God is With Us, Psalm 46

Kid’s Minute: How many of you came to VBS this weekend?

· Do you remember who we learned about on day 1? (Joseph)

· What do you remember about Joseph?

· Who was his father?(Jacob)

· What did his father give him?(a coat of many colors)

· Did his brothers like Joseph? What did his brothers do to him?

· Whose house did Joseph go to? (Potiphar’s)

· Where did Joseph go next?(prison)

· What happened next?(became Pharaoh’s 2nd in command)

Joseph’s story is that God was with him- in his father’s house, in Potiphar’s house, in the prison house, & in Pharaoh’s house; every step of the way, God was with Joseph. Today, we’re going to talk about our main point from VBS- God is ALWAYS with us! (PRAY)

Intro: If you’ve ever lived through a bunch of ups and downs, you are not alone! The story of Joseph reads like a prolonged bungee jump- one minute he’s up, the next he’s down, up & down, up & down… Sometimes life is the pits- people betray us, hurt us, blame us, even want to get even with us, but we are not alone. Joseph’s story proves it- God is ALWAYS with us.

Psalm 46 (page 649), To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A Song For Alamoth.

1God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

4There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. 6The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lordof hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. 10 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 refuge. Selah

“God is ALWAYS with us”- it’s more than a trite little saying, it’s more than a VBS main point, it is a great promise from the Scriptures that we can claim.

1. God is With Us- A PROMISE to CLAIM.

Notice that this song celebrates God’s presence and protection. It shows us how God is always a present HELP in times of trouble, e.g. natural disasters (2-3), or war (6).

- God is WHO He’s always been- our refuge and strength.

Refuge-refers to a place, a stronghold or impenetrable fortress, emphasizing the Lord’s protection. (ILL: Petra)

Strength-emphasizes God’s power to protect or save.

Ever-present help-God is always accessible or available to His people.

- God is WHERE He’s always been-on the throne in heaven.

The Most High-emphasizes God’s supremacy as ruler & judge over the whole earth

Lord of hosts-refers to angel armies, God is the commander of them

- God does WHAT He’s always done-rule the nations.

He makes wars cease, & He can still your heart. He can still your heart- Be still = to release or let go. We try to control things that are out of our control. We have to learn to let go & let God.

Have you ever made a promise that you couldn’t keep? God hasn’t- He’s not like us, we are limited. He is not. God is always with us is more than a promise to claim. God has proved that He is trustworthy because He sent a person to be with us, to fulfill the promise.

2. God is with Us- A PERSON to CONFESS.

You know, the thing that makes God “GOD” is that He calls things into being before they come to pass. Isaiah 42:8-9, I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.

The LORD made a promise in Isaiah 7:14,Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

The LORD fulfilled His promise in Matthew 1:21–23,And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Im= with; man = us; el = God – GOD WITH US. God is with us through the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Eternal Son of God, the 2nd person of the Godhead, the Trinity, who became a man. He lived a perfect life, died a righteous death, and rose from the dead so that if anyone would believe in Him, they would be saved.

Romans 10:9–10, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (you can do that today)

To Jesus’ followers, He made a promise- Matthew 28:20, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Hebrews 13:5, ...He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

A lot of people make promises that they cannot keep. God doesn’t do that. Jesus didn’t do that. He made a promise, and He kept it. Jesus may not be with us physically & bodily, but His Spirit is with us.

3. God is with Us- His PRESENCE we can COUNT ON.

After Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead for our salvation, He went back to heaven to be with the Father.

The Bible says that Jesus is at God’s right hand where He lives forever to intercede for us. That means that even though Jesus isn’t PHYSICALLY with us, He hasn’t FORGOTTEN us. Out of sight, out of mind doesn’t apply to Jesus. He did not leave us alone. Jesus told His disciples:

John 14:16–18, And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abidewith you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Until Jesus returns personally & bodily to receive His people, we have His Presence with us- the Helper, the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit.

Helper (i.e., counselor)-one who is called alongside, someone who encourages & exhorts (e.g., like a coach).

Abide forever- remain, stay, reside; ILL: after we moved from Waxahachie, we moved into a new house here, that’s where we reside. In the same way, those who profess Jesus possess His Holy Spirit.

Spirit of Truth-Jesus is the way, the truth, & the life. Since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus, then He is the Spirit of Truth. This is important because we live in a world of falsehoods- of fake news & deep fakes.

Jesus said- I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. He promised that one day He would come back for His people, but until then, we have His Spirit as the down payment of His promise. Ephesians 1:13-14, In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. The Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus to seal us until His return.

You can count on Him! He will HELP you, make His HOME in you, and HOLD you for Jesus.

GOD IS WITH US! It makes for a great Bible point for VBS, but it makes for an even greater Bible PROMISE to claim. We can claim this promise by confessing Jesus Christ as our Savior & Lord. When we do that, we can count on His presence to be with us always.

Do you want God to be with you?