If you will, turn with me to Psalm 46. Psalm 46. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and be in trouble, though the mountains shake with its swelling. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall help her just at the break of dawn. The nations raised. The kingdoms were removed. He uttered his voice. The earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes war cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the chariot in the 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 refuge. Selah. Well, we have another great psalm to cover this month as we're going to introduce this psalm and as we sing it and meditate upon it. This psalm has been preserved for the people of God to encourage us. When we engage the wicked and when the wicked come against us, this psalm has been preserved for our benefit. Now this psalm, like many of the other ones we have covered, there's going to be some themes that we repeat. And so, when we look at this psalm, we need to remind ourselves, if you see a theme that's being repeated, it is good. Right? When we see these repeated themes over and over again in the psalms, it is good because, remember, what are we prone to? We're prone to unbelief, we're prone to fear, to anxiety. We don't know, we don't like it when we don't know and there's uncertainty coming around. And so these Psalms teach us how to deal with the uncertainty because it's not a certain to God. Through God's providential hand, these things are brought to bear for our good and for his glory. Now as we read through this Psalm, there's some words there that may make you think of a hymn that we love to sing. We think of Martin Luther's hymn, A Mighty Fortress. And this was actually Luther's favorite Psalm. The figure of God as a refuge, the figure of God as a fortress was especially meaningful to him. Remember, Luther was an excommunicated outlaw there in Germany. The Catholic Church wanted his life. His friends, if you recall, were concerned about his safety. So what did they do? Well, they kidnapped him. They carried him off to a great castle or to a fortress in Fartburg, Germany, where he was protected by Frederick III. And Luther spent a lot of his life within the walls of that fortress. Now, it's interesting. Luther wrote his hymn. mighty fortresses of God on his way to the Diet of Worms. So if you remember that event, one of the greatest events in history. It kind of starts off the whole, remember earlier when Luther in 1517 nailed his 95 Theses upon the church there at the church of Bittenberg. And so that kind of starts off the Great Reformation, October 31st. The church refuses to celebrate that day to celebrate Halloween or celebrate fall festivals and everything else. But this is a great day in the history of the church where God does something very good. And so we need to remind ourselves and keep teaching our children of the greatness of God in history. Notice when he goes to Wittenberg, he faces down Emperor Well, he went from Wittenberg to the Diet of Worms. But when he went, he faced down the Emperor Charles V. Remember, he was the Holy Roman Emperor at that time. He also faced down all the representatives of the Pope, all kinds of archbishops there. And what were they trying to do? Well, they were trying to get him to recant of all the gospel teachings that he was putting together, primarily justification by faith alone. But in that meeting, Luther teaches us as the church a very important principle. Remember what he said, my conscience is held by the word of God. And so he said, unless they can prove from the scriptures that I'm wrong, I will not recant. That's a principle that we need to take from the Reformation. And so on his way to the Diet of Worms, he was inspired to write this hymn. And it was during these dangerous times, Luther would gather those around him, and as the threats of the Roman Catholic Church, As the threats of Charles V would come against him, he would gather his friends around and they would read Psalm 46 to encourage themselves. And this is what they would say, let our enemies do their worst. Can you say that? Let them do their worst. What can they do to me? If you understand what's in this Psalm, Psalm 46, you could say that. And so in his commentary on the psalm, Luther wrote this. He says, we sing this psalm to the praise of God because God is with us and powerfully preserves and defends his church and his word against all fanatical spirits, against the gates of hell, against the implacable hatred of the devil, and against all the assaults of the world, the flesh, and sin. And so Luther found a lot of encouragement from Psalm 46. It encouraged him to write this great hymn that we sing. But what's the historical context behind Psalm 46? All these psalms have some context behind them. And so in a lot of them you can kind of deduce the context that led the writing of the psalm. Now it appears when we read this psalm, there's a lot of correlations between this and what happens in 2 Kings 19. A lot of similarities there. And so if this is the context, then this psalm was written in the days of King Hezekiah. And don't let that throw you because David didn't write all the psalms. In fact, in Isaiah we read that Hezekiah wrote psalms and they were sung in the sanctuary. Now turn over to 2 Kings 19. Let's just kind of read some of the background here and see if you can't notice some of the similarities. And as we turn there, if you remember in 2 Kings 19, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, had just destroyed Samaria. He had just destroyed the northern kingdom. He took people captive, sent them all over the world. He had invaded Judah, and now he's invading Judah, the southern kingdom. And as he's going towards Jerusalem, he's besieged the fortified cities. He's already destroyed them. And at this point, he's come to Jerusalem. Sennacherib sends an ambassador to Hezekiah. Now his title, some say his name but I think it's his title, is Rabshakeh. Rabshakeh comes to intimidate King Hezekiah and he comes to intimidate the people within the city. Rakshaka is kind of like the modern day mocker of our age. They come to make fun of the Christians. They come to make fun of the king and King Hezekiah's godliness. And he would say things to the people, you shouldn't listen to King Hezekiah. When he says God will take care of you, that's a joke. He didn't take care of the other fortified cities. He's not going to take care of you. He boasted in the might of his army. He taunted the people by saying, is there any God that will keep us from taking Jerusalem? And so you kind of get some idea of the fear tactics that were being used to put doubt, discouragement, anxiety, fear within the city of Jerusalem as they're being besieged. Now with that as some background, let's look at 2 Kings. 2 Kings, pick up in verse 14. Hezekiah received letters 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. Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, O Lord God of Israel, the one who dwells between the cherubim, you are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear, and open your eyes, O Lord, and see, and hear the words of Sennacherib. which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and they have cast their gods into the fire. For they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord, our God, I pray, save us from the hand of all the kingdoms of the earth, so that the earth may know that you are the Lord God, you alone." Now, this is what's going on. You see King Hezekiah, he's not going to his generals, but he's pleading to the God of the universe. Now drop down to verse 25 and notice how God through the prophet Isaiah is speaking to them, but in verse 25 we read this. Did you not hear long ago how I made it from ancient times that I formed it? Now I've brought it to pass that you should be for the crushing of fortified cities into heaps of ruins. Therefore their inhabitants had little power and they were dismayed and confounded. And they were as the grass of the field and the green herb and the grass on the housetops and the green blighted before it's grown. He goes on to say in verse 27, but I know your dwelling place. You're going out and you're coming in and you rage against me because your rage against me and your tumult have come