continue to worship him, as long as we continue to meditate on his word and to use the means of grace, our church will withstand the gates of hell. I mean, for 2,000 years, the enemies of Christ have tried to destroy the church, and you know what? She is still standing, because God is in her midst. And then finally, all these enemies will be vanquished when Christ returns at the end of the age in glory. The final battle of Christ will be a swift one, because our victorious champion will come riding on a white horse, and he will slay his enemies with a single word from his mouth. No matter what the world throws at us, we can stand strong because the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold. But this promise is only for those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. If you don't believe or trust in Christ, if you don't believe that Christ died for your sins and was raised for your justification, that he alone is your only hope against the storms of God's wrath for your sin, then you do not have this confidence. You cannot say the Lord of hosts is with you. But the good news is that today is not a day of judgment. Today is a day of salvation. Judgment is coming, but it is not gonna be this day. So today, if you have not placed your faith and trust in Christ alone for salvation, then I urge you to do so right now. Because trusting in Christ can give you and will give you the confidence to say, the Lord of hosts is with me, the God of Jacob is my stronghold. Let's pray.