If you have your Bible with you this evening, go ahead and turn with me to Psalm 46. Psalm 46. As we continue to make our way through the Psalms, we considered the beginning five verses of Psalm 46 last week. And we will be considering verse six to the end here this week, six to 11. Psalm 46, six to 11. As we behold and are called to behold the works of the Lord. Psalm 46, beginning in verse six. Hear now the very word of God written for you and for me today. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice. The earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge, say law. 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. 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. Amen. Thus far, the reading of his word, may he add his blessing to it. Let's ask his blessing on the preaching of it. Our gracious God and heavenly father, as your word has been read and is now preached, we do pray that you, by your spirit, would work in and through your word in our hearts. We do pray, oh God, that you would open our hearts to receive it. And Lord, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts would be pleasing in your sight through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And we pray these things in Christ's name, amen. Amen, well, beloved, Psalm 46 is such a comfort and encouragement to your soul from beginning to end, isn't it? Right from the beginning in verse one, the three words that the psalmist sings to the Lord in the praise of who he is and what he does for his people are amazing and should be high on the list of his attributes in your mind. They should be of special significance to you, especially as you walk day by day in this life and face all that you do along with what's to come. God is your refuge, your strength, and your present help. Jesus is your refuge, strength, and present help. I pray that he has stirred this picture and this reality that it conveys in your heart this week. Christ is your shelter in the storm. He is a shade from the heat. He is your refuge in battle. As much as he covers you, he also upholds you. You're wonderfully taught in this psalm. Jesus is your stronghold in trouble. He is your strong tower in the fight who holds you up under your burdens. He equips you with what you need in suffering. And the Holy Spirit grants you the grace and strength to endure all of it. These are all matters of great praise, aren't they? For none of them are true. None of them come apart from the living God. But even more, Jesus is your very present help. He is with you, he is alongside you, and goes before you leading his church as he provides the sufficient amount of help just at the right time in the afflictions that have already come heavily upon you. And therefore, you truly have nothing to fear. You truly have nothing to fear though the earth be shaken to its core in terrible and terrifying judgments. You have nothing to fear and much reason to have great faith as you are in the safe, strong, and helping hands of your God. For he is the one who makes you glad. and will not only see you safely to the end, but will joyfully usher you into eternity with him. And so considering all of this, the psalmist now continues to proclaim the Lord of hosts, who is the king of the nations and the king of his church. Let us hear his words of the Lord of hosts is with us in verses six and seven. his call to behold the works of the Lord, eight and nine, and God will be exalted in verses 10 and 11. Well, as we hear in verse six, the nations raged, the kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice, the earth melted. You know, as you think about these words, I want you to think about them in a twofold manner. First, they are words that should remind you of the beginning of Psalm 2 and the raging of the nations that began that psalm. How does that psalm begin? With a good question regarding why. Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? We read there in verse one. The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying, let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us. Beloved, why do the nations rage? Why do they act foolishly in their own plotting and scheming? Because they are fools who are against God. They are against Christ and therefore against his people. But now second, bring this reality into Psalm 46.6 and interpret it in its context in verse five. Remember what the psalmist sang there. God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall help her just at the break of dawn. My friends, see that as in Psalm 2, God declares and demonstrates his divine sovereignty as the king sitting and even laughing at the wicked from his throne, as God has set Jesus as king over all of his creation, over all of the nations, and he speaks to them in his wrath. Psalm 2, verse 5. But you find Christ's kingship consistent in Psalm 46, don't you? Particularly in the light of his coming to his people at just the right time. As he is in the midst of his church, as your refuge, strength, and help, you will not be moved, but rather see that the raging nations are. Notice that. He comes just at the right time. He knows when the armies are set to attack. He comes at the break of dawn to defend, to lead, to go before his army. And how did the psalmist say the nations are moved? Similarly to Psalm 2 verse 5, you see the power of the word of God to create, to cause things to exist and live. as well as to cause things and people that exist to be moved and confused. Notice he uttered his voice, the word of his power. See the picture of how with that word of his power, God brought even worse than was pictured in verses two and three to pass in judgment. The earth melted. This was and is his divine response to wicked, rebellious, raging, and tumultuous nations, notice. What is the psalmist teaching you here? God rocked their