Our Stronghold
Psalms 46
August 25, 2019
We have talked several times about the events of the Great Reformation
And even of the monk with the mallet known as Martin Luther.
• In 1520 Pope Leo X condemned 41 of Luther’s 95 thesis, but also gave Luther time to repent.
• Luther in response burned the Papal Bull (which was an edict of excommunication)
• As a result in 1521 Luther was called before a tribunal to recant all his works.
• It was called “The Diet of Worms”.
• After admitting all the works before him were his, Luther asked for a day to consider his answer.
The next day he came back and uttered the famous response:
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other, may God help me. Amen.”
• It broke the tribunal into chaos and Luther left.
• In May of the following year Emperor Charles V passed the Edict of Worms which condemned Luther a heretic, made him an enemy of the state and called for his capture.
This was just a small picture of the many dangers and troubles
Luther faced in his life.
What was clear however in Luther’s life was that
While facing such dangers he had a favorite Psalm emerge.
And of course you’ll have no problem guessing it.
It was Psalm 46.
Many even call it “Luther’s Psalm”
There is no doubt that Psalm 46 inspired Luther’s most famous hymn.
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing. You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth his name, from age to age the same; and he must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.
That Word above all earthly powers no thanks to them abideth; the Spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still; his kingdom is forever!
• That hymn wasn’t likely written on the eve of the Diet of Worms.
• Most attribute it to 1527 as a plague was approaching,
• But it is clear to see how Luther’s love of the 46th Psalm clearly inspired it.
Luther wrote “A Mighty Fortress is our God”
The Psalmist wrote “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
It is a clearly a Psalm meant to encourage the church
Even as they face dangers and troubles of every kind.
And this is certainly important for us, since Jesus was very clear:
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus said that in this world and in this life we would have trouble.
Our courage would be in the fact that Christ has overcome the world.
And so while facing troubles and trials we take refuge in Christ
Who is the victor over the hostility of the world.
That is what Psalm 46 is about.
It is a bold declaration as to why the children of God
Have the courage to face any trial without fear of defeat or failure.
There are many ways to outline this Psalm.
(In my study, I wrote about 5 different ones)
3 main points tonight.
#1 GOD’S PEOPLE WILL NOT FEAR
Psalms 46:1-3
And for better understanding of the message of the Psalm,
I would probably give you a much longer point title than that.
It would be more accurate to say:
“God’s people will not fear, no matter the horror, because God’s presence is comforting.”
And clearly the presence of God is the theme of the Psalm.
(1) “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”
But that’s not the only place God’s presence is mentioned.
• (5) “God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved”
• (7) “The LORD of hosts is with us;”
• (11) “The LORD of hosts is with us;”
Clearly the main thrust of the writer is that
God’s presence makes all the difference.
If God is with us, we have the advantage in any situation.
And in these first 3 points the reality is that
God’s presence keeps God’s people from succumbing to fear.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…”
Our lack of a fear directly corresponds to the presence of God.
Psalms 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalms 27:1 “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?”
God is very much pictured here as
• The One whom we hide behind or take refuge in when trouble arises.
• The One who has the true strength to face any hardship
• And so as long as He is with us, we aren’t worried about the outcome.
And God IS with us.
The Psalmist calls Him “A very present help”
• He’s not just a curious spectator.
• He’s not even like a coach from the sidelines cheering us on.
• He is “very present”
• He is in the middle of it.
One preacher once said, “Jesus never promised to keep His children out of trouble, but He did promise to get into trouble with them.”
His nature has been to enter our struggle.
• We saw His presence with the children of Israel as they left Egypt.
• We saw His presence with those Hebrew boys in the furnace.
• And the greatest depiction was Christ taking on flesh as Emmanuel – “God with us”
He is in the middle of the battle.
He is in the middle of the storm.
And if He is there, then the trouble is really irrelevant.
That is why we say “God’s people will not fear, no matter the horror, because God’s presence is comforting”
And notice the Psalmist also says that very thing.
(2-3) “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.”
Understand the mindset in Bible times.
Nothing represented strength and security like a mountain.
• It was resolute, it was steadfast, it was unmovable.