up to my ears. Therefore, I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips and I will turn you back by the way in which you came. Now this is God's way of letting everyone know I predestined the victory. I've determined the outcome of this event. Drop down to verse 32. Now therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria. Now this is God's word to the king of Assyria. He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor build a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, in the same he shall return. And he shall not come into this city, says the Lord. Why? Why isn't the king of Assyria going to be able to come into the city? He says, for or because I'll defend this city to save it. For my own name's sake. For my servant David's sake. And it came to pass. Now notice what God does here. You got this powerful army. They've destroyed everybody in their way. You know, everybody that they've gotten in their way, they've destroyed utterly. You have Jerusalem and everybody is hiding inside the city. Now notice verse 35. It came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out and killed in the camp of this series 185,000. And when those people arose in the morning, There were the corpse, all dead. Now that phrase in the morning is important because that's going to come up in the psalm. We'll talk about it. So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, departed and went away, returned home and remained at Nineveh. Now it came to pass as he was worshipping in the temple of Nisroch, his god, that his sons Adrimelech and Sherezar struck him down with a sword and they escaped into the land of Ariad. And then Eshardon, his son, reigned in his place. Now notice. Everyone is in Jerusalem. They're inside the city. And you have all these soldiers out there. And then this psalm is given to us to explain how we should respond to overwhelming odds. Right? A lot of people in the church want to play the odds game. But we shouldn't. We're the people of God. You see, when it's us and God, we're the majority. When it's us and God, we outnumber anyone who comes against us. Alright, so with that as a background, let's go back to Psalm 46. What is the theme of Psalm 46? Well, the theme, if you just read through it, is simply this. God rules the world. And since he rules the world, his church is secure no matter how the wicked may try to destroy her. The wicked has been trying to destroy the church of Jesus Christ since its inception. But yet it still exists. The psalm here is comprised of three stanzas and each stanza will end with the word Selah. Remember when we've been studying through the psalms, Selah is what? It's trying to get you to understand an important point was just made. And this would be the sign of great symbols clashing together, drums roaring. But the idea is a great point has been made, so think on this great point. Stanza one is verse one, two, and three. What's the point there? Well, the point is that God is our refuge. Verses 1, 2, and 3. In stanza 2, verses 4, 6, and 7, we're going to see that God is with us. And then in stanza 3 is 8, 9, 10, and 11. God will be exalted in all the earth. That's going to happen. And notice the preface here in Psalm 46. To the chief musician, a psalm of the sons of Korah. Remember the sons of Korah? Later on, as we see, some of these Levites were leading worship for the people of God. But then it says a song of Alamoth. Well, what does that mean? Well, this is kind of disputed amongst the commentators. It could either refer to the tune in which the psalm was to be sung, and then some have argued that this refers to the group that would have actually sung the psalm. In other words, some have argued that it's for a higher treble group to sing it. So maybe the women and some of the trebles in the men would have sang this. That's what You can kind of study this out. That's kind of some of the arguments that will come as you look it up. But in this psalm, the psalmist is not, and here's another interesting point, he's not talking to God. Now he'll quote God at the end, be still and know that I am God. But who's this psalm addressed to? Well, it's addressed to you and me. This psalm was written to the people of God. And so if you're taking notes, if you're inclined to write in your scriptures, just right there, this psalm is to me, to encourage me, right? And we need that. We need encouragement in this day and age. So let's look at the first stanza. God is our refuge. Look at verse 1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Well, here the psalmist pictures himself and the people as under siege by a great enemy. I mean, Luther saw himself under siege. Luther was expressing the very same thing the psalmist is trying to express in Psalm 46. I mean, if you read Luther's hymn, turn to page 81 in your Trinity Hymnal. If you look at this hymn, all these people are coming against Luther, and where is he putting his confidence? Luther's confidence is in the victory of God's people. His confidence is in the victory that they will obtain because God is their refuge. God is their stronghold. And his confidence is in the Word of God. Because it's the Word of God that will defeat the enemies of God. I mean, look at it. I mean, if you just pick up verse 2. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing. We're not the right man on our side, the man of God's own choosing. Don't ask who that may be, or just thou ask who that may be. Christ Jesus, it is He. Lord Sabaoth, His name from age to age the same. And He must win the battle. When you understand that Christ will win the battle, it will allow you to stand against the entire Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire. And though this world with devil's fill should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through 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 fail him. One word throughout 185,000 soldiers. Just one word. That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them abideth. The spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindreds go, this moral life also. The body they may kill, God's truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever. What a great hymn. We need to regain that kind of hope, that kind of confidence that Luther had. The enemy has deceived the church into thinking she's impotent in this world, and as a result, she has, through fear, been paralyzed into inactivity. I mean, many Christians today, if you talk about what we're talking about here, well, they're concerned, well, I may lose my job. My business may be impacted. Look, I may lose my liberties here. They fear of being made fun of. They fear of being mocked. They fear of the conflict that's inevitable when you press the claims of Jesus Christ. But what does this land need? It doesn't need fearful Christians. This land needs Christians that believe what Luther is writing here and what this psalm is trying to communicate to us. It needs a sense of boldness. It needs a sense that you really believe the gates of hell cannot prevail. So when I read verse 1, God is our refuge and strength of very present help in trouble. We could stop right here, close the scriptures, leave and say, let's go tackle the world. If you believe that. But really, you know, really, if you really believe that, why would we retreat from culture? Why would we retreat from the wicked if we really believe this? But here the psalm We need to remind ourselves that God gives two great gifts to his people. Now write this down. Two great gifts to his people. What does God give to us? Number one himself and number two is help. The fact that God is with his people is a very present help. With these two great gifts, we should not be worried, we should not be overcome with fear or anxiety when the world comes against us. In our moments of need, God gives us exactly what we need. And this is true when we're tempted. In Hebrews, remember we studied, Christ comes to the aid of those who are tempted. We're not a people who are left without help. Therefore, because God is present with us, and because God gives us help, God's people really should not fear over anything. That's the conclusion of this psalm. Look at verse 2. Therefore, now what is that therefore, therefore? Well, that's trying to draw a point, isn't