the 46th psalm opens with these
words God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble
God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble are you in trouble do you know trouble This is a
world full of trouble. A troubled world. Not a day passes when you don't
hear of this trouble or that. This is an unstable world. A world full of hatred. A world full of violence. A world full of jealousy. A world
full of anger. A world full of sin. A world
full of death. We are frail creatures by nature. We're born, we live, we die. Our lives are fleeted. As the
scriptures say elsewhere, man is born into trouble. In our fleeting lives, in the
70 or so years that we may be granted, though people speak
of happiness, though people speak of pleasure, though people spend
their lifetimes desperately trying to reach happiness, to attain
under happiness, to make themselves rich, to follow this pleasure
and this entertainment. The reality is for the vast majority
that most of their lives are hard, are full of trouble. Most experience much misery. This is not a happy world. Though
the media may try to tell you it is. Though the media may lead
the foolish and dangle before them glittering objects or glittering
ideals of what their lives could be in order to make money out
of them. The reality is, is that this
world is not joyous. The business world, the marketing
world, will tell you happiness is to be found here. Spend your
money here and you will gain this. Buy this thing, buy that
thing, dress this way, go this way, eat this, eat here, eat
there, drink this, drink here, drink there. And you will find
happiness. and people strive and they spend
and they seek and they're never happy instead what they experience
most of the time is tragedy and misery and illness and bereavement
and hatred and opposition and frustration and boredom One thing
after another the reality is most people's lives are full
of trouble. Are you in trouble? When it isn't
full of trouble it's full of work, hard work. When Adam and
Eve created in this world, created at a time when there was no sin,
when they turned their backs on God and said we'll go our
own way. Trouble entered this world. Trouble
entered. And being cast out of the Garden
of Eden they were commanded, they were forced into having
to farm the land and they found it hard work. The ground was
stony, thorny, full of weeds. Work entered alongside the fall
of man. Until then, when God created
man and put him in the garden, he gave man all things to enjoy. But following the fall, man had
to work to gain anything to enjoy. He had to work to live. He had
to work to gain his food. He had to work to gain water. He had to work to put a shelter
over his head. He had to work to clothe the
family. He had to work and to labour.
And most people's lives, even when there is no immediate trouble,
even when they are healthy as it were, even when they are not
at a time of great crisis most people's lives are full of hard
work hard labour just to survive and they try to bury the hardness
and the trouble with a bit of pleasure here and there so they
eat and they drink and they are merry to try to hide the fact
that their lives are but a struggle What is your life? Are you full
of trouble? Well that's in the temporary
sense. Just in the temporary sense, in the physical sense,
in the outward sense, everybody's life is full of that sort of
trouble. Everybody works. Everybody struggles. Everybody
feels the frailty of their flesh. Everybody gets sick. Everybody
gets ill. Everybody worries about this
and worries about that. Everybody struggles to earn enough
money to feed their families. Everybody encounters those who
cross their path. Those who bring them trouble
that they don't invite. Everybody finds that there are
those who are their enemies. There are those who hate. There
are those who prevent them going where they would go. Everybody's
lives are full of this sort of trouble. But everybody's lives
are also full of an inward trouble which they may or they may not
recognise. And it's that inward trouble
which is the cause of the outward trouble that they do recognise,
they do experience, and they do fret over. The cause of all
the trouble in this world is your sin and your rebellion against
God. It's because we've turned our
backs on God and gone our own way that the trouble has come
upon us. Sin entered this world by one
man Adam and death by sin and everything that accompanies it.
Are you afflicted with illness? It came because of sin. Do you have those who hate you?
It came because of sin. Do you see death fast approaching? It came because of sin. Do you feel despair? and a hopelessness
in this world it came because of sin do you look around the
world today and see the movements among the nations the rising
up of this force and that force do you see the warfare in this
country and that country do you see the civil wars which rise
and the displacement of the people and wonder what's going to happen
it came because of sin and not just the sins of others It's
not just the sin of this person or that person or this nation
or that nation. The trouble isn't there because
everyone else has sinned. The trouble's there because you
have sinned. So much of the trouble that afflicts
you is from your doing. Then what are you going to do
in trouble? Where are you going to run in trouble? Where are
you going to find hope? Where are you going to find refuge?