worlds by what many scholars believe was a melting of the spirits of his enemies. He got their attention by striking confusion in them. He confounded their plans. The earth melted under them so that they had no firm footing. They had no ability to stand, although in their plans and their scheming, they were banking on it. No, they had no firm footing once the proud and arrogant hearts were quickly turned into being full of fear. Consider the words that Deborah and Barak sung to the Lord in Judges 5, verses four and five. Lord, when you went out of Seir, when you marched from the field of Edom, the earth trembled and the heavens poured. The clouds also poured water. The mountains gushed before the Lord, this Sinai before the Lord God of Israel. Levite, you hear those words, the earth trembling and the heavens pouring. The mountains gushed before the Lord at His command and for His glory, demonstration of His power. But think also about what is foretold will happen when Christ returns in Luke 21, beginning in verse 25. And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars. and on the earth distress of nations with perplexity. The sea and waves roaring and men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. This is the testimony of the return of Christ and the great power that he possesses. The great glory that he possesses that will be on display even as his creation shakes. The heavens act like they have never done before at the beck and call and the will of their God. And fear fills the hearts of wicked men. But yet again, beloved, what is true of you as God's people? The psalmist repeats and expands on the comforting message of verse one. Look at verse seven. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge, Selah. Again, here is that Selah word. It means to stop and to meditate and to ponder on what was just said regarding the presence of the God of armies with you as people, and the God of Jacob being your refuge. The God who is your refuge, strength, and very present help in times of trouble is revealed even more to you here in this very brief but powerful verse. He's revealed to you as the Lord of armies who has sovereign authority as the supreme commander. And secondly, as the God of Jacob who is present, keeping his covenant promises to you as he provides his gracious protection over you. Sovereign commander, sovereign covenant Lord. Consider the comfort and instruction Joshua and Caleb gave Israel in Numbers 14, verse nine, and may it be your own tonight. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them. The people of the land of Canaan were intimidating. They were terrifying in many ways. Giants, huge. But here, God's people are commanded, don't fear them. And why? Because the Lord is with us. But also the words of Abijah to Israel in 2 Chronicles 13, verse 12 are helpful Now look, God himself is with us as our head, and his priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. Oh, children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper. Not only is there heritage in these words, but that is important. Consider who you are fighting against, Israel. Indeed, this is the God of your fathers. He is the Lord. He is God. And he is with you as your head. Stop fighting against your head. Who is the living God? And see that reason there, you will not prosper. Again, this in many ways is very well connected to the statement and description of the raging nations. You're raging, but God sits in heaven and he laughs at you. You think you will prosper, but you won't, wicked nations. You will be brought to nothing. But not only are the acts of God in judgment terrible and terrifying in concept and description, beloved, but the psalmist gives a call to come and see. Look at verse eight. Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. My friends, God calls you today to come and behold his works. He also calls the nations to behold his works. He calls you to come and understand what God is doing every day in our world. He calls you to come and behold God unfolding his eternal plan and purposes in the course of time and history. Here in verse eight, God calls the joyful citizens of his kingdom to go and observe the remains of their enemies so that they would mark the skill and success of the Lord their God and the spoils by which his right hand has won his people. Come, behold the works of the Lord. Behold all that he has done for you in victory and in solace and protection. As each day unfolds before you, every child of God and every person on earth should carefully note the providential dealings of your covenant God as he provides for and rules every part of his creation. Whenever you read history, these verses should direct you to see the works of God in history. You should also observe and consider what happens today eagerly to see how Christ, the head of the church, rules the nations for his people's good. Beholding the works of God are not just a future thing. Not just a future thing, even looking back. Come, behold the works of your Lord. For his works are to be both observed as you find true in the psalmist's call in Psalm 66, beginning in verse five, where you see a similar call, come and see the works of God. He is awesome in his doing towards the sons of men. He turned the sea into dry land. They went through the river on foot. This is reflecting on the parting of the Red Sea. There we will rejoice in him. He rules by his power forever. His eyes observe the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. Come and see the works of God again. Come and reflect on his specific works that were marvelous and magnificent and great and awesome in that particular event in history, but also be mindful of the application. See the God who did such things. Know that he observes all of his creation. His eyes are upon all the nations. Therefore, don't let the rebellious exalt themselves. Beloved, God's works are also to be sought out as you find in Psalm 111, verse two. The works of the Lord are great, and notice this, studied by all who have pleasure in them. His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonderful works to be remembered. Do you hear that? It's not just that he has done mighty and wonderful things and you're oblivious to it. It indeed is true that he is doing things that you know nothing of, that are mighty and great. But yet here your God reveals to you that he has made his wonderful works to be remembered. Remembered by who? Remembered by his people. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He has given food to those who fear him. He will ever be mindful of his covenant. Don't forget that either. Sometimes you may look around you at the world and see the wickedness swirling and rising and wonder if God has forgotten his covenant. No, he has not. Again, see this in its context. He shows you His wonderful works. He gives you time and again evidences and testimonies of His power and His grace. He shows you how His plan is unfolding. You know His character. You know His being. You know His attributes. You know it is true and stand upon them. And therefore, you know that He will ever be mindful of His covenant. Notice verse six of Psalm 111. He has declared to his people the power of his works in giving them the heritage of the nations. So you see all of his wonderful works, but he also declares this to you. This is a message to you, his people. He has told you of his power. He's not only displayed it, he's declared it. and giving you the heritage of the nations. My friends, though many of you may have considered being a good student of the word, have you thought much and then acted upon this call and your need to study God's great works? What about his works of desolations in the earth? Be a good student of those as well. Sometimes we may gravitate towards the others, say, ah, well, his works of creation, his handiwork in the skies is his beauty, his truth. But have you studied his desolations in the earth? What he does in judgment with the raging nations, as he calls you to come and see and to behold his works. And he shows you the, the remains of his enemies. Indeed, you do need to come. You do need to behold the events God brings about that cause horror in the earth. Come behold how God lays his enemies waste in the earth, otherwise. This is so powerful when you stop to consider the many judgments of God that he has brought about through a variety of instruments and means in the earth. Matthew Henry says it well. He says, among the enemies of his church who thought to lay the land of Israel desolate, the destruction they designed to bring upon the church has been turned upon themselves. War is a tragedy which commonly destroys the stage it is acted on. David carried the war into the enemy's country, and oh, what desolations did it make there. Cities were burnt, countries laid waste, and armies of men cut off and laid in heaps upon heaps. Come and see. the effects of desolating judgments and stand in awe of God. Just as Matthew Henry makes such comments, you see this message and this call to you in Psalm 46. He's right, he's true. Come and see these works and these particular works, the works that may cause us to shy back a little bit. This is the power of God in his holy judgment. He is making right and acting justly on what was wrong. He is acting against those who are against him in righteousness. And yet in all the desolations of the nations and of the land, in every kingdom of the world, you see the hand of Christ crushing his enemies. You also see the grace of God in his mighty works that bring him glory and his people peace through the work of the Prince of Peace and his gospel. That was so marvelously foretold in the prophets. And you can think back to Isaiah chapter nine. Look at verse nine of Psalm 46. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire. My friends, only God makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. Only God can break the bows and cut the spears. Only God will burn the chariot in the fire. Only God can silence the weapons of war that men make. There will only be peace with you who make peace with God through the person and only mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Then in faithfulness to God, men can establish godly and righteous dominion in the earth with the word of God and enjoying peace from war. Only the voice of God quiets the tumults of war. Only God crushes the great powers of the earth until they can provoke strife no more. Only God gives you profound peace and rest. And because all of this is true, God issues the call to bow the knee in verse 10, notice. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth. How counter each phrase of this is, how counter each call of this is, and each statement is in comparison to the world's schemes and the nation's plans. Now a good question is, is the call and command to be still and know that he is God a call to his people? or a call to the raging nations? The answer is yes. The call and command is rightly applied to both, and let's consider that for a moment. As many of you are aware, this call is quoted often in times of trouble as a means of comforting and calming God's people as you experience a wide range of circumstances and emotions and afflictions. It's quoted often to bring peace to hearts and minds that are anxious and fearful, directing your attention to your Lord Jesus Christ to remember who he is and who you are, along with his power and promises to you in Christ in your time of need. However, it's important for you to interpret it within its context of war and peace. It's important for you to even see the post-war peace that is in view as Jesus brings