it? If you believe, verse 1, The conclusion is this, therefore we will not fear. Based on the great promise given in verse 1, if you believe this, you would not fear. I mean, look at how the psalmist tries to drive home this point. He says this, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried to the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and be troubled, and though the mountains shake with its swelling. I mean, even if that happened, you wouldn't fear. I mean, if the earth below just disappeared. If you believe verse 1, you wouldn't fear. In the face of the most violent events that you can imagine that would come upon you, the people of God don't fear if they believe, verse 1. I mean, think about this. Do you believe that? Do you believe that truth? Do you believe that despite whatever comes upon you, you can remain fearless? I mean, you look at our land today, right? How is it that the government is able to get away with as much as they get away with? Because we're fearful. I mean, how do they get us to comply with ridiculous demands? We're fearful. They use fear. And fear works on most. I mean, you think about after 9-11. Most of you young kids don't remember this, but after 9-11, because of fear, we decided to give the government a lot of power. It's called the Patriot Act. But fear is a strong motivator. And in the days of Hezekiah, fear was being used to get the people of God to just give up and not trust in God. But this psalm is teaching us that in the face of the most calamitous types of events you can think of, fear does not have to dictate how we respond. Notice the use of mountains. I mean, you know, there's a lot of symbols that are being used and you look at different commentators that talk about, you know, the symbol of mass of humanity and moved and agitated by strife. You know, the sea is used like that sometimes. Mountains are sometimes used as powerful kingdoms and all that stuff. I don't think that's what the Psalmist is trying to do. He's just trying to get you to understand. If you think of the greatest calamitous type event in your mind, you still shouldn't fear if you believe verse 1. You see, here's the thing. You and I cannot be considered soldiers of the cross if at the same time we're always overcome with fear. Spurgeon said it this way. Soldiers of the cross remember this and count yourself safe and make yourself strong in God. All other refuges are refuges of lies. All other strength is weakness for power belongs to God. And then he goes on to write this. When all things are excited to fury and reveal their utmost power to disturb, faith smiles serenely. She's not afraid of noise or even the real force. She knows that the Lord steals the raging sea and holds the waves in the hollow of his hands. Though the mountains shake with the swelling, Alps and Andes may tremble, but faith rests on firmer bases and is not to be moved by swelling seas. Evil may ferment, wrath may boil, pride may foam, but the brave heart of the holy confidence trembles not. Great men who are like mountains may quake for fear in times of great calamity, but the man whose trust is in God needs never be dismayed. You live like that? If not, then you really need to challenge yourself, why not? Because when you think about fear, what's at the root of all fear? The root of all fear is the lack of trust in the sovereignty and the power of God. So what's the remedy for fear? The remedy for lack of faith is the word of God. The faithless, in other words, those who are governed by unbelief, the faithless are not filling their heads with the words of God. They're not allowing the words of God to transform the way they think and therefore transform the way they live. So what are they doing? Well, the faithless allow the words of others to fill their heads up. So, if you want to live with the courage of the psalmist and what he's writing about here, you have to have faith. Now think about Jesus. Remember when Jesus was on that boat and this great storm comes upon them and it's a pretty bad storm because these are fishermen, right? They've been used to storms. But this must have been some storm because now they're afraid. What's Jesus doing? Well, he's sleeping. So they go and wake him up and say, don't you care about us? Don't you even know what's going on out here? And so Jesus walks out there, speaks, quiets the sea, and then rebukes them for their lack of faith. We need to understand what Jesus is trying to teach us here. It doesn't matter if the earth just drops out from under your feet. You shouldn't fear. You shouldn't fear. Why? Because God is your refuge. He's your very present help. He is with you and He offers you help. Let me just say this, we've talked about this in the past, but let me just remind you again, because I've seen the looks on your face when I've said this in the past. Any of y'all go through some difficult trials last year? What were they doing? Number one, did you survive? Did God bring you through? He sure did. And let me just ask you this. He is preparing you for something that might be a little bit more severe. He is preparing you for something. Each trial is equipping you and preparing you that you might have more and more faith, more and more trust in Him. Now I've seen what's going on in some of your lives. And let me just say this. I don't know what God has in store for you. But it must be great. It must be grand. Because He's preparing you for something that I've never seen in other families and other people. Don't be discouraged. Be encouraged that the Lord is working. He didn't abandon you last year and He won't abandon you tomorrow. Why? Because He's your refuge. and He's your ever-present help. Luke 2, Luke 4-7. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall help her just at the break of dawn. The nations raised, the kingdoms removed. He uttered His voice and the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Now here the people of God are referred to as the city of God. I mean this is where Augustine, over 1500 years ago, got his idea for his work, the city of God. This was his philosophy of history. His philosophy of history is the working out of this war between the city of God and the city of man, if you ever read through it. But when you read through that work, you see that what characterizes the citizens of the city of God is, you know, their total love for God. The main characteristic for the Those who are part of the city of man was their total love for self. And due to those opposing characteristics, there would be conflict between the two. And Augustine argued that ultimately the city of God, which has its origins here in the Old Testament, would win. Now this city of God, because it belongs to God, because it's defended by God, because it's the city of God, remember the city of God is just the place where God dwells. Remember, we've noted this in our past studies. God no longer dwells in a temple made with hands. Now he dwells with us. So the city of God is within us. So the city of God is where God dwells. And he will win. Now what's in the midst of the city of God? Well, look what he says in verse 4. There's a river. Now notice within this city there's a river. Now notice the contrast here. I mean we were introduced with a raging foaming sea earlier, but here there's a river that makes glad the city of God. You see the picture? You see what the Psalms is trying to communicate to us. No matter how violent, no matter how tempestuous things get outside the city, inside the city of God there's a peaceful river. And this peaceful river is a symbol of God's favor. It's a symbol of His refreshment. It's a symbol of His strength for the people of God. Even though they're surrounded by the enemy, they can still rejoice in the provision of God. But this is the image of the river in the midst of the people of God. It's a blessing and it's seen. Go to Ezekiel 47. It's seen all throughout the scriptures. Ezekiel 47. Think of verse 1. Then he brought me back to the door of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple towards the east. For the front of the temple faced east, the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He brought me out by the way of the north gate and led me around on the outside of the outer gateway that faces the east. And there was water running out of the right side. And when the man went out to the east with his line in his hand, he measured 1,000 cubits, and he brought me through the waters, and the water came up to my ankles. Again, he measured 1,000 and brought me to the waters, and then it came up to my knees. And again, he measured 1,000 and brought me through, and the water came up to my waist. Again, he measured 1,000, and it was a river that I could not cross, for the water was too deep, the water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. He said to me, son of man, have you seen this? Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river. And when I returned there, along the bank of the river, there were many trees on one side and the other. Then he said to me, this water flows toward the east region, goes down to the valley and enters the sea. And when it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves wherever the rivers go will live. And there will be a very great multitude of fish because these waters go there and they will be healed and everything will live wherever the river goes. Well, notice that the living waters, where do they start? Well, they start shallow, but they continue to deepen. Flows from the house of God. Now, let me just say this. You do know there's not a real river coming out of the temple of God, right? So this is not literal. What the vision is doing is it's painting the gradual growth of the kingdom that brings life and it's pictured as a river. And all around this river is life and prosperity. And this is what we see in Revelation 22 where we see the river of life flowing from the New Jerusalem. But the vision that Ezekiel has here is a picture of the kingdom of God. that is going to expand and get deeper and deeper over time. The zeal of the Lord will accomplish this. I can envision the early church had the temptation of thinking they lived in a small day. Some may even despise the small things of God, but look at what God has been accomplishing through His people over the centuries. I mean, you think about how the knowledge of Christ has gone to some of the darkest places around the world. Now, hold that thought and turn over to Revelation 22. Let's look at that. This idea of this river. In Revelation 22 we see in verse 1, And he showed me a pure river, the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street and on either side of the river was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him. They shall see his face and his name, and they shall be on his foreheads, and there shall be no night. They need no lamp nor the light of the sun for the Lord God gives them light and they shall reign forever and ever. Notice here that the garden of God originally created has been restored as a new creation and it's being developed as this city. But notice again there is this mention of a river of living water. Zechariah 14 is a good one you could read. In Zechariah 14 there was a river of living water from Jerusalem throughout the earth. Ezekiel saw this river flowing from the temple. Joel talks about living water that proceeds from the temple. In John 7, Jesus says, I offer you the living water. But I mean, you look at verse 2, he says, in the middle of the street on either side of the river was the tree of life. Through the death of Christ, believers who look to Christ will be saved. The tree of life is then given to us. We're no longer barred from the tree of life any longer because of the work of Jesus Christ. Remember, in Genesis, there's an angel there that protects, keeps us from the tree of life. But no longer. The tree of life is given to us. Notice that men who were once banished from God's presence now receive abundant blessings from God. And it's tied to this river. Look at verse 3. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. I mean, this is what makes us desire. I mean, what makes you desire the new heavens and the new earth? The removal of the curse. There's no curse. Only God's redemptive throne. Christ will remove the curse of sin. And so, notice. Heaven's not a place of leisure. This is going to be service that focuses on God. The whole community has his name on their forehead, just as the high priest had the name of God on their foreheads. Turn over to John 7. Let's look at this. John 7. Look at verse 38. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of what? Living waters. I mean, this is what Zechariah predicted. It shall be in that day, he says in Zechariah 14, 8. It shall be in that day that living water shall go out from Jerusalem. So as believers in Christ, you and I possess the living water which is Christ. Remember what Jesus told the woman at the well? If we drink of the water that he gives, we shall never thirst again. And so God has preserved these pictures and symbols for us. We need these pictures and symbols in mind. Because God has given to us. Why? Well, when the days get difficult, the temptation is for you and I to lose our wits, to panic, to fear. But He wants to remind you, you have the very living waters among you. You are the city of God because the city of God is where God dwells and is those living waters that will sustain you and strengthen you even in the most difficult of days. No matter how hard things get for us outwardly, inwardly you and I can be at peace and experience joy due to the living waters that exist within us. How do you explain the early Christians being thrown into dungeons and they rejoice? They had the living waters within them. Well, go back over to Psalm 46. Look at verse 4 again. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the most holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High God. God is in the midst of her, and she shall not be moved. God shall help her just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us, and the God of Jacob is our refuge. Also in the holy city is the dwelling place of the Most High God. And this is the reason why the city was safe from the Assyrians. The city was safe not because the citizens defended the walls, but because God defended that city. The text says God was in the midst of her. And as long as God was there, they were safe. God will come to their aid. So in verse 5, notice this. Notice that God shall help her when? When the morning dawns. Remember I told you to remember that out of 2 Kings 19? Do you remember in 2 Kings 19, there's that phrase, you know, this night, where God said, even though this series besiege Jerusalem, not an arrow will be shot into the city, and this very night, the angel of the Lord will kill 185,000 soldiers. By morning, very literally, hell came. That's the background. In one evening, one night, the battle was over. And then we read in verse 6, the nations raged, the kingdoms were moved, but notice, He uttered His voice and the earth melted. Notice the power of the voice of God. When it says the earth melted, the image here is that God brought utter desolation to the earth, to the land. But notice the imagery here. We have all this imagery of turmoil, but none of that compares to when God speaks. To say the Lord speaks and melts the earth is a picture of God bringing an end to His enemies. Think about the power of the word of God. By his word, 185,000 soldiers were killed. What amazes me is the doubt and the unbelief of many Christians who live as though this is not true. I mean, after all, we don't want to upset the wicked. They might come after us. They might give us a hard time. Yeah, but one word. One word is all it takes. I mean, you think about that. The very voice of God took out this army. By the very voice of God, an earth was flooded. to remove the wicked. But one word, it caused the languages to be confused at Babel. It caused the Red Sea to part. It caused Jesus Christ to rise from the dead. But one word can melt a heart of stone. You must never doubt the power of the Word of God when dealing with our unsaved loved ones. They may not want to hear it, but you need to remember this, faith comes by hearing and hearing of the Word of God. You got some hard-hearted relative? What do you do? You melt it with the word of God. Yeah, but pastor they don't like it. What's that got to do with anything? Did you like it when you were unsaved and you heard it? But someone was bold enough to share it with you. Here's the