Okay, Psalms 46, starting in
verse eight to the end of the chapter. Come, behold the works
of the Lord. What desolations he hath made
in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto
the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow and cutteth
the spear in 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. Exodus 14. Exodus 14, starting in verse
9. But the Egyptians pursued after
the Israelites, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh and his
horsemen and his army and overtook them in camping by the sea beside
these two places. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the
children of Israel lifted up their eyes and behold, the Egyptians
marched after them and they were sore afraid and the children
of Israel cried out unto the Lord. And they said unto Moses,
because there were no graves in Egypt, thou hast taken us
away to die in the wilderness. Wherefore hast thou dealt thus
with us to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word
that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, let us alone, that we
may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us
to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people,
fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord,
which he will show to you today. For the Egyptians whom you have
seen today, you shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you
and you shall hold your peace. Go back to Psalms 46. I'm going
to read to you a little bit more of an account of this Egyptian
chasing the Israelites by the Red Sea. They're getting ready
to cross there. This is found in, if you went for reference,
found in Isaiah 30. Isaiah 30, verses one through
seven. Woe to the rebellious children,
saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me, and that cover
with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin
to sin, that walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked
at my mouth to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and
to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore shall the strength
of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt
your confusion. For his princes were at Zohan,
and his ambassadors came to Hainas. They were all ashamed of a people
that could not profit them, nor be it help nor profit, but a
shame and also a reproach. The burden of the beasts of the
south into the land of trouble and anguish, from hence come
the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent. They
will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses
and their treasures upon the bunches of camels. to a people
that shall not profit them. For the Egyptians shall help
in vain and to no purpose. Therefore have I cried concerning
this." Their strength, Israel's strength, is to sit still. Sit still. And lastly, Habakkuk. chapter 2 and verse 20. But the Lord is in His holy temple,
let all the earth keep silence before Him. Now these four passages,
we're told in them to be silent and to know that God is in His
holy temple, We are told to be still and know that God is God. And that's what I want to look
at. I want to look at going back to our passage in Psalms 46 verse
10. Be still and know that I am God.
And in Exodus He said, stand still and see the salvation of
the Lord. Now what do we mean to know God? What do we mean by God is God? Don't most folks already know
this? I'll say probably not. Probably
not. At least what this book says
about who God is. Who God is. Well, and even Paul
in Acts chapter 17, you don't need to turn there, it would
be good to look at it when you get home. When he spoke to those
folks in Mars Hill, They've got all these temples set up with
all these different gods and they had even some incense being
burned to the unknown God. And as he put it, he says, I'm
going to preach to you about this unknown God. So to many,
to many, I agree with Pink and Spurgeon and Gill and all these,
many folks, they don't know who the God of the Bible is. And
that's one reason why a personal preference of mine is Pink's
sovereignty of God is excellent, but I think his attributes of
God, that short book, it just hammers with scriptures after
scriptures and goes over the characteristics of God. So what
do we mean when we say, be still and know that I am God? Well,
I say it's God is God, that he is sovereign, that's Lord over
all, that he is omnipotent, that he's all-powerful, that He's
omnipresent, He's everywhere, that He's omniscient, that He's
all-wise, He's immutable, He doesn't change, He's supreme
and independent of all. 1 Samuel chapter 2. This is what I say, but what
does the scripture say? That's what we really need to
find out. What does the scripture say Who is God? God is God. What does that mean?
1 Samuel. And we're just going to look
at Navey's topical Bible. It's got
all this stuff. And so, it's good for me to go
back over these things. I just absolutely love looking
and seeing. It's one thing to know God is
sovereign. It's another thing to know the
God who is sovereign. Be still and know that God is
God. 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse
6, the Lord killeth and maketh alive. He bringeth down to the
grave and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor and maketh
rich. He bringeth low and lifteth up.
He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifted up the beggar
from the dunghill to set them among princes and to make them
inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth
are the Lord's." That's what we mean. God is God. Psalms 93. I'm just going to
go through several of these. There are so many of these passages,
but these are all good. Psalms 93. Verse 1 and 2. The Lord reigneth. That's where we get the word
sovereignty. The Lord reigneth. He is clothed
with majesty. The Lord is clothed with strength.
