Psalms 48, that's where we're
going to be. But I want us to go back and
look at, we're gonna read Psalms 46 and 47. And then look at a few things
in Psalm 48 and get to one verse that arrested my attention in
Psalms 48, Psalms 48. Psalms 46. Let's read. God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though
the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into
the midst of the sea, Though the waters thereof roar and be
troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof,
there is a river, the streams wherewith shall make glad the
city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her. That's his church. She shall
not be moved. God shall help her. And that
right early. The heathen raged, kingdoms were
moved. He uttered his voice and the
earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah, or stop and contemplate
that, these things. Come, behold the works of the
Lord. what desolations he hath made
in the earth. He, God, makes wars to cease
in the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cutteth
the spear and sunder. He burneth the chariot in the
fire. Be still, And know that I am
God. I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Stop and pause and think of that. Oh, clap your hands, all you
people. Shout unto God with the voice
of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible. He is a great king over all the
earth. He shall subdue the people under
us and the nations under our feet. He shall choose our inheritance
for us, the excellency of Jacob, whom he loved. God has gone up
with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet, sing praises
to God, sing praises, sing praises unto our king, sing praises. For God is the king of all the
earth. Sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the heathen. God sits upon the throne of his
holiness. The princes of the people are
gathered together, even the people of God of Abraham. For the shields
of the earth belong unto God. He is greatly exalted. is basically continues the same
thought. Great in chapter 48, verse one,
great is the Lord, greatly to be praised in the city of our
God, in the mountain of his holiness. And then he goes on to say the
king's assembled, but they're nothing compared to our king,
the Lord God, the Lord of glory. Verse five, they saw it and so
they marveled and they were troubled and they hastened away. Fear
took hold of them, verse six, There in pain is a woman in travail. And then further on in the chapter
he talks about how he's going to take care of his church. Verse
11, let Mount Zion rejoice. Let the daughters of Judah be
glad because of thy judgment. Walk about Zion. Walk about the
church. Go around about her. Tell the
towers thereof, mark you well her bulwarks. Consider her palaces. that you may tell it to the generation
following. And this is the verse that I
wanted to look at. For this God, this God, is our God forever
and ever. He, this God, will be our guide
even unto death. Now, I don't know if you noticed,
but these Psalms were written for the sons of Korah, not the
ones in numbers that it was of that lineage. But these sons,
these were, the term was used, masters of music. And these ones,
these sons worshiped the true God. They understand God. They
didn't usurp authority with Moses. this group from the Sons of Korah
was of the lineage that honored and glorified the Lord of Glory. And we notice in these chapters,
and it's chapters, you know, you could look at Psalm 44, the
chief musicians for the Sons of Korah, chapter 45, 46, 47,
48, 49, and they all talk about the glory of God. They talk about
in these chapters, which I've read if you were paying attention,
they talk about God's strength, God's sovereignty, God's righteousness. It talked about His grace and
mercy and love, that He does indeed rule and reign over all
the earth. It said that a number of places.
His greatness, it talked about His greatness alone, His protection
over His people and His church. Then, after all that is said
and done, they make this statement. The God that we were writing
these hymns about, and exalting, and the God that we're worshiping,
this God, and there's really no other God, but it's like they
emphasize, this God is our God. This God is our God. I just have
a few points. That's the text for this morning.
This God is our God. This is, it's almost an explanation
or a shouting of faith. They write all these beautiful
hymns enclustered here. I think this, somebody said there's,
I think they have written 14 of the Psalms that we have recorded. But they just make this statement.
This God, I'm not ashamed of this God. I want to worship this
God. I want to tell about how great
he is. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the
city of our God, in the church. This is God. This is our God.
We, by faith, pledge our allegiance. We point to this book. We point to these hymns as they
are being written. This God, we point to this providence. What's going on now, what was
going on whenever this was written in history, and whatever's going
on right now, in this country, in this world, in this county,
in this city, in this building. Whatever is happening now, God
reigneth and rules over all. This God, not the God of my imagination,
not the God of the Baptist Church or the Methodist Church, not
these guys, the God of the Bible. We're the ones that have put
all these divisions. But there's only two religions.
There's the religion of Cain, which is works, and the religion
of Abel, which is grace. That's the way it's been from
the beginning. This God, this whom we've written
about, this whom we're singing about, this whom we've sang these
hymns, this in Providence, this God in history, in this moment
in history, past history, tomorrow, we point by gracious faith given
to us by Him And Him alone we say, this God is our God. Can you say that this morning?
Answer that question. Is this God our God? My God? This God who is reconciled to
us by the blood of the covenant. ratified and sealed by the cross
of Christ and the Holy Spirit of truth. We, who were reconciled,
who all of our days would not have him, says the scriptures,
to reign over us. We were born in sin. We didn't
want him. We didn't want to be here. We
didn't want him to reign over us. We wanted our own way, not
his way, that we might have life. who the one who fetched us out
and cleansed us and washed us completely and comforted us by
his lovely word and the gospel which you hear this morning and
I pray you hear every time we gather. We were threatened by
the law, we were born in sin, uninterested in the things of
the truth and grace of God. He, by the sacrifice of himself,
once forever secured, sanctified, and rescued his people from their
sins. Yes, this God. the only true God and Savior.
This God who spoke in the world was formed, created, and is now
maintained. It's not just He created it and
stepped back and just let it go. No, He is, if He knows the
hairs of our head, if He, there's not a sparrow that falls to the
ground without Him. If He's that detailed in His
sovereign ruling reign over, He's maintaining this world.
He's maintaining this world. He in the sacred trinity of his
persons redeemed rebels unto himself. Can you, can I say this
God is my God? Even though his ways are past
finding out. Job made a comment, you know, can you find him out
by searching? No. The last thing that I read, finally finished
reading the attributes of God, the last chapter is the contemplation. Who is God? He's more than what
we know. He's revealed what we need to
know in this book. But the scripture says if everything
were written, the world couldn't contain the book. But that's
okay. We don't need to know. What we
have here is what we need to know, what He's revealed to us.
But even how little of Him do we know? I mean, really. And
I never thought about this, but Pink was saying, even the saints
in glory are finite. He's the only one who is infinite. And I never really thought about
that. But yes, that's why in heaven, that's why one reason
why I believe it's forever is because it'll be forever. We'll
be learning and learning and learning and more about this
God. They just, the statement, it's
just, it's like it's, well, most of the commentators, they just
had the statement by itself. The rest of the Psalm, they,
but this is just by itself. This God, it's just like a declaration,
declaration of faith. This God is our God forever and
ever. Can you and I say that? This
God is my God. Oh brethren, may God give us
a heartfelt answer to that very question. He's someone's God. That's not good enough. Is he my God? Is he your God?
With whom we have to do. Every knee is going to bow. Some unto mercy. And some he's
a consuming fire. We know He has answered Christ,
or God through Christ by the Holy Spirit has answered everything
against us. Every jot and tittle of this
book, every charge brought against His people by law, by Satan,
and even by conscience. Does your conscience bother you?
He's taking care of that, and I know we struggle with it. That's
why we keep, that's why Peter says unto whom coming. We continually,
it's not just you get saved, get baptized, whatever, and then
it's over. No, we continually, don't we have to eat? We feed
our bodies every day, what about spiritually? Yes, yes, we have
to feed, we want to feed. I ask again, is he our, your,
and my God? in this capacity, after saying
and seeing all these beautiful things, after saying and seeing
all these horrible things about ourselves. Like when somebody
says, they talk bad about you, you know, I've often heard, well,
you don't know the half of it. And that's true. You don't know,
you can't see the heart. You don't know how bad we are.
But the believer knows to a great extent. And that's why he continues
to come to Christ. That's why he continues to feed
on the word. It's not just to be set up on
the mantle once in a while and pulled. It's not just for the
pastor. It's just not for the elders.
It is, this God is our God forever and ever. Now the second, the
last point, what is faith's response? What is faith's answer? What
is faith's assurance? There's the declaration of faith.