• That is why Jesus used it as an analogy when He said “if you have faith like a mustard seed you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move” (Matthew 17:20)
He speaking of something seemingly immovable.
On the flip side, nothing was more dangerous than the sea.
• It was huge, it was mysterious, it was dangerous.
And so here you have the reality that all that was dangerous
Has overcome all that was steadfast.
What you have here in natural terms is nothing short of a tsunami.
• An earthquake in the sea that covers the mountains.
• It is an unspeakable horror.
And the Psalmist says, even something like that
Won’t cause us to fear so long as God is with us.
AND THAT’S GOOD BECAUSE WE FACE TROUBLE.
NATURAL LIFE CHANGING TROUBLE.
• I talked with a man Wednesday night who is 45 years old and recently found out that he’s got cancer in his brain, lymph nodes, liver, spleen, and bones.
• I read this past week about the son of former Cowboy’s quarterback Babe Laughenburg. His 21 year old son found at 2 years ago that he had a rare type of leukemia and he died this past week.
• I’m 42, I’ve got a son who’s almost 16.
• In 3 years’ time either one of those could be us.
• Life can throw trouble at you…big trouble.
OR IT COULD BE A LITERAL TSUNAMI
• Probably not in Texas, but a tornado or flash flood or fire could certainly constitute a natural disaster that could change your world.
OR IT COULD BE A HOSTILE CULTURE
• It’s no longer hard to imagine radical Islam invading America or militant atheism passing laws to make Christianity illegal.
OR IT COULD BE GOD’S JUDGMENT ON A NATION
• Certainly America is ripe for fire to fall from heaven.
YOU GET THE POINT.
At any moment any one of us could face unspeakable trouble,
Equivalent to our mountains falling into the sea.
In the blink of an eye all that we know to be sure and resolute
Could instantly be overcome by that which is terrifying and dangerous.
And yet the Bible reveals that we face that with courage
And not fear when we realize His presence.
That’s the secret to not fearing is to be keenly aware of His presence.
I would appeal once again to that famous story with Jesus asleep on the boat.
You know it by now.
Matthew 8:23-26 “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.”
The word Matthew used there for “storm” was SEISMOS
It’s where we get our word for seismograph
(the measuring device used to measure earthquakes)
Matthew called it an earthquake on the sea; a tsunami
And they were all terrified.
But they seemingly responded correctly because they ran to Jesus
• And said, “Save us Lord; we are perishing!”
• Mark’s gospel, “Teacher do you not care that we are perishing?”
• Luke’s gospel, “Master, Master we are perishing!”
You get the picture, pandemonium broke out
And they were all screaming for Jesus to wake up
And do something about the storm.
• According to Matthew’s gospel He did calm the storm, but first He rebuked the disciples and said, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?”
That’s very interesting.
• You have people in a storm that they can’t handle.
• Jesus is there and they know He can handle it.
• So they approach Him and plead with Him to fix the storm.
That seems like that is exactly what they should have done.
And yet Jesus rebuked them for it and told them their faith was small.
What was the problem?
The problem was the fear that accompanied their request.
Consistent in every gospel account are the words “we are perishing”
What they should have done is gone and laid down with Jesus
And took a nap with Him.
They should have realized His presence.
That will help you too in your storms when you realize
That Jesus has said He will never leave you nor forsake you.
We don’t fear when we realize God’s presence.
God’s People Will Not Fear
#2 GOD’S CITY WILL NOT FALL
Psalms 46:4-7
This is the next great declaration of the Psalmist.
And again I would more accurately say:
“God’s City will not fall, no matter the holler, because His promise is louder.”
That’s what the Psalmist depicts here.
• It is a picture now of the city of Jerusalem,
• Surrounded by her enemies,
• And they are outside the gates yelling and hollering all sorts of threats against God’s people.
(The Psalmist could have had several historical incidents in mind here.)
But the point is that the enemy is outside hollering threats.
(6) “The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;”
That word “uproar” in the Hebrew is HAMAH
And it means “to murmur, growl, roar, to make noise”
And that’s what they’re doing outside the gate.
• (It brings to our mind the children of Israel shouting outside of the walls of
Jericho and watching those walls fall down flat)
Now the enemy is doing it to Jerusalem.