He hath girded Himself. The world also is established
that it cannot be moved. Thy throne is established of
old. Thou art from everlasting. Psalms 115. Psalms 115 and verse
3. But our God is in the heavens.
He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. I was going to go to
Isaiah 40. Any Isaiah 40 through 49, the
Isaiah 40s, they declare the glory of God and His sovereignty
and His majestic sweetness. But let's turn to Daniel. I like
this one. Daniel chapter 4. Daniel chapter
4. Verse 3, 17, and 35. Daniel 4,
verse 3. How great are His signs and how
mighty are His wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom and His dominion is from generation to generation. Verse 17. This matter is by the
decree of the watchers and the demand of the word of the holy
ones to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth
in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever He will, and
setteth up over it the basest of men." And in that classic
verse, verse 35 of Daniel chapter 4, says in Nebuchadnezzar, sorry,
verse 35, all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing,
and God does according to His will in the army of heaven and
among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His
hand or say unto Him, What are you doing? That's what we mean
when we say God is God. Secondly, God is always just,
right, and correct in all His actions towards the sons and
daughters of men. James chapter 1. James chapter
1. He's always right, just, and
correct in all His actions towards the sons and daughters of men.
James chapter 1 and verse 17. He says, Do not err, my beloved
brethren. Verse 16 and verse 17. Every good, every good gift
and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the
Father of lights with whom is no variableness, neither shadow
of turning. Scripture declaring God's immutability. He does not change. Thirdly,
firstly, God is God. We've seen that in the scriptures.
Secondly, God is always just, right, and correct. Thirdly,
God is able to save and only He is able to save. He chooses
whom He will, as He will, when He wills, and all this is to
the praise of the glory of His grace. Ephesians 1. Verses three through six, blessed
be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who had blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, according
as he had chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that
we should be holy without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will. to the praise of the glory of
His grace wherein He hath made us, made us accepted in the Beloved. Everything He does is according
to the good pleasure of His will. That's why Christ said when you
pray, you say, Thy will be done. Not a question mark, not a supposed
request, but God's will shall be done. Back to our text in
Psalms 46. Be still and know that I am God. This is the God of the scriptures.
Old, New Testament, everywhere. This is the God whom we trust,
the God whom we fear, the God whom we worship, the God whom
we reverence. Well, the second thing that I
thought was, he says be still. Be still in Psalms 46. And in
Exodus 14, stand still, be still, stand still. Well, I ask, what
can we add to God? Who has been His instructor,
says Job? Who has been God's instructor? He is in need of nothing, for
He owns everything. Stand still and be still. This is a major problem, a major
problem, not only that it's religion, modern day religion does not
know who God is. And I say modern day, Noah had
this issue, Job had this issue, David had this issue. Most people
don't know who God is. But today, white noise they call
it, it's just noise. People talk all the time. That's how He uses to spread
the Gospel. I'm not saying that's not... But my point is, is people
hit the ground running teaching people instead of being still
or standing still. Jeremiah 13 verse... let me get
here a minute... Jeremiah 13 verse 23 He says, can the Ethiopian change
his skin or the leopard his spots? May ye then also do good that
are accustomed to do evil. What can sinful beings give to
God? We need to stand still and be
still. See, Mr. Spurgeon said in this
particular passage in Psalms, he said, despair says, lie down and die. Can't do anything,
just lie down and die. Cowardice says, retreat. Hastings says, do something. Presumption says, go without
God, but just go. never faith says stand still
stand still and see be still stand still and see the salvation
of God faith from God through Christ enabled by the Holy Spirit
says be still stand still and behold behold our God look and
live says another place upon the one and only Savior of men. Stand upon the rock. He has accomplished
everything necessary for his people's salvation. Matter of
fact, he says in Hebrews 4, cease from your works. That's one thing
I'll never forget. A preacher said, I don't know
where he was, he was here or wherever he was at, but I heard
him say, to get people to stop working and simply trust Christ. Because that's what this is about.
You get in the church, and the church gets you busy doing something. Stand still, be still, and know
that He is God. I'll give you an excellent picture
of this, example of this, Numbers 21. I love these Old Testament
pictures. Numbers 21, verses 4 through
9. You'll remember this when I begin
reading it. And they, that is, They came out from Egypt, the
Israelites, they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red
Sea to encompass the land of Edom, and the soul of the people
was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake
against God and against Moses, wherefore have you brought us
up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread,
neither Is there any water? And our soul loathes this light
bread." Well, that light bread was manna, which was a picture
of Christ. Impatient. They don't want to stand still.
