Because He Is!

Introduction:

A year ago today, the whole youth group was memorizing Psalm 46 for our Camp Scholarship program. I don’t know why I chose that one. It had a good message. It was short enough to be split into 11 weeks, but here wasn’t a special reason other than that. Little did I know. Little did I know that we all would need its message. Little did I know that God gave us this passage to bolster our hearts… to prepare us for what was going to come for the next 12 months.

We’re all family here…

At the end of June, almost exactly a year ago today… our friend Cory passed away in the most tragic way. This was after an already excruciating story of confusion, pain, and loss between our church and their family. Combine that with Cory’s death, we could hardly bear the pain of knowing what his children had lost… their Daddy.

A few days later on the fourth of July, Pastor Adam’s mom was in a freak accident that sent all of us reeling. As Pastor spent every spare moment at his mother’s bedside and at his father’s aid. I cannot imagine the total shock the whole Standley family was going through, on top of all their trips to DesMoines to be at her bedside and to be there for Pastor’s Dad. That threw Pastor’s shepherding into survival mode as he was studying and writing in the middle of the night next to his unconscious mother… all the while counseling, supporting, and comforting family and friends alike.

Camp came and was a beautiful and peaceful week… too peaceful. I remember thinking… this feels like a calm before a storm. Little did I know… as soon as we returned, two of our teen girls were forbidden by their parent from ever speaking with Pastor or with me because of what we taught what the Bible says about biblical sexuality and biblical womanhood. The teen girls were crushed. We were… and still are crushed. We miss them dearly.

While we were still reeling from all those, then began a long- painful drawn out split in our church. People we know… people we love… departing from our ranks. The confusion, the hurt, the frustration, the gossip and slander, and the questions both from one-another, and in our own hearts. The nagging tugs in your heart, asking, “Why? What happened? What if? What is going to happen? What do we do now? How in the world can we even begin do that?”

I remember January 7th, our meeting upstairs.

Not knowing what is coming in the next moment. Depending on how any particular meeting goes, my family might be without a job, without a home, and without a church. Just my wife and kids with me in the car.

Concise: Think back a year.

News of Cory Weil’s death,

Pastor Adam’s mom’s accident and how it affected all of us,

The Hayes family

The long, painful, drawn out split

The never-ending questions nagging in our hearts

Add that to everything else this year in your life, and in your heart!

That’s just one year! What about all the OTHER years?

Through all of this, God has taught me one truth that rings louder every day: HE IS! This is the theme I have been studying and teaching all year in youth group.

Tozer said it well:

What I believe about God is the most important thing about me.

A. W. Tozer

A Year ago today, little did I know how much I needed the rich truths of Psalm 46, and I want to encourage you with them as well. Let’s dive in and I’ll show you what I mean!!!

Psalm 46

Before we Get into the main part of our notes we need to ask 4 Questions: WHAT is it? WHO wrote it? WHY did they write it? And HOW did they write it?

WHAT is it? Psalm 46 is a song.

WHO wrote it? It was written by the sons of Korah. They were the family in charge of the music and of organizing worship services in the tabernacle, and eventually in the temple.

WHY was this Psalm written? I believe that the sons of Korah wrote this praising God for what happened in 2 Kings 19 and 2 Chronicles 32 and Isaiah 37. God had sent Assyria to judge Israel for serving idols. There is SO MUCH to this story, but for the sake of time, we will skip to the end of that story:

2 Chronicles 32:20–21 LSB

20 But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven. 21 And Yahweh sent an angel who wiped out every mighty man of valor, ruler, and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned in shame to his own land. And he entered the house of his god, and some of his own children caused him to fall there by the sword.

2 Kings 19:35 LSB

35 Now it happened that night, that the angel of Yahweh went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And the men arose early in the morning, and behold, all of them were dead bodies.

Isaiah 37:36 LSB

36 Then the angel of Yahweh went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And the men arose early in the morning, and behold, all of them were dead bodies.

Final Question, HOW was it written? Psalm 46 was broken into three parts. Look at the end of verses, 3, 7, and 11. They all say, “Selah.”

What was SELAH? Selah was used as a musical interlude, like the part where music plays between the verses. Why play music between the verses? It helped you take time to chew on what you just sang! So when you read this, stop and take time to ponder what you just read!

Now let’s turn to Psalm 46 and our main part of the notes:

Psalm 46:1–3 LSB

1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains shake into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its lofty pride. Selah.

1. Where Do You Anchor Your Hope?

God is… Therefore…

What three things do they say about God?

a. God is our REFUGE

— Hebrew: A pace to hide in safety.

Do you consider God as your refuge? Do you hide yourself in Him? Do you pray is in Psalm 57:1 “1 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge Until destruction passes by.”