thing, you see the word of God will either convert or condemn your unsaved loved one. So which one do you want for them? The word of God may upset the dinner conversation, but it pales in comparison to a lifetime of torment. And so it's a lack of faith in the power of God's Word that keeps too many Christians silent when they should be speaking. But memorize this verse because we need to remind ourselves regularly of the power of the Word of God. And notice one other thing I want to point out here. Look at verse 7. He says, The Lord of Hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. And then notice verse 11. The Lord of Hosts is with us and the God of Jacob is our refuge. Now notice this. You see the two names of God here. And we don't need to just gloss over this. First, we see that Jehovah of Host and Elohim of Jacob is our stronghold. And we need to get this. First, Jehovah is the covenant name of God of Israel. He is the God who is in control of everything. He is the God who by His grace changes people. He is self-contained. He is not dependent upon anything for His existence. He is the God who has the heart to communicate with His people in His Word. But He is Jehovah of hosts. This word host can be used of Israel's armies. The word host can be used for the angelic realms. It can be used for all the forces of creation. So what does host mean? Well in this context it means that God has universal sovereignty over all the forces of his creation and all the forces of the entire universe are seen as one great army under God's leadership. He's the Lord of Hosts. He's the Lord of Hosts over all the angelic hosts, over all the human hosts. Everything is at his disposal. He is the absolute commander of all the forces of the universe. So are you getting the picture? The Lord of Hosts is with us. And so if He so chooses and He desires, He can send an angel to kill 185,000 soldiers in one night. And this is why you and I are safe in the refuge of God. He has absolute sovereignty over all. Let me just say this. If that doesn't dispel your fear, I don't know what else will. Because that's why I was given. He is the Lord of Hosts. Everything in the universe is at His disposal for your good. I mean, when you watch Christians of old face down tyrants, armies, lions, gladiators, how'd they do it? Well, they did it because they knew the Lord of Hosts was watching over them. I mean, we have access to the Bible, and the Bible teaches us that God can wipe out the wicked with an earthly flood. He can wipe out a perverted city with fire and brimstone. He can liberate his people from Egypt with a series of plagues, demonstrating his dominion over all the elements. He can destroy a fortified city just by having his people walk around it. I mean, he can use a little shepherd boy with a stone to take down a giant. I mean, if he wants to, he can use a fish to get a disobedient prophet to do what he wants him to do. And if he wants to, he can take a mad prophet and correct him with a jackass. This is the kind of God who has everything at his disposal to accomplish his will. I mean, do you remember the servant of Elisha? I mean, he thought they were outnumbered. Do you remember that story? Remember when the Syrian army surrounded Dothan because they were tired of Elisha telling the king of Israel what was going on? So the Syrian army surrounds Dothan. The servant wakes up and he saw the army surrounding the city. He begins to panic and Elisha wakes up and reminds his servant that those who are with us are outnumbered. Those who are against us. And then he prayed that the Lord opened his servant's eyes and his servant saw the Lord of Hosts with his army. And remember this, who is the Lord of Hosts? His name is Emmanuel, God with us. Second, so his first name, if you see this, his first name is Jehovah. Look at this, the Lord Jehovah of Hosts is with us. Next we see the Elohim of Jacob is our refuge. Now Elohim is the very first word that is used in the Bible to refer to God. In the beginning, Elohim. So to call God by Elohim means God is creator. He's the one with such power that he can call a universe into existence by the power of his word. It's not only Jehovah of hosts who's with us, but Elohim the creator is with us. Why should we fear? Why should you and I refuse to be soldiers of the cross? He's our stronghold. He's our refuge. I mean, you know, Paul says, can anyone snatch us out of his hand? The answer is no. Are you beginning to understand how it was that Luther had the courage to face down the Roman Empire? How he had the courage to face down the Catholic Church? He believed this great song. He was like the soldier. When all the enemies are surrounding him, he can look at all his enemies who are surrounding him and say, I know I got you right where I want you. I'm glad you're here. This is why we sing in one of our hymns. We can smile at all of our foes. We serve Elohim of Jacob. Now that's an interesting thing. Did you think about this? He doesn't say Elohim of Israel. He says Elohim of Jacob. It's the God of Jacob, not the God of Israel. Remember, Israel is his Christian name. Jacob was the name he had when he was a weasel. So let's go back. Let's look at that. Go to Genesis 32. I want to point something out here to you. Genesis 32. You're familiar with the story? Pick up the reading in verse 24. Then Jacob was left alone and the man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the socket of his hip, and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint, and he wrestled with him, and he said, let me go for the day breaks. And he says, I will not let you go unless you bless me. So then he said to him, what is your name? He said, Jacob. And he said, your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed. Then Jacob asked, saying, tell me your name, I pray. And he says, why is it that you ask about my name? And he blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Just as he crossed over Penuel, the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore, to this day, the children of Israel do not eat the muscle of the shrink, which is the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip and the muscle that shrank. Alright, now you're familiar with this text. But notice in verse 28 that this man Jacob wrestled with is God. He wrestled the angel of the Lord. This is the pre-incarnate Christ. And he's changing the name of Jacob. And when he changes the name of Jacob, it demonstrates God's sovereignty over Jacob. And with the change of the name, God is also changing his nature. Because once he's called Israel, he begins to live in accordance with that new name. So why does our psalm then say the God of Jacob is our stronghold? I mean, Jacob was a sinner. Jacob really didn't deserve any kind of relationship with God. Jacob didn't deserve to have his name changed. Jacob did not deserve to have any of the blesses of God, but yet God entered into fellowship with him. I mean, this is the great, this is the powerful Lord of hosts of infinite power, but he's also a God who is loving, merciful, and gracious. He's a gentle Savior, and he enters into a covenant relationship with Jacob. And you think about Jacob for a minute. He's the great, great, great, great, how many greats you want to put on there? Grandfather of Jesus, right? The Savior of the world. And as you hear that, do you ever just get overcome with just something of the utter unworthiness of the blessings that God has given to you? Do you? Don't forget, Elohim is the mighty creator. Elohim is also a loving and compassionate God of Jacob. Elohim is your stronghold. Elohim is the stronghold. Jacob, when he says Elohim of Jacob, Jacob is just a picture of utter unworthiness of God's grace. And so the Psalm says, the God of the cheap, the God of the one who lied to his daddy, the God of the one who swindled his brother, that's the God who is our stronghold. Don't forget this. God enters into fellowship with people who never deserved it. So I hope you begin to get encouraged that the God of our refuge is never based upon my ability or dependent upon my ability to be good or my good works, but it's always by His grace. Because the God of Jacob is just another way of saying the God of grace. You see that? That's the beauty of what Psalms is trying to get you and me to