They don't want to be silent. And the Lord sent fiery serpents
among the people, and they bit the people, and much people of
Israel died. Therefore, the people came to
Moses and said, we have sinned, for we have spoken against the
Lord and against thee. Pray unto the Lord that he take
away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
Moses is a type of picture of Christ. They went to him to go
to God. And what does Christ do for us?
Every time we sin, he prays. He's our intercessor. He's our
everlasting intercessor. And the Lord said unto Moses,
make thee a fiery serpent and set it upon a pole and it shall
come to pass that everyone that is bitten when he looks upon
it shall live. They were standing still and
beholding salvation cometh. You get bit. You look. You didn't run. You were going
to die. So you looked and you lived. No decisions for Jesus. They
were not trying to exercise their supposed free will. No, they
were dead and dying sinners looking by faith, and faith is a gift
of God, to this serpent whom Christ represented. Well, where
do you get that at? Well, if you want to later on
look at John chapter 3 verse 14. Christ is that serpent in
the wilderness. But look at this, in verse 7,
and the people came to Moses and said, we have sinned. We've
spoken against the Lord and against thee. There is sin acknowledged. Sin is acknowledged. It's always
going to be. If you stand still and God begins
to do a work in you, sin is going to be acknowledged and sin is
going to be confessed. We've sinned against God. The
only have I sinned. Our sin is against man as well.
But first things first, we've sinned against God and against
you, Moses, or against the Lord Christ. owning the guilt. They're not passing it off. They're
owning the guilt. And another passage that I absolutely
love that shows forth the picture of perfect, beautiful salvation
is Zechariah chapter 12. Zechariah chapter 12. in verse 9, Zechariah 12, and
it shall come to pass in that day, that day that I will seek
to destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem, I will pour
upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
the elect, what's he going to do? When God begins to do a work,
when you're standing still, and this is not idle standing, this
is soul conviction. This is Holy Spirit conviction.
Blessed be that day. I heard Henry say this numerous
times. Blessed be that day when Christ crossed Zacchaeus' path. You want to know how to pray
for friends, neighbors, loved ones that don't know the Lord
yet? Ask God to cross their path. And this is what he does. I will
pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem
the Spirit of grace. There's no salvation without
the Holy Spirit conviction. Holy Spirit, grace, the grace
of God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ, enabled by the
spirit of grace of supplication, and they who, those who are pierced,
will look upon me whom they have pierced, whom Christ, and they
shall mourn for Him. Isn't that what? We know that
I am God. Mourn. That's what the people
did. We've sinned against God and against Moses. We've sinned.
Mourn for Him. Mourn that our sins put him on
the cross as one that mourned for his only son. And they shall
be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his
firstborn. And in that day, there should be a great mourning in
Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadon-Rimon in the valley of
Middiganon. And the land shall mourn every
family apart." In other words, you can't be saved for your child. They have to mourn. Every family
is very personal. because our sin is personally
against the Redeemer. Every house, every family, the
house of David, their wives, the family of the house of Nathan,
apart, and their wives, the family of the house of Levi, apart,
their wives, Shemai, apart, and their wives, all families that
remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. It doesn't
end there. Zechariah 13.1, in that day,
that same day, the day of salvation, There shall be a fountain opened
to who? The house of David and inhabitants
of Jerusalem." See, God's gospel, it's harmonious. He doesn't convict
somebody and then... dies for everybody, those whom
He's convicted through the Holy Spirit, through the preaching
of His truth, it's just congruent. I didn't interpret this book,
I'm just reading it back to you. And that day there should be
a fountain open, specifically the house of David, the inhabitants
of Jerusalem. You go back to chapter 12, that's
who's being convicted. For what? For sin and uncleanness. That's our problem. That's why
we need to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. The
gracious spirit of God causes the sinner to look, stare, cling
to Christ as one, the only one that can redeem, two, that has
the right to redeem, three, has the power to redeem, and thusly,
fourthly, has redeemed. Stop doing. It's done. Religion today says, do, do,
abstain, look at me, what I've done, this and all, no. The grace
of God declares, it is finished. Believe Him, trust Him, confess
Him, be baptized into Him, and live for Him. We could look at example number
two I've written here, we don't need to, but in Matthew 27 and
Luke 23, the thief on the cross. There's two thieves on the cross,
but only one. was taken the glory." He says, you'll be with me in
paradise. In Matthew 27, they said, well he was a little bit
better. No, because in Matthew 27 it
says they cast, both of them cast the same in his teeth. They
were both spitting hate to Christ. In Matthew 27, 38 and 44, but
then you go to Luke, and then the one, when the one thief was
mocking, the other thief says, something happened. He said, you know, we're just. For what's being punished, it's
just. Because we're both sinned. We've committed crimes. And then
he turned to Christ in just a few words. Oh, I need to be burdened
so heavy and pray for days. I don't know. I can show you. We looked at a couple, several
months ago, like a one-word prayer. One and two-word prayers. Lord,
remember me. Lord, remember me. Only the grace of God made the
difference between these two, not themselves. Not themselves. And God, through Christ, took
one of them to glory. So, stand still, or be still,
and know that God is God. The last point, and thirdly,
what about now? You say, I say that God has called
us out of darkness into His marvelous light. What about now? Turn to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. Let us be still now and let us
stand still even now and know Verse 28 of Romans 8, that all
things are working together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to God's purpose. Do you know
God? Do you know that God is God?
