A Mighty Fortress Is Our God Part 2
SUMMER Psalms (2025) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 7 viewsA Mighty Fortress of JOY & GLADNESS!
Notes
Transcript
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND
INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND
Last week…
God is OUR PROMISE OF PROTECTION
God is OUR PEACE IN CHAOS
The fear of mountains or cities suddenly crumbling into the sea as the result of an earthquake or a nuclear blast haunts many people today.
It is hard to imagine thinking about the end of the world without becoming really really gripped by fear (AFRAID).
But the psalm writer says that even if the world were to end, we need not fear.
In the face of total chaos and complete destruction, God’s people are singing here with a quiet confidence in GOD ALONE. He alone can save them.
God’s Word is clear…
God IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH even in the midst of total destruction.
He is not merely a temporary retreat; he is our eternal refuge and can provide strength in any circumstance.
This Psalm…
was the inspiration for Martin Luther’s A Mighty Fortress is our God
Martin Luther would say to those around him, when the battle had intensified - even when he knew his persecution was immanent - “Let’s sing Psalm 46 together”
Martin Luther…
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
Flowing right out of the incredible encouragement that we had from last week -
That GOD is our PROMISE OF PROTECTION!
That GOD is our PEACE IN CHAOS!
WE FLOW RIGHT INTO GLADNESS!
Flowing right out of that; we have this RIVER in the city of GOD!
BUT THERE’S NO RIVER FLOWING IN THE CITY OF JERUSALEM…so what’s this about?
the “holy habitation” of God
UNLESS Israel offended the LORD, then He would withdraw His presence from them
this is about Jerusalem to them…but it has to be about much more (as we have previously discussed).
WE REJOICE FOR
1. GOD’S LIFE-GIVING RIVER (v4)
1. GOD’S LIFE-GIVING RIVER (v4)
(where there shouldn’t be one)
Ever since Genesis 2, a river has been a symbol of God’s presence.
The rivers flowing into and out of the garden of Eden remind us that abundant life flows from the presence of God.
Here, in our hands today, God is giving us a picture of HIS PRESENCE like a calming river that flows through a dry place even as outside, things are crumbling to the ground.
CROSS REFERENCE VERSES:
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
8 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter.
There is NO literal river that matches the Psalmist’s description here.
It is most likely that this is the GLORY AND GOODNESS OF GOD - THE BLESSING OF THE LORD that fills Jerusalem and flows out to other natoins…
Even though those nations RAGE! (we’ll see in a bit)
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
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 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Water is necessary for life.
1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
Life FLOWS FROM KNOWING, LOVING, AND OBEYING JESUS!
12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
This RIVER is NOT a flood of emotions in a good church service or when your favorite song comes on.
—-those could be connected to the river, BUT THEY ARE NOT THE RIVER!
The River is the presence of God Himself - IN THIS AGE IT IS FULFILLED BY, His Holy Spirit IN US, RENEWING US - STRENGTHENING US - CARRYING US - NOURISHING US FROM THE INSIDE OUT!
THAT’S WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES
CARRYING US RIGHT TO JESUS
We don’t need to go to a physical location to get to GOD…the living water flows in and through His church/people
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
The Psalmists are rejoicing at the fact that God’s life-giving presence will be like a river flowing through their dry and dusty land.
Look at the next verse:
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
WE CAN REJOICE FOR THE LIFE-GIVING FLOW OF GOD’S SPIRIT!
WE CAN REJOICE FOR…
2. GOD’S CONSTANT PRESENCE (v5)
2. GOD’S CONSTANT PRESENCE (v5)
God is with His people. (from the beginning)
15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
God dwells among His people (until past the end!)
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
There was a conditional promise of God’s presence under the Old Covenant…
even though no-one could go where God was NOT able to get
HIS MANIFEST PRESENCE -
SEEN,
FELT,
HEARD,
EXPERIENCED
but it was conditional and for function in the OT
But God clearly indicates that HE LONGED TO DWELL AMONG HIS PEOPLE
CROSS REFERENCE VERSES:
12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.
14 Because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.
6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
9 Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.
27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.
5 And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”
10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord.
11 And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
3 Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.
Jesus Christ promised He would be with us by the Holy Spirit.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
BUT HOW?
17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
5 …he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
(VERSE 2) LOOK AT THE MOUNTAINS MOVING in verse 2…
(VERSE 5) LOOK AT ZION/GOD’S PEOPLE who SHALL NOT BE MOVED IN VERSE 5.