the war to an end. It's a wonderful blessing to keep Christ in the forefront of your heart as you are mindful that it's in the true knowledge of him and his deliverance of you that you have peace. And that you have peace in several ways, peace with God, the fruit of the Spirit's peace within, along with the eternal peace that you will experience when Christ consummates his kingdom and he wipes all of your tears away. Peace with God. This call to be still and know he is God is also a call to command the raging nations to stop. and to know to their terror that he is the true and living God and repent of their raging against him and his people. It is that call as well. And what is one of the big reasons God issues the call? Notice what he says right after that statement. Be still and know that I am God. For why? For what reason? He will be exalted among the nations and in the earth. Indeed, if you think about it, as I said a few moments ago, what do the nations want? They want themselves to be exalted. They want to be top dog among all the other nations and the other nations bow to them. They want to be the most exalted in the entire world. dominance, dominion. But he says, no, no. I am God. Your gods are dead and false. They have no power. They have no ears. They have no eyes. They're nothing. I am God. You exalt your gods. I will be exalted in the nations. I will be exalted in the earth, he says. Indeed, you once again see a twofold application here. In spite of their malice and evil plotting against God in his name, and though they would do their own way and according to their own will, though they put their false gods before him, the heathen nations must know that God will be exalted. He's not hopeful. He doesn't wish. He will be exalted. He will have his way. He will do his own will. He will glorify his own name throughout the earth. This is your God. But secondly, as you as God's people are still knowing that he is God, See that you have all the more reason to be free of fear and at peace knowing that he is God alone and that he will be exalted over the heathen. Those that afflict and oppress and persecute. Those who come after you with a vengeance because you are God's people. God will be exalted above all of them. the God who is with you, the God who is protecting you, the God who is your covenant Lord who will never forget his covenant or his promises in Christ. God will get all the glory, whether through mercy or through justice, praise him for both. Praise him for all of it. He will get the glory. Consider the words of Isaiah 2, verse 10 and 11. Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty. And notice verse 11, 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. So therefore join in with the plea of Psalm 57, verse five. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be above the earth. Consider the words also of the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb regarding what is to come in Revelation 15, beginning in verse three. Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the saints. who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name. For you alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before you, for your judgments have been manifested. This is the glorious picture of the work of Christ and his sovereign dominion. And this ties sweetly. Psalm 46 really points you wonderfully to Christ and what is to come in these ways. The psalmist concludes his song, praising God once again for his presence and protection. Again, repetition is meaningful in the scriptures. Verse 11, the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge, say la. What a comfort and a joy and a source of peace this psalm is for your heart. Be at peace under the almighty power and presence of Christ, your Savior and King. The wicked will spin, rage, and spew evil towards and against you, and yet the God who sits on his throne in heaven and laughs at their scheming is with you to strengthen, protect, and provide for you, even in eternity. And so take time and seek out how Jesus, as the head of his church, rules the nations even now for your good. Kids, this is a good lesson for you today, isn't it? As you study, as you read the Bible, as you look at God's work in his world, this is good for you to consider. As he rules the nations for your good, Then praise Him, beloved, praise Him all the more for His great and mighty works. You come and behold Him. You come and behold His works, praise Him for them. And as you exalt the Lord your God, and as you worship at His footstool, stand in awe and with confidence that He is God alone, and according to His sovereign will, He will be exalted. His name will be glorified throughout the earth. And this is a marvelous thing, one that should give comfort and peace to your hearts in Christ. Amen. Praise God for his word. Let's pray together. Our gracious God and heavenly Father, how wonderful you are in all of your ways and all of who you are, your strength, your power, your might, your protection. your holiness, your judgment, your love for your people, your love of your own holiness and your glory, oh God. It will all be yours, Lord. You will be exalted. And we praise you for showing us and declaring such things in this psalm. We pray, oh God, that we would never forget what you have revealed to us that is of such encouragement and comfort to us as your people, that brings us to a place of awe and deepens our worship of you. Oh Lord, how wonderful it is to be a part of the family of the living God because of the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God that we are not under your condemnation. but we are recipients of your saving grace. Oh, thank you, Jesus, for your love for us, your work for us, and thank you for all of these promises contained in this word. We pray this in Christ's name, amen.