Do you know that He's sovereign, immutable, holy, just, righteous,
the man's end of us, which we cannot produce? So we stand still,
and He calls whom He calls. If He has called us, He's been
ever gracious to do so. We didn't deserve it. Be still, stand still, knowing
everything God does is for our good and His glory. And remember, He can do no wrong.
He is our Heavenly Father. And fathers are tender, merciful,
and full of compassion toward their children. Knowing... Let's just go down
here. Verse 29. Be still and know that
whom He did foreknow, them He predestinated to be conformed
to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate,
them He also called, and He called, them He justified, and whom He
justified, them He also glorified. So stand still, be silent, and
know, in verse 31, if God be for us, who can be against us? And we get tried, I get tried
this every day. Something happens and I get so
aggravated. Well, didn't that person understand
what I was saying? I told them five times over the phone. I
got confirmation. I called back, and I called them
back again two weeks later, and I said, I got confirmation. They
said, we don't have any records of it. I said, well, look at
your phone. They always said they're recording these phone records. I guess
you didn't record that one. And then back off. and realize,
if God be for us, who can be against us? Stand still and be
quiet and realize that He that spared not His own Son, verse
32, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with
Christ also freely give us all things? All things needful. All things necessary. Like Martha, she chose that one
thing needful. Or Mary. She was serving Christ,
but she was letting that interfere with the most important thing.
And we looked at that a couple of weeks ago. Verse 34, Who is
He that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather
that is risen again. Who is even at the right hand
of God? Who makes intercession for us? Stand still, be still,
and realize that He is at heaven right now. If He has died, if
He has shed, if He has voluntarily laid down His life for His people,
He will not forsake them. Be still and stand still and
realize who shall separate us from the love of God? The love
of Christ shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine,
nakedness, peril, or sword. Nay, in all these things, verse
37, we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Stand
still and be still and know that God is on His throne and know
that I am God and we are persuaded, be still, that neither death,
life, angels, principalities, powers, things present or things
to come, height, depth, or any other creature shall be able
to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. You know, I know we get up in
the morning and we have our morning reading and our morning coffee
and this and that, but sometimes, oftentimes, it's good just to
open the book and be still and stand still and read, take in
the Word. Just let it inundate you and
read the work of God. Now, I have my Bible and the
study and this and everything and sometimes I have my phone
And the phone, it'll make its noise. Oh, I gotta look at that. I caught myself the other day,
turned the volume down, or turned it over, so I can, I can still
come, it still lights up. So it still takes your attention
away. Flipped it over. I've got work to do. You know,
remember the, in the book of Nehemiah, where they're building,
they're trying to rebuild the wall. And the enemies of the
grace of God are trying to distract him. And they said, we have work
to do. We're not listening to you. That's how important it
is to feed our souls, to have a time with the Lord Jesus Christ.
So we know that none of these things will take place without
God's grace involved. May we ever, may we never, we
know that we will never be separated from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus. So I ask myself this, and I ask you this, do
you, do we want to know where God's love is? We want to know
what God's love is, what it's about, and who it's for. Nothing shall be able to separate
us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, you get to Christ, that's where you'll experience
God's love. It's not apart from Christ. According
to this book, and this is what we go by, everything is in Christ. That's what I like about Ephesians
chapter 1, when he's going through it, it's always like, in Christ,
in Christ, in Christ. He says that numerous times in
Ephesians 1. Everything is in Christ. So if
you want to experience, you want to know, you want to understand
what the love of God is, seek Christ. The Christ of the Bible. God and Christ are the same.
May the Holy Spirit direct our hearts, our minds, our thoughts,
the eyes, the heart to look and live. Bruce, would you close
this?