Let me ask you this: Where do you retreat when the world is swirling around you? Where do you go for safety? Do you check out? Do you shut down? Do you drown your suffering in things that distract or numb you to the pain? Do you just push through life, because you think if you ignore the wound it won’t hurt? Do you pour our your heart to everyone... except to God?

Do you think your safety depends on your circumstances? Maybe you’re like me, thinking “I will finally be safe when… fill in the blank… when we finally have enough money… when people stop sinning… when I am healthy again… when I finish all my to-do’s… when our church has more people… when the government does what it is supposed to… when I get married, have kids, and own a home… when other people treat me right… when my family is fixed… THEN I will be safe.” Where do you take refuge?

b. God is our STRENGTH

— Hebrew: a fortification or battlement for fighting back! When King Hezekiah saw the Assyrians preparing to siege Jerusalem, he had them build walls and fortifications to try and defend from them. Turns out he didn’t need them.

Do you find your strength for victory in God? Where do you turn for the strength for victory? Do you turn to money? Do you turn to the next method? Do you turn to the next man in line? Do you turn to your own strength, wisdom, or ability? Or do you turn to the infinite God of the universe?

We all know the verse Psalm 20:7 “7 Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of Yahweh, our God.” Do know what Psalm 20:7 is actually talking about? Its talking about this exact time in history! You see, instead of trusting in God for deliverance, Israel turned to the armies of EGYPT to save them (2 Kings 17:4). How does God respond?

Isaiah 30:1–3 LSB

1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” declares Yahweh, “Who execute counsel, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin, 2 Who go down to Egypt— But did not ask Me— To find strength in the strong defense of Pharaoh And to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt! 3 “Therefore the strong defense of Pharaoh will be your shame And the refuge in the shadow of Egypt, your dishonor.

c. God is A VERY PRESENT HELP in trouble

— Another way to translate that is God is “abundantly available for help”

The question is, are you abundantly ready for Him to help?

James 4:2 “…You do not have because you do not ask.”

d. THEREFORE we will not FEAR.

That word “therefore” is very important!

What is the therefore there for? To tell us why. Why don’t we fear, because we know who God is! SINCE God is our refuge and strength, we will not fear!

Just earlier, In Psalm 42:5, the Sons of Korah wrote this refrain:

Psalm 42:5 ESV

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation

Here’s another verse showing courage in God:

Psalm 118:6 LSB

6 Yahweh is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?

You see, it’s a matter of perspective. Look back at Psalm 46, our main passage.

Psalm 46:2–3 (LSB)

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains shake into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its lofty pride. Selah.

You see, I always look at the WHAT IFS of life and spend all of my time, emotions, and energy on that.

Do you focus on the what-if’s? Do you spend your time calculating all the ways it COULD go wrong to make sure it NEVER goes wrong? What happens if it does go “wrong”? What if you lose something or someone you care about? Let’s think worst-case scenario… the earth-shattering stuff! What if worst-case scenario happens? What if the whole earth changes? What if the the mountains shake into the heart of the sea? What if the waters roar and foam (makes me think of Peter)? What if the wind and waves shake the mountains themselves? What then? WHAT IF?

Is that how the passage goes? NO! It says EVEN IF! We will not fear, EVEN THOUGH everything falls apart! Even if I lose everything! WHY? Because God is my refuge and strength, and I will NEVER LOSE HIM. Since God is our refuge and strength, we can say even as job said:

Job 13:15 (LSB)

15 “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.”

2. Where Do You Look for Joy?

Psalm 46:4–7 LSB

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be shaken; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations roar, the kingdoms shake; He gives His voice, the earth melts. 7 Yahweh of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

a. Find Joy in God’s PRESENCE (vv. 4-5)

When I was in Jr. High, I was fascinated by knights and castles! One of the most fascinating and terrifying things I learned about was seige warfare. They would surround a castle for days, weeks, even years on end. Nothing went in, and nothing came out alive. In seige warfare, it didn’t matter how big your walls were. If you didn’t have food or water, you were toast.

When the Assyrians began to lay siege of Jerusalem, in 2 Chronicles 32:1-4, King Hezekiah took men and plugged up the water supply outside the walls of Jerusalem so that the Assyrians wouldn’t find it and be refreshed while laying siege against Jerusalem. After God wiped them out, Hezekiah directed all the waters to Jerusalem (2 Chron 32:30), creating a river of fresh, clean water that refreshed all the inhabitants inside. Now with that in mind, read verse 4 again!

Psalm 46:4–7 LSB

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be shaken; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations roar, the kingdoms shake; He gives His voice, the earth melts. 7 Yahweh of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

They used that river as an illustration of God’s presence! Just like that river, God’s presence in the tabernacle and the temple was like a refreshing river, bringing gladness to His people! Does God still place his presence in tents and buildings? NO! His Spirit lives in Believers!!!! We in us that same river whose streams make glad the people of God.

