When The Pressure's On

INTRO:

I want to give you the backdrop historically for the 46th psalm. King Hezekiah and Judah were in a very tight spot.. but King Hezekiah had God’s favor.

PRAY!

2 Kings 18:5 “He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.”

Sennacherib the King of Assyria have laid seige to Jerusalem. Rabshakeh the commanding general mocked Hezekiah and threatened him and the people from outside the wall. Listen to his cocky over confident words..

2 Kings 18:28–30 “Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’

So now that we know what was happening in Jerusalem at the time this psalm was written, lets take a look at this wonderful Psalm

Psalm 46 “To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to 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 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. 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. Selah

3x The mysterious word, Selah.

Selah = “Pause and think”

I. THE REFUGE (46:1-3)

A. How Personal It Is (46:1a)

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength”

It is OURS!

The psalmist says that God is our refuge and strength. The word in hebrew for God here is elohim, Elohim is plural, that means the Godhead, God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit together is our refuge and strength

B. How Powerful It Is (46:1b)

Psalm 46:1 “ a very present help in trouble.”

Key into the words is and present. He is, not was. And present. Not yesterday or last year, present is now! The word used for trouble literally means “In a tight place.” Sometimes when catastrophe hits all we can mutter is “God help me” and we are promised help for present moment. God was a very present help in tight spot! Our refuge is powerful as well as personal.

C. How Permanent It Is (46:2-3)

Psalm 46:2–3 “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”

What it’s saying here paraphrasing is, even if the entire earth is falling apart NO FEAR! Our refuge is safe no matter what natural or national disaster comes, it can’t touch the refuge, the strength we have in God.

So what is it that’s tearing you apart right now? What is it that your worrying about, that's causing you not to be able to sleep? Take courage! God has not changed

Malachi 3:6 ““For I the Lord do not change”

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

II. The River (46:4-7)

Psalm 46:4–7 “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”

Something interesting here, Jerusalem has no river. However King Hez did have his engineers divert a stream called the “The Spring of Gihon” 1771’ long. They had an endless supply of water. It also certainly is a prophetic verse about the heavenly river that flows from the throne room of Heaven.

Revelation 22:1 “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb”

But there’s something else....It says in verse 7 “The Lord of hosts is with us” The psalmist tells us: The Lord of hosts is with us. The Hebrew reader would of instantly recognized Him. The word for “with us” is immanu- from which the great title Immanuel -God with us. And lets always remember that Jesus promised He would never leave us or forsake us.

Hebrews 13:5 “For he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Jesus was there in Jerusalem all along!

God the Son is set before us as a well of living water. Jesus said:

John 4:13–14 “Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water 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 become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.””

God the Holy Spirit is set before us as a river of living water.

John 7:37–38 “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

We have the same person that was in Jerusalem so many years ago. Jesus said:

Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Friends we have the Lord of hosts is in our hearts, the God of Jacob is our refuge too!

Notice here that Jesus was about to deliver a KO to the overtly cocky, mighty Assyrian army

2 Kings 19:35 “And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.”

III. THE RULER (46:8-11)

A. The Call To Behold (46:8-9)

Psalm 46:8–9 “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.”

The psalmist is telling us to stop and think for a minute the awesomeness of our God. There's nothing He can’t do

B. The Call To Believe (46:10-11)

Psalm 46:10–11 ““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. Selah”

There’s that word again: selah..I think one of the biggest challenges we have in this modern 2024 day, is just hard it is to be still. There’s just so much noise.

In God’s Person (46:10a)

Psalm 46:10 ““Be still, and know that I am God.

God help us to understand that we are dealing with a omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient God. He is every where, has unlimited power, able to do anything, He knows everything

2. In Gods Plan (46:10b)

Psalm 46:10 “ I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Listen, God rarely tells us exactly how He is going to do something, what He’s looking for from us is faith. He will always do things that bring Him glory and that brings us good!

3. In God’s Presence (46:11)

Psalm 46:11 “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”

Is there more comforting words that could ever be said than this? That the Godhead 3 in one is with us.

We have the Holy Spirit of God with us every step of the way for eternity!

John 14:16 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever

When King Hez received a threatening letter from Sennacherib, It says he went into the temple and spread the letter out on the alter before the Lord.

2 Kings 19:14 “Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord.”

Remember that Isaiah was Judea’s prophet at this time during the seige

2 Kings 19:6 “Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard

IN CLOSING:

The Holy Spirit put it on my heart very heavily that someone under the sound of my voice has received words this week that has caused you great fear, and I’m telling you, come spread it before the Lord, and thus says the Lord, do not be afraid, NO FEAR!

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PRAY!