understand. But also remember this, God is the God of grace, but God is the God of grace who disciplines. Because he crippled Jacob, didn't he? Jacob walked with a limp all of his days. God brought him sorrow and pain. God's presence in Jacob's life forced Jacob to go through all kinds of discipline. So have you and I. Listen, God will love us, and like any good father, he'll discipline us. Why? I want you to understand this and get this. If you are under the disciplining, the training of God, understand this. God will do whatever is necessary to destroy the sin that's within you. That's how much He loves you. He loves you so much that He won't allow that sin to stay there. He knows what sin will do to us if it's left unchecked. One said it this way, God does not spare the rod because the child is crying in pain. He brings that painful process to bear in our lives in order that we might be partakers of what? His holiness. That's what He wants for you and me. And it's within that discipline that He loves us and He keeps us safe. I mean, when you read through this Psalm, you see that God loves us, He puts us through the fire, He makes us experience difficulties in this life, not because He hates you, but because He loves you and He wants the sin in our lives purged out. I mean, we think about this all the time. Fear not, I am with you. Oh, be not dismayed, for I am your God and will still give you aid. I'll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand. Or how about this verse? When through deep waters I'll call you to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow. For I will be with you, your troubles to bless, and sanctify you, your deepest distress. How about this one? And when through fiery trials your pathway shall lie, my grace all sufficient shall be your supply. I'll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand. The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to his foes. That soul, although through hell, although all hell, shall endeavor to shake, I will never, no never, no never forsake. What's the first thing we do when we go through a trial? Where's God? He's right there. He is right there working with you to purge sin out of your life. And He says, but I'm upholding you all through the process. The biggest champion you have, that I have, as a child of God, is our Father. And He disciplines you because He loves you. The Psalm wants us to believe this. Even when God disciplines us, He's not forsaken us. There they were in that walled city. And God's telling them, I didn't leave you. I didn't forsake you. And notice that God encouraged Jacob with a promise. Your name will no longer be Weasel, but Israel. For as a prince you have power with God and you have prevailed. God has given him a future, a new future. His new future was not going to be associated with Weasel, but Israel. You'll be a prince. You'll be a prince of a great family. And that great family will produce the Messiah. And so with God, the God of Jacob as our refuge, we can say with Luther to the storms, do your worst. You can't touch me in the fortress where I live. You can smile at all your foes. Within the refuge, within the walls of God, of Jacob, I have calmness, I have peace. Go back to the psalm. Let's check out this third stanza. Look at verse 8. Come behold the works of the Lord who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the chariot in 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 refuge." Now, we see in verse 8 an exhortation to come and see the works of God in the earth. I mean, it begins to put this in the context of 2 Kings 19. I mean, look around, the psalmist says. We thought we were going to be defeated. I mean, this army that took the Northern Kingdom and besieged all the fortified cities. God said they weren't even going to shoot one arrow, and you know what? They didn't. And you know what? That's not our work. There's no general here that could take credit for this. This is the work of God. So, the psalmist says, come behold the works of God. The psalmist is challenging us to look at the work of God on our behalf. Now, in order to behold the works of God means we've got to know something about what God has done in history. I mean, how can you behold the works of God and admire them and praise Him if you don't know what they are? I mean, this is why the modern church is so shallow. They don't know what to praise Him for because they don't know what He's doing. And so we can't praise your children. We'll never be able to praise the depths of the work of the Lord and meditate them if you don't share them with them, if you don't teach them. But here, because of our time this morning in Psalm 46, you know at least one thing God did. He took 185,000 soldiers out. Behold the works of God. The enemy didn't shoot one arrow into the city. Behold the works of God. Here's another one you can take away and you can say that you did know. Behold the works of God. He used one monk in Europe with a commitment to the word of God and a commitment to King Jesus to change the continent in 1517. You know that one. You know this one and you know that one. So you can praise him for those two things and if you study God's word and study out history, you know a lot more. Make sure you spend time. teaching yourself, teaching your children the great things of God. Because if you don't, the world will teach of the great works of men. And that is a great insult to our Creator. Ignorance of history makes it near impossible to behold the works of the Lord. Ignorance and blindness of the great works of God will always lead the people of God to fear. Ignorance in the great works of God has led to much fear and apathy on behalf of the church. You walk into others, you talk to others in other churches, They don't believe that God is able to overcome this wickedness. They don't know the God of the Bible. If they knew Him, they wouldn't be overcome with pessimism. Now, notice what these mighty works include. Look at verse 8. Come behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. 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. Now, look at what he does. He burns the chariots in the fire. This is what they would do after a battle, for example. They would take the weapons of their enemies, the chariots, and burn them. Why? Well, so they could never use them in warfare again. This is a picture of total defeat of the enemy. See, God crushes the great power so they can't provoke strife against his people any longer. You remember the Babylonians? They were a great force. But we read in Daniel that he would humble them and bring them low and so he raises up the Medo-Persians to take them out. You remember the Roman Empire? They used to be a mighty threat to the church, but no longer. Think about the Jews who used to Well, you know, that murdered the sinless son of God and persecuted his bride. They're no longer a threat after God laid them low in 70 AD. I mean, when you look over the walls of Jerusalem, if you were there in that day, you'd have seen the mighty army of the Assyrians. Fierce looking. Had a reputation for being brutal. But you know, it turns out they were absolutely nothing in the sight of God. Nothing. One word, Luther says, would fail them. And because of all that, the great works of God, it leads to this great exhortation in verse 10. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. So what does it mean to be still and know? Gill makes this note. He says, be still. Not that they should be like sticks and stones, stupid, indolent, or unconcerned at the commotions that were in the earth, and be unaffected with the judgments of God, and be wholly silent and inactive, but that they should not be fearful, or fretful, or impatient, or reckless, or tumultuous, but be quiet and easy, resign to the will of God, and live in an assured expectation of the appearance of divine providence in their layout, and know Own the acknowledgement that he is God. A sovereign being that does whatever he pleases. That he is unchangeable in his nature, purpose, promises, and covenant. That he is omnipotent, able to help them and deliver them in the last extremity. that He is omniscient, knows their persons, cases, and troubles, and how and where to hide them till the storm is over, that He is the all-wise God, and does all things after the counsel of His own will, and makes all things work together for the good of them, and that He is faithful to His word and promise, and He will not suffer them to be overpressed or bore down with troubles. I think it's important for us to grasp what Gale is trying to say here. We're not to be unaffected by the judgments of God or just have this stoic attitude towards things going on around us. He means that we should not be fearful, fretful, impatient over the convulsions of the world against the Bride of Christ. Rather, we need to be quiet in spirit, trust in God's providence, rest in His sovereignty, resign to His will, and God has a will for how we respond to the wicked. And we should trust Him in that. Even in the most darkest of moments we can still be trusting all those things that are working for our good. God calls us not only to be still but to be still and know. Know what? That God is God. He's unchanging in His nature. We all know in all situations that God is a sovereign God who does whatever He pleases. That knowledge brings us comfort, it brings us assurance, it brings boldness. And so we need to know that he's omnipotent and he can be a very source of help in our time of need. He's all-knowing. In other words, nothing, even your circumstance is not catching him off guard. He knows what we need and he knows when we need it. He knows how to hide you, he knows how to protect you. We know that he's an all-wise God who does all things according to his own will. We know that he will not let us be overwhelmed or beaten down. In all things that happen to us, God is present with his children to give us all the help we need. And you know what? His help is never too late. Now, I've met believers, I've counseled believers in their weakest moments and they say, you know, wait a minute, I've prayed and I cried out for help and nothing ever came. You ever heard people say that? What do you say to them when they say that to you? Yeah, he did. He most certainly did. The help was there. But more than likely you were looking for something different. Think about it, a lot of times when people get into situations, circumstances, afflictions, trials, whatever it is, it's because God is trying to shake them up, get them out of their, you know, they've been, life has been too easy, life's been going well, you've been living independently of God, and God's trying to get your attention. And what they're praying for is, I won't have to go back to being easy, where I can be independent of you again, and God says, no, I'm not going to help you that way. And so a lot of times people say, well, the help never came, but it did come. And it forced you to be more dependent upon Him. And that's what He wants out of you and me. The help was there but you were looking for something different. And because you weren't looking for the help God was actually giving you, because your expectations were wrong, I've been there, I've done, I get it, I understand that. You missed the help. Instead of asking why the help never came, look to learn for the hand of God in your life. And notice the promise we're giving here. Be still and know that I am God and when this happens there's a great promise. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. Now that's the promise of God to us. When we're under fire, when the enemies of God weigh heavy on us, remember this, they will exalt Him. And He will be exalted in the earth. It's going to happen. Listen, whatever is going on today is setting up and preparing the earth to exalt His name. I mean, you think about the calamity that came upon Egypt when God brought down the Pharaoh. Why does the Bible say that God raised up Pharaoh? Do you know? so that I may make my power known in you." Did Pharaoh know God? You better believe it. But he knew him in power and judgment. And God will be exalted. And so here's the thing. God will be exalted. That's either going to come through conversion or through God purging the wicked out of the land. But both will bring honor to God. God will be honored in those nations that hate Him. Now let me ask you this, because this now applies to our land. What has to happen for God to be exalted in America? Go to Isaiah 2. Let me show you what's got to happen. You there? Let's look at verse 10. Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled. The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down. And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of Hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up, and it shall be brought low. Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, upon all the oaks of Bashan, upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, upon every high tower, upon every fortified wall, upon the ships of Tarshish, and upon the beautiful slopes. The loftiness of men shall be bowed down, the haughtiness of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. But the idols he shall utterly abolish. They shall go into the holes of the rocks, into the caves of the earth from the terror of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty when he arises to shake the earth mildly. In that day, a man will cast away his idols of silver, his idols of gold, which they made each for himself to worship, to the moles and the bats, to go to the clefts of the rocks and to the crags of the rugged rocks, from the terror of the Lord, from the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake the earth mightily. Sever yourselves from such a man whose breath is in the nostrils, for what account is he?" So, how is God going to be exalted in America? Well, it's pretty clear. In order for God to be exalted, man must be humbled and abased. In order for God to be exalted in our lives, we must humble ourselves, right? And to be humbled by God is a good thing. Why? Because to be humbled by God makes you still. And when God humbles us, it makes us trust in everything. It makes us understand that indeed God is God. He is with us and He is our stronghold. So when I come to this psalm, and I read something like this, 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 refuge. Does that encourage you? Because it should. That's why it was written. That's why it's been preserved. It's been preserved all these centuries and brought to this day where you are sitting here looking at it, reading it, meditating upon it, and it's for one purpose, to encourage you. So how do we conclude a psalm like this? Well, Psalm 46 helps us to understand what to do when the people of God are under siege. I mean, there's no exaggeration. Think about this. What was siege, a siege warfare, an ancient warfare? Well, it was an attempt by an invading army that could not defeat a city by direct attack. So what they would do is they would surround the city, making it impossible for anyone to leave or anyone to come into the city. What was the intent? Well, the intent was to starve them out, to make them give up. So if the city didn't have food, didn't have water supply, it wouldn't take long for the city to give up. Then the city would be taken as a possession. The citizens would be killed or made slaves. How does it apply to us? It applies to us because the Church of America has been under siege since the late 1700s. Did you know that? This is when the enemies of the Reformed and Biblical Christianity realized, you know what, the Church is too strong to defeat in a face-to-face combat, confrontation. Church was too strong in this land from the 1600s to the early 1800s. The church was too strong. But since then, the enemies of the church have been trying to starve us out. So what have they been doing? Well, they've been attacking the foundations. They've been trying to get the church, the people within the church, to question the very veracity of God's Word. This has led, for example, to the church abandoning their children, turning them over to someone else to train. The wicked have done a great job of vilifying Bible-believing Christians as intolerant, bigoted, homophobic, the list goes on, right? I mean, if you ain't been called one of those, then you ain't probably out there engaging the wicked. Well, we've been under siege warfare for over 200 years. But here's the thing, you know what we forget? We don't have to sit in siege warfare anymore. Did you know that? We