Even while we are under siege, we can find refreshment and joy in the presence of God.

Is your joy flowing from who God is? Does your mood act more like a thermometer, or a thermostat? Does your mood go up and down with the temperature of life around you, or is your joy stable, because it is tethered to our unchanging, infinitely good God?

Psalm 73:25–28 “25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. 26 My flesh and my heart fail, But God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed everyone who is unfaithful to You. 28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have set Lord Yahweh as my refuge, That I may recount all Your works.”

Do you find joy in God’s presence? Do you delight in being near him? Do you seek His face continually? If you had no one but God, would your soul be full? If not, is that a God problem or a you-problem?

Where there is no God, there no joy! Without God, you are like a city under siege with no water.

b. Find Joy in God’s POWER (vv. 5-7)

v. 5 : God will help her when morning dawns.

What happened at dawn?

2 Kings 19:35 LSB

35 Now it happened that night, that the angel of Yahweh went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And the men arose early in the morning, and behold, all of them were dead bodies.

The people of God see what He can do! They put it into a song to remind them that they are worshipping the same God that did THAT to the Assyrians! Because of that, they have joy and confidence that when morning dawns, they will see the kind of victory that only God can give!

Do you find joy in God’s power? Aren’t you thankful that God’s power is on your side?

v. 6 : Notice the power of the nations! They roar and shake against God like the mountains and seas roar and shake! They are powerful, no doubt. Can you imagine the ROAR of 185,000 military men who are bent on slaughter? But when God opens his mouth, the earth melts like wax before a blazing fire! THAT is how I can have joy in all circumstances. Army of 185,000? That’s NOTHING to my God! I have JOY, because my God is not only good, He has absolute power!!!

v. 7: The war cry. Yahweh of HOSTS (armies —plural) is WITH US! The creator of the universe is on our side!

The God who was faithful to Jacob is our stronghold, the highest and strongest place of defense against the enemy.

3. Where Do You Set Your Mind?

Psalm 46:8–11 LSB

8 Come, behold the works of Yahweh, Who has appointed desolations in the earth. 9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts up the spear; He burns the chariots with fire. 10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 Yahweh of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

a. Set your mind God’s WORKS (vv. 8-9)

Look at the three commands we are given:

Command 1: COME! BEHOLD the works of the LORD! Look! Morning has dawned! Step out of the gate and take in the scene before us, and feast your eyes on this sea of red. I can’t even imagine the absolute carnage they saw. God “appoints desolations in the earth!” He simply chooses and the Assyrians armies are torn to shreds. This is violent language! Psalm 46:9 “9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts up the spear; He burns the chariots with fire.” God has done great things to take care of his people, and He has not changed!

This is how most of the psalms go...

So many “Here’s a problem, God! But I know who you are. I remember what you’ve done. Wow I feel so much better! God you’re awesome!”

b. Set your mind God’s “WILL” (v. 10)

Here we get to the most quoted verse of the whole chapter.

Command 2: CEASE STRIVING — Chill!

Did you ever use that word with your kids? They get worked up about something that’s not a huge deal… but they think it’s the end of the world? “I can’t BUCKLE IIIIT!” *hyperventilating* Sometimes I need to hear that too.

Command 3: KNOW that I am God. Do you get it yet? He is God! Know it! Take it to heart! He is God, and nothing will EVER stop that! Nothing surprises God. Nothing is impossible for Him. He was in control yesterday, he is on control today! And He is in control tomorrow! You know what, even if it is the end of the world… that’s just the beginning!

What to I mean by God’s “Will.”

When God says “I will,” He doesn’t mean, “I might.” This is a fact in the future. The sovereign, all powerful king of the universe has declared what HE WILL DO… this is what WILL happen. No matters what happens, it cannot change what God’s plans… what He declares. He WILL be exalted among the nations. He WILL be exalted in all the earth!

Set your mind on what He WILL do!

Romans 8:31–32 LSB

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who indeed did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

1 Peter 1:13 LSB

Therefore, having girded your minds for action, being sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Are you sober-minded? Are you sober in spirit? Are you fixing your eyes on God? Are you anchoring your emotions to Christ, or handcuffing yourself to the rollercoaster of life? Do you remember that God is playing the long game? Are you seeing the way Paul did when he said wrote 2 Corinthians 4:17-18?

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 LSB

17 For our momentary, light affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The final verse repeats the battle cry from verse 7.

The LORD of HOSTS (armies) is with us! The God of Jacob is our Stronghold!

Can you say that?

God has taught me a lot this year. He has taught me to ground my hope in Him no matter what comes, to fix my Joy in His presence and power, and to set my mind on his what He has done, and what He WILL do. And you know what, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Is it Well With Your Soul? It is well with my soul, no matter what happens, my hope is sure because of WHO HE IS!

Let’s pray.

Close with It Is Well (triumphantly)