WE CAN REJOICE FOR GOD’S LIVE-GIVING RIVER in such a dry place. Let’s dive in!
WE CAN REJOICE BECAUSE GOD IS CONSTANTLY PRESENT WITH HIS PEOPLE in a world that seems to come up short on commitment and staying power.
FINALLY…WE CAN REJOICE THAT WE HAVE
3. GOD’S POWERFUL WORD (vv6-7)
3. GOD’S POWERFUL WORD (vv6-7)
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
CROSS REFERENCE VERSES:
13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
8 From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still,
11 The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; who can endure it?
16 The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.
2 And he said: “The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers.”
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. 8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
How does God address the OT as Scriptures?
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
What is the value of the book you hold in your hand?
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
We live in a world that wants to place the BIBLE and CHRISTIANITY in the category of SUBJECTIVE OPINION not OBJECTIVE TRUTH.
But dear friend, you hold in your hand,
the inspired, inerrant word of God. Those sixty-six canonical books of the Old and New Testament have stood the test of time! They are verbally inspired by God and inerrant (without error) and infallible (incapable of error) in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority.
The Bible trumps experience.
The Bible trumps traditions.
IT IS GOD’S VOICE! And it destroys its enemies.
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
CONCLUSION:
CONCLUSION:
WE CAN REJOICE FOR GOD GIVES US TRUE LIFE…
WE CAN REJOICE FOR GOD GIVES US TRUE LIFE…
IF GOD CAN
CREATE LIFE OUT OF NOTHING
MAKE LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS
FORM MAN FROM THE DUST OF THE EARTH
CALL MOSES BROM A BUSH THAT BURNS BUT IS NOT CONSUMED
DELIVER HIS COVENANT PEOPLE OUT OF 400 YEARS OF SLAVERY WITH A HARD-HEARTED PHARAOH IN THE WAY
BRING WATER FROM A ROCK
REDEEM YOU FROM THE PIT
THEN HE CAN MAKE A RIVER FLOW FREELY IN A DRY PLACE
not just any river, but the LIFE-GIVING RIVER that only He can bring
YOU ARE THAT DRY PLACE
left to yourself you would be dead in trespasses and sins
left to yourself you would die of thirst in this dry and weary land
JESUS SAID…
37 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. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Jesus is the source, the fountainhead.
The Holy Spirit is the river that makes glad the people of God!
WE CAN REJOICE BECAUSE HE IS NEAR…
WE CAN REJOICE BECAUSE HE IS NEAR…
Have other failed you…BIGTIME?
HE WON’T LEAVE YOU OR FAIL YOU!
Are you worried/anxious as you see folks MOVE AWAY FROM GOD?
HE WON’T LEAVE YOU OR FAIL YOU!
HE IS IN THE MIDST
Are you weeping through the night?
JOY COMES IN THE MORNING…BECAUSE HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY - SINGLE - MORNING.
It’s like Manna - yesterday’s won’t do.
Yesterday is gone. Today we have need.
God’s mercies are yours for the taking.
WE CAN REJOICE THAT GOD’S WORD IS TRUTH
WE CAN REJOICE THAT GOD’S WORD IS TRUTH
Even as nations rage
God’s Word wins
Even as kingdoms rise and fall
God’s Word stands sure
8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
God wrote a book….FOR YOU…to hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate on.
to be transformed from the inside out
to show you that HE IS GOD! HE’S HOLY - WE’RE NEEDY!
ACTION:
Jump into the river of life as you surrender to the control of the Holy Spirit
Stop focusing on everything that is UGLY, UNTRUE, AND BAD - Let God’s presence open your eyes to all that is BEAUTIFUL, TRUE, AND GOOD
GOD WROTE A BOOK…A LOVE LETTER TO YOU! Pick up that Bible and read it!
before your news feed
before Breakfast
(after your workout if you need that blood pumping)
several times throughout the day
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN PICKS UP THEIR PHONE 205X PER DAY
(Some of you have been on your phone the entire service…and not your Bible app)
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN SPENDS ANYWHERE FROM 4.5 - 7.5 HOURS PER DAY consuming content from screens.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF we got INTO THE WORD and let the WORD GET INTO US with the same “addictive tendencies” that we have to things that won’t matter in eternity.
REJOICE - GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH / OUR MIGHTY FORTRESS
Jesus, You’re the center of my joy
Lord, All that’s good and perfect comes from You
You’re the heart of my contentment, hope for all I do
Jesus, you’re the center of my Joy!