have a king. And he told us to engage the wicked. And he's so confident that his kingdom would overcome that he said, the gates of hell will not prevail. So it makes me think we're not supposed to be sitting up in here in siege warfare. It makes me think that we're supposed to be engaging the culture with the truth of God's word. So let me ask you this. Parents, are you training your children to be intolerant? Young people, when you have children, are you getting ready to make your children intolerant? I don't know, that just sounds so bad and negative, Pastor. I don't want to be seen as intolerant. Well, let me ask you this. Are we training our children that there's only one name under heaven and earth by which men can be saved? Because if you train them that way, that is intolerant to everything else. Yeah, we need to be training our children to be intolerant. It's an exclusive message we have that King Jesus gave to us. Have you trained your children to be intolerant towards sin? Well, you know, look at them. They're just cute. No, sin's not cute. Have you trained them to be intolerant to sin because sin is disgusting? And it does nothing but bring destruction. It is the very reason why our Lord Jesus had to come and be crucified. You see, we used to think in the church that sin was disgusting. And when we did, the enemy didn't want to deal with us. The enemy didn't want to confront us. But see, if we refuse to take the battle to the enemy, then we stay in siege warfare. And here's what's going to happen. Sooner or later, you're going to give up. You're going to surrender. And at that point, when you surrender, they're going to just keep taking your liberties away from you. Well, they're taking your liberties away from you because you refuse to go out and engage them, right? But they're also coming after our children. And understand this, what we're seeing happening to our children today is just the first wave to see what we'll tolerate and deal with. It's only going to get worse, right? So if you have a siege mentality, In other words, you're just going to sit comfortably in your own home and wait this out. You are deceiving yourself if you think by waiting it out things will get better. It won't. You see, the only weapon I'm aware of that will overcome darkness is light. So we've got to get comfortable. Just like the wicked are comfortable spreading darkness, the Christians need to get comfortable spreading light. If we continue to have a siege mentality, in other words, we're just going to wait it out. Understand in this land, justice will continue to be perverted. Our liberties will continue to be eroded away. We are not preparing ourselves to be free men and women, but we're preparing ourselves with a siege mentality to become slaves of the state and slaves to the perversion of this culture. So as long as we live with a siege mentality, the differences between good and evil are going to be eradicated. Right and wrong will be defined by the controlling state. If the state allows Christianity, if it even allows something called Christianity, it will just be a church based on the state's philosophy and our grandchildren won't even know what the true version of Christianity looks like. The enemies of the church have been attacking the education system with false ideas, false philosophies. The state has been cramming ungodly laws through the wicked legislation. Judicial decrees will continue to pervert and redefine justice. False churches continue to be raised up that are growing at an incredible rate. And what they're doing is they're redefining sin such that the atoning, propitiatory work of Jesus Christ is no longer even needed. So the enemy continues to lay siege to warfare of the church, and as he does this, The other thing he will do is continue to introduce and sneak in subversives who will attack us from the inside. Now we've been dealing with that in our study of the book of Jude. But what is the purpose of the enemy putting subversives into the church? They're there to weaken and they're there to compromise and soften us up so that eventually we just give up. Do you see your role in this church now is a little bit more important than just sitting by as a bystander? Right? We have to make sure the subversives don't come in here and weaken our children. Cause them to compromise. Getting them ready to just give up. Your role here is training your children and preparing them as we saw earlier. You know, children are arrows in the hands. We need to be producing soldiers of the cross to go out and engage the wicked. The true church of Jesus Christ does not engage in siege warfare. We force the confrontation. We force the confrontation with the enemy. How? Through the gospel proclamation. Refusing to be associated with darkness and exposing darkness. We call out sin. We call sinners to repent. We don't play by their rules, where we're on the defensive, but rather we are to attack every stronghold of Satan. Go to 2 Corinthians 10. Maybe you've forgotten this. You know this verse, but maybe you've forgotten it. 2 Corinthians 10. This is how we should be training our children. This is how we should be training ourselves. In verse 3 it says, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down arguments of every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. And so we are not to be on the defensive. We are to take the offensive and we are to be out there pulling out every stronghold that exalts itself above the knowledge of God. Jude says this, we are to contend earnestly for the faith. We are to be in the business of raising up the next generations of the soldiers of the cross. And part of raising up the next generation is giving them the confidence that this battle will be won. So we need to teach our children the psalm. But not only do we need to teach it, we need to apply it. The Psalm reminds us the enemies of God cannot prevail and God will be exalted upon this earth. So listen to this. As the wicked become more and more emboldened, you and I need to put this Psalm to memory. We need to remember the historical context. The Jew appeared to be outnumbered and on the verge of defeat. But you know what happened? God showed up. God showed up and defeated the enemies of the people of God. And so when the battles and the struggles seem to be overwhelming, Preach this truth. Preach the truth of Psalm 46 to yourself. God is my stronghold. He's my ever-present help. Be still and know that God is God and He will be exalted in the earth. Learn to find refuge in Him and Him alone. Watch Him gain the victory in our land. Watch Him gain glory as we submit to His lead. Purpose. Purpose to take the light of Christ to those who are lost and perishing in this area. Yes, it's going to come with some conflict. Yeah, they're going to call you some mean names. They're going to say things about you. Yeah, you may lose some reputation in the area. Maybe your business gets impacted. Whatever. Understand this. All tactics to discourage you from doing what Christ has called you and I to do. But we put our trust and hope in Him. He is our stronghold. He is our very present help. Therefore, we will not fear. So may God grant us the faith and courage that this psalm requires. Father, we thank you for preserving this for our benefit. This is a psalm that is desperately needed in this day and age for your church. Father, we can't control what happens in other churches, but Lord, we can what happens here. May you grant us the grace, may you grant us the boldness and the courage to take the truth to those who are lost and perishing. May we not give one inch up. May we not be governed or dictated by fear, but may we find hope, may we find courage, boldness in what is taught here in this psalm. Lord, become a reality. Become a reality to each and everyone here that you are the sovereign God. The Lord of hosts, you're the God of Jacob. You're the God who takes sinners and makes covenant with them. And so we can never be lost. We thank you that you have pity and compassion upon us. And that you are making us to be what you have called us to be. So Father, may you strengthen our faith with this psalm today. And may we take the glorious news of the gospel to those who are lost and perishing. And it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen.