God Is Our Refuge - Psalm 46..

Welcome to Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church. Thank you for using and sharing our resources. What you're about to hear is God's Word from one of our teaching elders. We trust that God's Word will inspire, instruct, and bless you. For further teachings or information on our ministry, please visit us on our website at cornerstonerbc.

com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. we meditate on Psalm 46 in particular, and it speaks to the true and abiding hope found in the sovereign God, the unchangeable, all-powerful God of the universe. And so, brothers and sisters, it is our duty to always be reminded and to always remind ourselves of this truth, that God is sovereign, that He's unchangeable, He's all-powerful, and is also all sufficient.

We should be reminding ourselves of these things always, daily even, and especially in times like these, because one only needs to have a heartbeat to recognize the unnerving and somewhat frightening situation that surrounds us in this day. And we speak, of course, not only surrounding us here on Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, but even all over the world. These are indeed, like our brother said earlier, unprecedented times. They're actually groundbreaking times for most of us. If not, at least all of us, to some degree, have never experienced something like this virus before.

And it is sweeping our globe so rapidly. So you could say that this is a brand new experience for us all. Maybe we've experienced emotions to some degree, but most of us probably haven't experienced what we've experienced in the last week or maybe two. Maybe we've had some thoughts run through our minds we've never contemplated before. Some of us may be asking questions and even fearing some of the answers that we get.

Questions like, what if I'm infected? What if my husband, my children, what if my parents are infected? Or even worse, and this is one that scares some of us, what if I catch this thing and give it to a loved one? You see, these fears and anxieties, they're real. They're unpleasant and they're gut-wrenching, but they are, They are real and some of us are experiencing these even as I speak.

And for many of these feelings, as I said earlier, are brand new. And let's face it, they can be quite scary. But here's the thing. It's not all brand new. The virus is brand new and some of the emotions we're experiencing may be brand new, but it's not all brand new.

What do I mean by that? Well, just because it's a new experience to our senses, it doesn't mean we need to search for new remedies. Because the remedy The solution for the believer, for the Christian who is trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, despite the newness of the situation, is still the same, brothers and sisters. It never changes. The remedy is to hope and trust in our great God.

So brothers and sisters, the psalm we're about to meditate upon together teaches us this exact glorious truth. no matter what calamity comes our way, no matter what affliction or even this pandemic you and I are confronted with, whether it's old or brand new, the only hope we have is found in God, in this sovereign God. He's the sure and unchanging rock on which we anchor our hope. He is the one we anchor our trust in. He's the one in whom we find our salvation.

Beloved, our hope for this sinister coronavirus is not in its containment. It's not in its isolation. It's not even in a breakthrough in the development of a vaccine, although these things are good and we ought to pray for them. But these things are not the ultimate but temporal solution. And the Bible teaches us it is folly to place our hope, our ultimate hope on that which is here today and gone tomorrow, on that which perishes.

Because this virus most likely will pass and then something else will take its place. Most of us have lived long enough to see that we've seen viruses come and go. the bird flu and the swine flu and now this corona. This life is filled with troubles. It's filled with turmoil and hardships and on a personal level we experience these things or we even now are experiencing this on a global level.

But despite the countless variables, and there are many, the remedy and the hope for the believer remains the same, beloved. As I said earlier, it is the Lord our God. He is the unchanging, ever-reliable, all-faithful rock in every situation, no matter how awful it is. In other words, in the midst of trouble and disaster, God's people ought to have a complete confidence that they are safe in the hands of the Almighty God, no matter what. So now let's open our Bibles.

Let's open our Bibles, the inerrant, infallible, all sufficient, eternally true Word of God to Psalm chapter 46. And let's read together from verse one. God is our refuge and strength, a very pleasant help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah.

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. Selah. Verse 8, come behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolation on the earth. He makes war 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.

11, the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah. Amen, this is the word of the Lord. So this evening, this is a wonderful, wonderful psalm.

But this evening, we will only be meditating on the first three verses of this psalm. And I trust that the Lord will encourage our hearts through his word, which is as relevant today as it was when it was written through the inspiration some thousands of years ago. So the structure of these three verses, the first three, one through three, is quite simple. Verse one speaks of who God is in relation to his people in their time of need. And then verses two to three speaks of the heart and the attitude of his people in light of these truths about their God, no matter how dire things get.

In other words, if one has a proper biblical understanding of who God, the God of Israel is, verse one, then verse 2 and 3 ought to be the evident fruit rooted in faith in the life of the people of God in the midst of their troubles and their tribulations. It's the heart's response of the true child of God who finds rest in God alone. We don't know exactly when this psalm was written, but we We do know that it speaks to a people experiencing a disaster or a calamity of types in this day. But as God's word, and as I said earlier, it is the eternal word of God. So this psalm is written for the people, both in the context that it was originally written for, to strengthen the people of Israel in whatever affliction or trouble they were going through.

But it is as much written to us to give us hope, even now in 2020. Because, as I said earlier, the circumstances and the details of our troubles or afflictions may change. They may be different today to what the people of Israel were experiencing in those days. But our God is immutable, beloved. That is to say, and it means He is unchanging.

He's the same today, yesterday, today, and forevermore. And so we cannot really understand this psalm unless we begin to understand who this God is. And in our English Bible, that's how it starts. It starts with the word God and we'll start there. who in the Hebrew it's Elohim.

This is the name of God that is given here, one that connotes Him as being supreme, as all powerful, the creator and the sustainer God. He is the God who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. He is the God who sustains all things by the word of His power, just like our brother read earlier for us this evening. He's the sovereign of the universe. No one can stay his head and he has no equal.

It's important that we see this. It's important that we understand this is the God that is spoken of here. We need to know him in this way. And if we don't, beloved, we will miss the point that Psalmist is making throughout this Psalm. We will fail to see That if anyone looks for comfort, security or rest in any other, it would be blatant foolishness when we see who this God indeed is.

Because all the benefits our soul long for is found in Him. He is all sufficient. Three of these benefits are listed for us fairly early in this chapter. In fact, in verse one of chapter 46, and they pertain specifically to his people when they are in time of need. Very relevant always, but brothers and sisters, incredibly relevant for every one of us today.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. The three things implied that we need in times of afflictions are found here in verse one. Time, the things that we need that are absolutely necessary in our time of turmoil. We need refuge, it says, strength and help in times of trouble. That is to say that the people of God are not immune to hardship.

You see that in the text. If this text is telling us that these are the things that when you are going through the waters of hardship or tribulation or anguish, difficulty, turmoil, you need to seek God for refuge and strength in times of trouble. It is to say that we as God's people do experience hardship. In fact, it's a guarantee, the word tells us, that the believer will at least experience persecution. What we're seeing is not necessarily persecution, but we will see tribulation.

Being a child of God, whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, does not make us immune to tribulation. Being Christians does not make us or doesn't make God automatically obliged to remove any tough times or hardships. In fact, He forms us and conforms us into the image of the Beloved as we go through those hard times that He has fashioned for every one of His people. Christians will experience pain, Beloved. We know this already in our lives.

We will experience hurt, we will experience sickness, even even death like the rest of humanity, but there is a difference. And the difference is the hope of the believer is that he does not experience these things alone or in vain. We know that our God is sovereign and he's always with us and he directs our path and he fashions every trial and every difficulty we enter into. Even, even in a pandemic that may affect billions across the globe, your trial, Christian, my trial is fashioned by God. But not only that.

Psalm helps us with this. Psalm helps us to understand that all we that we require for this turmoil, all that we require when we when we do go through these difficult times is found in God alone. Our God is sufficient for our every need. And so our first need that is illustrated for us in this text, the first need that we as believers, we need, our soul needs as we go through trying times, is in verse one, God is our refuge, or literally our shelter. The word is very much used in a sense when one flees or runs from great imminent danger to a place of safety.

It's a natural organic response away from danger and towards protection. This psalm may have been written originally to a people who had been pursued by a formidable enemy. Many would say, or suggest at least, that this was written in the time of King Hezekiah, the king of the southern kingdom of Judah after the northern kingdom was captured, and the Assyrians in the King Sennacherib had pillaged and ransacked most of of Judah and now he's at the doorsteps of Jerusalem. That is a possibility, but we cannot be sure. We don't know when it was written, but we do know it was written to a people, a people who had a formidable enemy or a people who are going through tribulation.

And although we haven't experienced that sort of tribulation before, We can illustrate this, I think, at least in a very simple illustration. It's not unlike or unlike a child. A child at a park playing with a ball in a park and as he's playing and he's engaged in his activity, he looks up and he sees a big scary dog running towards him. What is this child's natural reaction? He doesn't think.

Immediately he jumps to his feet and he runs and he runs towards his father and he throws himself into his father's arms immediately and he immediately finds comfort in the arms of his father. Beloved, it's important that we realize the danger is still present. That dog may still be there. He hasn't gone anywhere. But the imminent fear of that child has gone.

Why? Because this child is in the safety of his father's arms. That is what it is to flee into the arms of God. To find refuge for your soul in Him. To know that He's always there and His arms are always open for the Christian, for His children, those who are found in Jesus Christ.

and they know where to find Him because He's always there. Beloved, I hope during these times that we, every one of us, every one of us who are at the reach of the sound of my voice, I hope, I hope with all my heart that we're reaching to God, that we're finding and seeking Him and finding refuge in Him and in Him alone. He's also our strength, he goes on to say. He's the one who strengthens his people in times of need. Now, sure, we always pray.

We're Christians and we know our Bibles. We know to pray for strength. We know that our strength is found in God. We acknowledge this truth. We know that we cannot do a single thing without him, that he empowers our every step, our every move.

We know this and we acknowledge these things. But tribulation, Crisis has a certain effect on people, doesn't it? It brings home how weak we really are. You see, when everything seems to be going well to our shame, we don't always seek the strength from our Lord. We feel we're doing okay in our own strength, our own might.

We may even become proud to some degree. We think, my work is fine, my family are healthy, my finances are in place, I'm doing okay. But it's in times of crisis, in times of tribulation, my family, my brothers, in times of tribulation, we realize, we quickly realize how weak we actually are in all areas of life. Brothers, that's physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. we quickly realize the fruit of our own personal labor can amount to absolutely nothing in the space of weeks, days, or even in a split second when we receive terrible news.

In that moment, our whole world feels like it's falling apart and we can become broken in a matter of seconds. Our might, our strength can become nothing just like that. In that moment, we realize how dependent we actually are upon our Lord and how foolish it always is to rely on our own strength. You see, it really hits home when we're going through crisis that we ought to always rely on the strength of our Almighty God. It's in those times we remember Him.

It's in those times we remember His mighty hand. It's in those times we remember that He is indeed our strong tower when we flee to Him as our refuge. And the reason why we find safety in Him is because He is strong. Is that not why we flee to our God? Like that child who ran into the father's arms when he was threatened by the dog.

Why? Why was he comforted? Because my daddy is stronger than that dog he thinks. I'm safe in my father's arms. I can rest there.

Beloved, who is your heavenly father? Who is my heavenly father? Is there a single threat in this universe that he cannot protect you or I from? We were reminded this morning without without brothers teaching and as well as is in this psalm that he is the almighty God. He is the sovereign who spoke the universe into existence.

He is our strength always beloved. We need to draw on that. Especially in times of weakness. Don't think you can do it alone. Don't think you're strong enough.

Draw on him and he himself will empower you through the crisis. Our hearts, they may grow faint. Our knees, they may tremble. Our backs may fail. But if we stand.

Hear this, beloved. If we stand, it is not by our own strength, but His. He is the one who ever upholds His own people. Paul says in Galatians chapter 6, Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Remember this.

We are weak, but He is strong. Look to Him for your strength. Look to Him to deliver you from whatever trouble you may experience, even in this time. If it's the thoughts that run through your mind that you have, you can't get out of your mind. Seek Him in these things.

If it is anxieties in your heart, seek Him, seek His strength. If it is fear for your family, whatever it is, you cannot do it alone. You are not strong enough in and of your own strength, you will be defeated. Seek Him because He is mighty and strong. He is our strong tower.

Our enemy, beloved, is formidable one. And you and I can only win those battles if we draw our strength from the one who has already overcome the enemy. The one who has already overcome sin and the flesh and the devil. As the Apostle John writes, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Oh, that we would be able to say with the Psalmist in chapter 18 when he says, I love you, O Lord, my strength.

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 salvation, my stronghold. May we say these words from our hearts. And then we go on, and the third point that's made on the first verse is this, and he is also a very present help in trouble. You see, a present help signifies here a nearness of God to his people, that he's never far from those he loves. See, when you or I cry out to Him and say, oh Lord, help me, He hears us immediately.

His ear is attentive to His loved ones. Before we even utter the words on our lips, He knows what we need. He's close to His loved ones. Remember this and rejoice. This God is present by His Spirit in every one of His people.

That is His promise. Beloved, He is close. We're told that in those times, in times of trouble, in times of tribulation, in times of difficulty and affliction, we sometimes don't even know what to pray for. His spirit, who resides in his people, intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, we're told in Romans 8.28.

So near, he's so near that he even prays for us when we don't even know what to pray for. His presence help in trouble. Not only is He near, but He's also our help in times of trouble. How often do we see this theme all through Scripture? And how many times, even just in the book of Psalms, let me give you some examples of this.

Psalm 186, In my distress I called upon the Lord, to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached his ears. Psalm 30 verse 2, Oh Lord, my God, I cry to you for help and you have healed me. Psalm 34 verse 17. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

And I love this one. I love this one. It's close to my heart. Psalm 121 verse 2. My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.

This is a reminder not only where our help comes from but also who our God is who gives us this help. He is Our refuge, beloved. He is our strength. He is our present help in time of trouble. But what should our response be?

What should, beloved, the response of our heart, the faith response in these troubled times be? Well, we find that in verse 2. Therefore. That's how it begins. Therefore.

In other words, the Psalmist is saying, now that you know who this God is, now that you've been enlightened of who He is for His people, The following ought to be the state of your heart. This should be the response of the heart of the true believer to this great God. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. If the whole world, he's saying, your feet if everything you as you know it comes to an absolute halt he's saying we must fear not this is incredible what is the psalmist saying here is the Word of God suggesting that one can indeed maintain a fearlessness if the world collapses around him yeah yeah that's exactly what he's saying but I want you to realize this It's that fearlessness, that hope. It's not predicated on our own wisdom or our own abilities or our own strength.

No, it's not on our ability to endure the afflictions or the tribulations that come towards us. It's not on that at all, because that therefore. It's that therefore, He says, that you are to fear not. Why? Therefore, because of what comes earlier in verse 1.

It's because of who your God is. It's because He is indeed your refuge. He is indeed our He is our shelter, our refuge, He is our strength and He is our help, our present help in times of trouble. That's why we can have this settled assurance. That's why we can walk through life looking to Him, and indeed, He's the one who gives us the strength to draw on His strength and fear not, no matter what the circumstances are around us.

And beloved, make no mistake, the latter part of verse two and three isn't referring to your run-of-the-mill concerns or worries. This psalmist is not written for the mild afflictions that may come our way every now and then. No, verses 2 and 3 paint a very bleak picture. Listen to what they say. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

If the earth gives way, Beloved, everything we know and love is on this earth. Our families, our health, our homes, our careers, all our possessions, it's all on this planet. And if it's all taken away, the scripture says that we ought to trust in God and fear not. You see, it's not that these things are not important or don't carry value, but it's trying to take our minds off the material things that will perish and settle our hearts on that which will never. to put our hearts and our souls on the God of the universe and the things and the treasures that He gives and the benefit that He gives, which carry on into all eternity.

It's to change our thoughts from the here and now and place them into the God of eternity. So the question is, where is your heart? Where is your treasure? Is it in this world? Is it in this earth?

Because one day everything will be taken from right under our feet. Our treasure ought to be in this God, Elohim, the almighty sovereign God of the universe. And the psalmist is painting a picture for us here. He brings the mountains into play. You see, the mountains are secure and unmoved.

The ancients would travel over land and sea, and they would mark their travels by observing their location in relation to the surrounding mountains. These mountains offered them security, a permanence, a stability. Mountains would prevent one from being lost. They're permanent. And then he brings the sea and the tumultuous sea.

It's a picture in the Bible, at least the sea is, and the ocean of affliction, of darkness, of unrest. It's a symbol of the exact opposite of peace. The exact opposite of tranquility and the rest that the soul desperately desires. And this is why we're told in the book of Revelation, chapter 21, that in the new heaven and the new earth, there is no sea, there is no turmoil, there is no darkness, there is no unrest. So with that in mind, what is the Psalmist saying?

Well, he's saying if all that you deem to be stable and permanent, all that you deem to be secure in your life on this planet, if all that is thrown into the sea of turmoil and affliction and unrest, what would your response be? To who will you go? Who will you seek? Who will you draw strength from? Where will you find refuge?

That's the question that is asked here. And that's the question we ought to be asking ourselves, especially in our times. Beloved, our lives have already changed. The things that are secure in our lives, those mountains, so to speak, are no longer there. I never for a moment thought I would have to preach a sermon online from my home to my brothers and sisters because of a real threat that this virus poses.

And this may be the beginning of a journey that we just don't know when it ends. And the compelling words of this psalm, of these verses, demand that we ask, every one of us, ask the question, in whom do I trust? In whom do I trust? Because, beloved, the truth of the matter is this, that when we are faced with crisis, the contents of our hearts are exposed. Yes, we can plan and be wise with our provision, and we ought to be.

But the question that needs to be asked, are we truly placing our trust and our hope in God? What is occupying our heart space right now? What is occupying our minds right now? What is causing our hearts to faint? Are we spending more time in the news, reading up about the latest updates about this virus?

Is that where we're spending all our time? Is that what we're hoping to see some of the reducing rates of infection, which is something we all want, but is that where we're placing our hope? Or are we drawing our strength in this time of difficulty and time of tribulation? Are we drawing our strength and our refuge in communing with the Lord in Scripture and in prayer? Beloved, in times of crisis, our hearts are revealed.

They're exposed and they're laid bare before us. It's times like this that we're able to really find out whether our faith resides in our minds or is actually soaked into our souls. Because according to the psalmist, even if everything in this world is taken away, our physical safety, our health, our possessions, our work, everything, beloved, everything, with no exception, if it's all taken away, he says that we could still say, I fear not, because my hope is in the Lord. These things that are before us, this world, beloved, these bodies are temporary. But what is of eternal value is only found in our great God.

So take heart, child of God, because these things can never, ever be taken away. Will you place your trust in the Lord God of the universe, who is sovereign over all things, the one who is all-sufficient, the one who is our shelter, the one who is our refuge, the one who is almighty and all-powerful, the one who is ever-present in time of need, the one who is the help for His people? Or will we place our hope in that which will perish? I'm not saying for a moment that these times won't be difficult, because they will be. They will be difficult for some more than others.

I'm not saying that these times won't cause us our hearts to grow faint, our minds, our anxiety levels, our stress to rise as we think about our responsibilities, our families, our children. I'm not saying that these times will be easy, but beloved, I'm saying all our hope are to be in this God. Because if we draw on our own strength, if we draw on our own might, then it is hope misplaced. Beloved, the only place where we can put our hope, where it is hope well placed, is in the sovereign God of the universe, the triune God, in whom we enjoy because of what Jesus Christ has done. Our hope ought to be in this God.

Oh, that we would be able to say with the Psalmist, God is our refuge and strength, our 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 the waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Beloved, may the Lord give us to fear not and to trust in our Triune God, because He is all-powerful and all-sufficient in our greatest times of need. Amen.