They are threatening them and yelling about their demise.
The Psalmist however knows that God’s voice is louder.
In response to the hollering of the enemy the Psalmist says:
(6) “The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.”
That’s quite a difference.
• The enemy’s voice scared people and made them shake a little.
• God’s voice actually melts the earth.
THE POINT: God’s voice is louder!
Remember David speaking of that great storm
Which God produced back in Psalms 29?
Psalms 29:3-9 “The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful, The voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, And Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”
And so you understand the point here that
The Psalmist isn’t worried about God’s city falling to the enemy
No matter how loud the enemy yells.
They’ve got God on the inside.
That is why He says:
(4-5) “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.”
That is again an interesting statement.
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God”
For an initial comfort
• It painted the picture of security inside the city.
• One of the main ways attacking armies overthrew walled cities was to stop up their water supply.
• If you keep water from flowing through the city it won’t be long before they have to come out.
But the Psalmist paints a picture of endless provision in the city.
Beyond that, once again, God is there.
“God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;”
The enemy can’t do anything here so long as God is here.
And furthermore the Psalmist writes,
“God will help her when morning dawns”
We remember:
Psalms 30:5 “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.”
The idea is that the rage of the enemy is only TEMPORARY.
• The enemy may yell and howl and threaten all night long,
• But there is coming a day when God will speak and silence them forever.
And that is why the Psalmist is so confident.
(7) “The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.”
• We aren’t counting on these walls to protect us.
• We’ve got something here more powerful than these walls.
• We’ve got “The LORD of hosts”
• And as long as He is here, you aren’t coming in.
And certainly that was proven in Israel’s history.
In fact, the only time the enemy did come in and destroy the city
Was because God had departed.
It’s actually a remarkable story.
It covers Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel.
But basically you have Jeremiah telling the people that
They have REFUSED TO TAKE REFUGE IN GOD.
He says things like:
Jeremiah 2:11-13 “Has a nation changed gods When they were not gods? But My people have changed their glory For that which does not profit. “Be appalled, O heavens, at this, And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the LORD. “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.”
God’s people were no longer taking refuge in Him.
And yet they still thought they were secure.
Jeremiah 7:3-12 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. “Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’ “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. “Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail. “Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’ — that you may do all these abominations? “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” declares the LORD. “But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.”
Israel thought they were safe because they had the temple.
You can hear such a definite difference in their song than the one we study tonight.
• The Psalmist tonight said “The LORD of hosts is with us;”
• The people in Jeremiah’s day said “The temple of the LORD” is here.
They thought they had some superstitious advantage because of the structure.
If you read Ezekiel
• You’ll find that God gets up out of that temple and leaves the city and goes to the mountain overlooking the city and when God leaves Babylon comes in.
It wasn’t the city walls or even the temple that made the city safe,
It was God.
And the Psalmist knew that so long as God is with us,
It doesn’t matter how loud the enemy gets, God’s city won’t fall.
Sometime go read 2 Kings 18-19
• About how the King of Assyria approached Jerusalem with all those same
taunts about how he had toppled nations and would certainly topple
Jerusalem.
• At one point the King of Assyria even wrote a letter to Hezekiah that he should
not let his God deceive him because he would certainly return and destroy the
city.
2 Kings 19:14-19 “Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. “Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. “Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. “Now, O LORD our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”
That is confidence, not in walls, but in the presence of God.
And it doesn’t matter how much the enemy hollers!
Remember:
Psalms 2:1-6 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
And here we learn again.
The secret to not falling prey to the threats of the enemy
Is to remember God’s promises.
Let God’s word be louder in your life.
I can tell you where most fear and doubt and anxiety come from.
It comes from listening too much to the howling of the enemy.
Listen to God’s promises instead and you’ll find that this city won’t fall.
God’s people will not fear God’s city will not fall
#3 GOD’S WORKS WILL NOT FAIL
Psalms 46:8-11
Or again, if you want the more detailed version:
“God’s works will not fail, no matter the hostility, because God’s power is greater.”
Again the hostility is revealed.
• Verse 9 shows the presence of “wars” and “the bow” and “the spear” and “the chariots”
It is that enemy that has surrounded the city and threatened to undo it.
But the Psalmist wants you now to see how God handled it.
(8) “Come, behold the works of the LORD, who has wrought desolations on the earth.”
That is to say, “Come look at the massive army God has killed”
(9) “He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.”
All you see are burning chariots and broken spears.
That major threat; that massive trouble; that loud barking army…
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
They’re dead!
And to that, comes the point.
“Cease striving and know that I am God;”
• You probably better know it as “Be still and know that I am God”
• In other words, “settle down, I’m God”
And what a reminder!
REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH!
Deuteronomy 32:39 “’See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”
TURN TO: ISAIAH 43:1-13
(you’ll find a very similar message)
It is a reminder.
Do you realize who we are dealing with?
• When we say that “God is our refuge” do you grasp what that means?
• When we say that God is in our midst, do you grasp the magnitude of that?
We are talking about God.
• The God who poured the oceans out of the palm of His hand.
• The God who measured the heavens by the span.
• The God who spoke and light appeared.
• He never gets tired
• He never gets weary
• And nothing is too difficult for Him.
Consider His reasoning through history.
God approaches Abram to tell him that He is going to make a nation out of this elderly barren man.
Genesis 17:1-8 “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.” Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. “I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
Later Sarah hears it and thinks it impossible:
Genesis 18:9-14 “Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ “Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
There’s a good question.
Answering it rightly will absolve you of your fears.
• If you believe that God is with you
• And you believe that God has promised your good
• And you know that God can do anything
• Well then what is there to fear?
The same promise is made to Jacob later:
Genesis 35:11 “God also said to him, “I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you.”
It’s all about grasping the power of the God
Who is promising to be with you.
THIS GOD IS WITH US.
And God says:
(10) “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
In other words, quit stressing about it,
I am God and I am going to win.
Spurgeon mentioned that this verse should give us great missionary confidence.
God is going to be exalted.
He is going to win.
And you will realize that this same confidence was the basis of the Great Commission Jesus gave us.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Jesus said the same thing.
I have all the power and I’ll be with you always.
That is why we know it won’t fail.
SO
• If you want to overcome fear, realize God’s presence.
• If you want to overcome falling prey to the enemy’s threats, remember God’s promises.
• If you want to overcome failure, recognize God’s power; that He never fails.
That is the essence of this Psalm.
• There is no horror…
• There is no holler…
• There is no hostility…
That should cause God’s people to fear, fall, or fail because God is with us
He is our refuge and strength.
That is what the Psalmist is singing
And that is what Luther was singing in that great hymn as well.
But let me give you another picture in this Psalm.
• I’m convinced that this Psalm has eschatological (end times) pictures as well.
The Psalmist said:
(2) “Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea.”
Well let me tell you that’s good, because one day they will.
Revelation 6:12-14 “I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”
Revelation 16:17-20 “Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.”
The Psalmist also said that in the midst of the howling enemy that God will melt the earth with His voice.
And we read:
Revelation 19:19 “And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”
Revelation 20:7-9 “When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.”
Also interesting there in a prophetic sense is the statement:
“God will help her when morning dawns”
Do you remember what Jesus said?
John 9:4-5 “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
When Jesus was here it was the day.
We see that a lot, He was the light of the world.
And yet night came.
John 13:30 “So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.”
The world crucified the light and darkness fell upon us.
Now the church operates as lights in the world.
But we also have this promise.
2 Peter 1:19 “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
Revelation 22:5 “And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.”
And the Psalmist then told us to look at the slain and realize that God has already decreed that He will be exalted.
He will break every spear and burn every chariot.
Isaiah 9:4-7 “For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”
This was not just a promise for Israel in the Old Testament.
WE HOLD TO THIS PROMISE.
We hold to it in every form of trouble.
• That God’s presence is our strength.
• That God’s promises are our hope.
• That God’s power is our peace.
And so the simple encouragement to the people of God is
TAKE REFUGE IN GOD.
• Don’t trust in your own power.
• Don’t fret the enemy’s taunting.
• Don’t doubt God’s victory.
Know He is with you, remember His promises to you,
And trust in His unequaled power to bring it to pass.
And tonight, by way of response,
We’re going to stand and sing that great hymn.
#8 in your hymnal.