This God is our God. that our insurance is, He will
be our guide even unto death. He will be our guide even unto
death, our. Well, who are those? That's the
same ones who have been graced to acknowledge God in faith.
It's the same ones that speak in the very first part of the
verse. Guide, that word is, as Nathan read, Lead, I will lead,
that's what that word is, lead. As in Psalms 23, he leads us
besides still waters. As John chapter 16, he will,
the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. That's what he
is. Not only is he our God forever
and ever, he will be our guide, our lead, our leader unto death. It's a little, It's like it's
death and then it's over. No, the word could also be translated
unto death or over death or through death. Why do I know this to
be fact? Because we are guaranteed the
resurrection. When we die, it's not over. A
friend of mine in college said, well, when you die, it's over.
No, it's not. It's not. He will be our guide even unto
death. and past death and through death.
We are guaranteed, says Colossians 118, that he is the firstborn
among the dead. We're guaranteed the resurrection.
Again, from the sacred word, he will be our guide even unto
death. Turn to Philippians chapter one.
This is all saying the same thing. Philippians chapter one. And verse six, being confident,
sounds like a declaration of faith, of this very thing, that
he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until
the day of Christ Jesus. Or how about 1 Thessalonians? 1 Thessalonians chapter five,
verses 23 and 24. 1 Thessalonians five. Verse 23 and 24, and the very
God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit
and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful as he that called you,
he will do it. That's saying the same thing
as he will be our guide, our leader even unto death. Well, how about one of my favorite
passages, Jude 24, verse 24. Jude, verse 24. Now unto Him that is able to
keep you. That sounds like we're being
kept by someone outside of ourselves from falling. and to present
you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Savior
be glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and ever. In Psalms 106 verse 1 Psalms 106 verse 1. Praise ye the Lord, O give thanks
unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Forever. Forever. For this God, the God that we
were just writing about, the God that put this in this holy
inspired Word, this unerring Word that we have, and we can
look at anytime, and it fits every need, every situation.
Not only is it good unto salvation, but righteousness, sanctification,
growth, love, peace, hope. This God. Is he our God? Is he my God? Is he your God? If he is, he
will be our leader, our guide, even unto death. Now, I know
we think we've lived a few years. The older we get, we've seen,
we've been around the block, and we think we know a few things.
But really, if we're honest with ourselves, We need a guide all
the time. We need a guide all the time,
not just when we go to the Grand Canyon or not, when we go to
certain places we haven't been before. But that's part of growing
old in grace, is you grow less in yourself and you grow more
like Christ. And you say, no, I can't do it. He will be our
leader, our guide, even unto death. So in summation, you don't have
to turn there, but Isaiah 46 verses three and four, hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house
of Israel, which are born by me from the belly, which are
carried from the womb. And even to your old age, I am
He, I am the God, I am the God. And even to your poor hairs,
gray, and will carry you, I will carry you. I have made, and I
will bear, and even I will carry you, and I will deliver you. Even to your old age, even to
your old age and beyond. If this is the only life we live,
the scripture says we are of all men most miserable. If this
is the only time we have hope or joy, it's not. It's not. That's why we constantly
need to look at the Word and be comforted by the Word and
be drawn, because we get drawn away by this stuff in the world. We're like kids, it's shiny,
something's flashing, we gotta go get it, gotta see it, gotta
have it. No, no, no. No, we don't. We need our God. We need this God, not the God
of our imagination, not the God of any specific, particular denomination,
the God of the Scriptures. Trust in Him. Worship Him. And own Him. Acknowledge Him. And own up to your own sins.
My, oh my, what a large pillow. I will carry you even in your
old age. I am He. Even to your gray hairs,
I'll carry you. I have made, I will bear you.
I, even I, We'll deliver you. What a large pillow that verse,
Isaiah 46, verse three and four. What a large pillow. He's saints
of God. May we take our full and everlasting
repose in him and find peace and comfort for our souls. Bruce,
would you close us, please?