A Mighty Fortress Is Our God Part 3
SUMMER Psalms (2025) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with 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 fortress. Selah
Background / Review
Summarize:
(1) God is OUR PROTECTION
(2) God is OUR PEACE IN CHAOS
(4) God BRINGS LIFE IN DRY PLACES
(5) God WILL NEVER LEAVE US
(6-7) God’s WORD IS MORE POWERFUL than any thing on this Earth
1. BEHOLD HIS POWER (v8-9)
1. BEHOLD HIS POWER (v8-9)
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.”
Come, Look this way, Fix your eyes on this…
GOD’S WORKS
You may think of Creation from the O.T.
BEHOLD HIS POWER!
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
You may think of God’s working through His people in the OT
BEHOLD HIS POWER!
Abraham - calling him out of the land of plenty to a land of promise - WHAT A WORK
Isaac - working through him in spite of his being deceived
Jacob - wrestles with God until he never walks the same again
Joseph - is faithful while He’s in the pit, with Potiphar, the prison, and ultimately the palace - God worked through Him that He (God) might save many people alive
Moses - chosen by God to be the earthly deliverer for a captive people
Joshua - the capable leader…still had to submit to God and meditate on HIs Word to have the courage to lead God’s people to successfully conquer the promised land
David - as the song goes, “others saw a Shepherd boy, but God saw a King”
BEHOLD HIS POWER!
The list goes on and on as we think of the WORKS of GOD…
But look at the text:
He has brought desolations (devastation / wonders)
He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth (BIG PICTURE)
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear (PEOPLE & WEAPONS)
The destroyers he destroys, the desolators he desolates.
The Israelites singing this song would have had several cities on their mind as the Holy Spirit was authoring this Psalm through their praise:
The ruined cities of Assyria, Babylon, Petra, Bashan, Canaan, Spurgeon notes these cities “are our instructors, and in tables of stone record the doings of the Lord.”
In every place where the LORD has disregarded,
RUIN has surely followed;
sin has been a blight on nations,
and left their palaces to lie in heaps.
BEHOLD HIS POWER! Promised back in Genesis…
As God was confronting Adam & Eve in their sin (as our representatives, passing that sin gene on to all of us)
God confronts the Serpent and says
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Hebrews 2:14 “14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,”
Revelation 20:1–3 “1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.”
Revelation 20:10 “10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
BEHOLD HIS POWER AS HE DESTROYS THE WORK OF THE ENEMY…IN YOU!
Proverbs 4:19 “19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.”
Ephesians 2:1–10 “1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ…”
Ephesians 5:8 “8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”
Galatians 5:16–17 “16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”
BEHOLD HIS POWER…
as we look a the next verse…you know it…it’s one of your devotional favorites in chaos
10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
2 . BE STILL AND KNOW HIM (v10)
2 . BE STILL AND KNOW HIM (v10)
Psalm 46:10 ““Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!””
If verses 1-3 are the first stanza - focusing on the Lord’s Protection
and verses 4-6 are the second - focusing on the Lord’s presence making us glad
verses 8-10 (the third stanza) - show us the Lord is the Sovereign ruler…
So many of us LOVE THOSE FIRST 2 WORDS of verse 10…but the reason for those 2 words is REVEALED AS THE LORD SPEAKS IN VERSE 10: I AM GOD! He says.
Be Still - release / stop fighting / stop warring
And Know - in light of all you have “looked at”
that I am God - “I win”
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Josh Smith writes,
Think about it with just one of those enemies mentioned before: the Assyrians.
After the angel of the Lord showed up, there were 185,000 dead soldiers outside the city walls.
Their camp was filled with bows, spears, and empty wagons.
The only way to dispose of the mess was to burn it.
The psalmist invites us to come and see as the smoke is ascending to the sky—every billow a reminder that the Lord is the one who makes wars cease and shatters bows and cuts spears (v. 9).
WOW!
Dear friend, Every page of Scripture is an invitation to come and behold the works of the Lord!
Every page of Scripture is a way for us to REMIND ourselves that HE IS GOD and we are not!
BE STILL = Cease Striving (NASB), Stop Fighting (CSB),
We have a picture of Moses in Exodus 14:13
13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.
Eugene Peterson would write of this verse:
10 “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.”
There is only one command in this Psalm.
After marveling at the fact that:
GOD is our PROTECTION
GOD is our PEACE IN CHAOS
GOD’S PRESENCE GIVES LIFE
GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE US
GOD’S WORD IS POWERFUL
After we drink all this in…
THE LORD DIRECTLY ADDRESSES THE WORSHIPER
BE STILL - STOP FIGHTING - KNOW THAT I AM GOD!
not “a” god
not “any” god
I AM THE GOD WHO WILL BE EXALTED IN ALL THE EARTH
I’d like to submit to you that this is NOT simply a quaint, devotional thought for when you’re having a bad day.
That’s not a BAD application of this! But it’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Let’s peak beneath the water here.
STOP FIGHTING AGAINST THE LORD!
That may sound a bit harsh…but look at the context:
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD
Stop Fighting - I’m the conquerer - I will win
KNOW (yah-dah) that I am God
QUESTION: So, where are you resisting the LORD? Where are you pushing back? Where are you “fighting” Him?
QUESTION: Where are you trusting your “FEELING” over your “KNOWING”?
There is NOT a foe that won’t one day CEASE TO WAR AND FIGHT…
Philippians 2:9–11 “9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
AS WE BEHOLD HIS POWER
AS WE “BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD”
YOU AND I GET TO DO THE THING THAT WE WERE MADE TO DO…
3. BLESS THE LORD, EXALT HIM HIGH! (v10-11)
3. BLESS THE LORD, EXALT HIM HIGH! (v10-11)
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”
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
A Psalm for giving thanks. 1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
THE LORD OF HOSTS - this is the LORD OF ARMIES is ON OUR SIDE / WITH US!
No commander is stronger!
No army is more vast!
HAVE YOU BEHELD HIS POWER?
Christian - step out of the noise of this world…every page declares His power
Not a Christian yet? - If God is drawing you to trust Jesus today, YOU ARE BEHOLDING HIS POWER - to make you brand new!
If you are not a Christian yet…you are at war with God.
Romans 8:7–8 “7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Stop Fighting - Repent, Believe the Gospel.
A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD
(3) And tho’ this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph thro’ 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.
(4) That word above all earthly pow’rs,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours Thro’
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.
Brother, Sister…
GOD IS OUR REFUGE
GOD IS OUR STRENGTH
HE IS OUR PRESENT HELP
HE IS OUR GLADNESS IN A DRY AND THIRSTY LAND
HE WILL NEVER EVER LEAVE YOU ALONE
HE IS ALL POWERFUL
AND HE IS WORTHY OF OUR PRAISE!