Where are you going to escape it? How are you going to escape
it? Men find every means. They think
if I work at this or work at that or do this or do that or
if I can earn enough money to buy this or buy that. If I can
earn enough money that I can buy private health care then
maybe I can sort out this illness I've got. They go to every means
that they can, that they can put their hand to, to sort out
the mess they're in, and nothing helps. They may find temporary
solace for a while, but the hours of their lives are ticking away,
tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, until the last moment comes,
and all that they have done is for nothing. And their last day passes. and
they stand before Almighty God whom they have offended and then
they know trouble. That day is fast approaching
for you, you think you've got trouble now. When that day comes
and you stand before God and it's too late to make amends
for your rebellion, then you'll know trouble. To whence will
you run? Where will you find help in that
day? How will you find an answer to
give unto Almighty God who says unto you, why did you not worship? Why did you not seek me? Why
did you not come unto me when you were in trouble? Why did
you not cry unto me when you needed help? Why did you not
confess your sin unto me when your sins brought you into this
mess? Why did you not seek me? Why
did you not love me when I gave you everything that you ever
had? When I made you, when I fed you, when I gave you the food
and the water which you enjoyed in this world, why did you never
thank me? Why did you never seek me? Why
did you never come unto me? What's your answer? If you have
no answer, you will know trouble. There is trouble which comes
unto man on that day, from which they can never escape. Nothing
you will do, nothing you can do will remove that trouble. When God's sentence of justice
comes down upon you, because of what you have done and said
in this world, because of your hatred of God and His ways, because
of your apathy, because of your selfishness, your pride, your
arrogance, because you shut Him out, then you will know trouble. Do
you know trouble now? Do you know the trouble that
comes from within because of sin? to whence will you go? Well the psalmist had an answer.
The psalmist knew where to go in trouble. The psalmist was
taught the emptiness of this world and the hopelessness of
all other refuge other than God. The psalmist knew and could say
with a certainty God is our refuge and strength, a very present
help in trouble. All other refuge I have found
wanted. There's nowhere else to go. We can go to men and they'll
let us down. They will fail us. We can resort
to our own strength and we get into more trouble than when we
started. There's nowhere else to go. We
have found that God is our refuge and strength. When trouble comes,
it is to God that the psalmist fled. And not only did he flee
under him, but he found God to be a refuge. He didn't just cry
out from his trouble in the hope that God might hear him, but
he knew the reality. He knew the walk of faith to
be able to call out under his God, to flee under his God and
to take refuge in his God. And for his God to take him and
wrap his arms around him and protect him. God is our refuge
and strength for 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. Selah He could run under his
guard and he was safe. It was as it were like running
into a castle where his enemies couldn't touch him, into a safe
city. It was in the midst of storms
like running into the ark like Noah was placed in the ark. and
the door was shut and there in the ark he was safe and the storms
rained down and destroyed the world around and yet Noah and
his family were safe in the refuge. here the psalmist runs under
his guard and though the earth is removed around him though
the mountains should be carried into the midst of the sea though
the waters roar and are troubled though the mountains shake he's
safe in his refuge he's safe in God He's safe in the Saviour,
Jesus Christ. God is his refuge and his strength. Is he your refuge? Is he your
strength? Where is your strength? In what
do you trust? Where is your refuge? It's easy
to stand in a day when there's no trouble. It's easy to stand
on a sunny day, a pleasant day. But when the storms come, when
the earth is moved, when the mountains shake, then where will
you go? When all that you've hoped and
trusted in comes crumbling down, when all your hope, not just
in natural things, but when all your spiritual hope comes crumbling
down, where will you go then? You say, I'll be all right. I
believe. I'm a Christian. I'm religious. I go to church. I pray. I read the Bible. I go and worship. I'll be all right when the storms
come. But have you come under the true
and the living God? Is the Jesus you worship the
true Christ of the Scriptures? Is your God sovereign? Is your
God in control? Did your God come unto you and
save you? Or did you go unto God and say,
I will follow? and you're really rested in your
decision and your choice. Has God come unto you or have
you just simply said I will do this and I will do that? Have
you made God your servant or are you his servant? In what
do you trust? Will your religion, will your
trust, will your belief help you When the storms come, when
the earth is moved, and when the mountains are carried into
the midst of the sea, where is your strength? Is your strength
in how strong you believe? Is your strength in self? Is
your faith something you've worked up? Is it based upon your own
understanding, your own wisdom? Is it based upon your own works,
your own doing, your own decision? Well, your wisdom can be brought
to nothing and your understanding may be completely wrong and your
faith can waver when trouble comes. If you trust in self,
if it's your faith you're trusting in, your wisdom you're trusting
in, your knowledge and seeking out of what you think is true
that you're trusting in, then it will all be brought down.
God will send a storm and he'll show you that it's nothing. But if God is your refuge and
your strength, If it is God who's sought you out, if it's God who's
led you to himself, if it's God that's shown you that you're
nothing, and that he's your saviour, he must save, he must take you,
he must put you in the ark and shut the door. If it's God who's
had dealings with you, then you will be able to say with a psalmist,
God is my refuge and strength. I don't trust in my faith. I don't trust in my understanding. I don't trust in my religion. But I do trust in the God who
took me and saved me. He came unto me when I was lost. He found me. He plucked me out
of the waters. He took me when I was drowning. He took me when I was dead. When I was dying. When I was
blind. When I was dumb. When I was deaf. When I did not understand. He
took me when I was running afar off like Jonah. I was fleeing
from him. I was in a ship trying to escape
his presence. And he came and he found me. And he threw me overboard. and
he sent a fish as it were and swallowed me up and he showed
me who is God he showed me who I am and who he is and then he
delivered me and he put me on dry ground and he took me and
saved me he's my refuge he's my strength are the waters around you roaring?
are they troubled? are the mountains moving? In
what do you trust? The psalmist had a refuge. Do
you? The psalmist goes on in verse
4 to speak of a city. A city of refuge, the city of
God. There is a river, the streams
whereof shall make glad the city of God. The holy place of the
tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her. She
shall not be moved. God shall help her and that right
early. He comes after speaking of God
being his refuge to speak of the city of God. For there's
no refuge like God's city. The people of God together take
refuge. They take refuge in God and they
gather together in his city. In his kingdom. In this city
of refuge. That's where they gather. And
they find as they gather that God is in the midst of them.
and that's why they cannot be swept away by the troubled waters
that's why the storms cannot touch them because they as God's
people as his church as Christ's bride they as she are gathered
in the city of God and God is in the midst of her them the
city she shall not be moved God shall help her and that right
early because he's gathered her in his city he's taken this people
who were afar off he's taken this people who were in trouble
and he's brought them into his city and nothing can touch them
and how did he bring them into the city of God How did he bring
this troubled people into refuge? How might he bring you into refuge
if you're outside the city? If you're in trouble and you
know that God is the only refuge for your soul, how would he bring
you into his city? Through a river which flows out
of that city. a river the streams whereof make
glad the city of God it's through a river the river must come from
the city to your soul and if you know that river and you know
the waters of that river you'll know the gladness it brings you'll
know the change it brings There is a river the streams whereof
shall make glad the city of God Christ spake of rivers of living
water He spake of the water of life which if you drink of you
will never thirst He spake of the need of that water and He
spake of how that water flows flows from the heart, flows from
his side and in speaking of it he drew the attention of the
hearer to how he would deliver his people how he would take
his people and bring them into his city how he would be the
refuge of that people how he would gather that people into
him how he would be one with them and they would be one with
him how they would be in him and he would be in her God is
in the midst of her she shall not be moved they are wed by
this river this water this water of life do you know anything
of this water? have you drunk of this river
Have you lived? You who once were dead, have
you drunk and lived? The rivers, the river which flows
from the city of God is a picture of the river of blood and water
which flowed from the side of Jesus Christ when he came into
this world. when he came into the midst of
trouble when he came to where troubled sinners dwelt when he
came to where you and I dwelt in the midst of trouble drowning
in the troubled waters drowning in the storms where the mountains
are carried away into the midst of the sea he came to where we
are in the midst of trouble And he came to where the dead are. He came where the dead dwell. He came into a world of death,
where dead souls stumbled around in the darkness. And he took
the sin that brought that death upon all men. He took the sin
that Adam brought into this world when he turned his back on God.
He took the sin that brought the trouble and the darkness
and the death. He took the sin that poisoned
the waters and he took it upon himself and he went to the cross. He went to the darkness. he was nailed to the cross and
he took the sin he took the trouble he took the death and he died
he bore the sins of his people he bore the darkness and iniquity
of their hearts he bore their hatred of God he bore their apathy
he bore their rebellion he bore their pride He bore their arrogance. He bore their unbelief. He bore their love of this world
and its ways. He bore their iniquity. He bore their wickedness. He
bore their trouble. And he suffered under God's wrath
because of it. The Father looked down upon Christ
the Son and said, because of what you bear, because of what
you are, because of the sin that I see in you, the sin that you
bear for my people, I will judge you, I will slay you, I will
destroy you. and the fires of God's wrath,
the storms of God's wrath the waters of God's wrath rained
down upon Christ until he took that sin away until he took that
hatred away until he took that trouble away until he took the
rebellion away until he took it all away and when there was
no more when there was no more sin no more darkness no more
death when he'd borne it all away and paid the price and taken
the judgment and drunk up the cup of God's wrath then his blood
was shed when he had died a soldier came with a spear and pierced
his side and out of his side there came forth blood and water
as a testament to that which Christ had done. John 19, 34 When they came to Jesus and saw
that he was dead already, they break not his legs, but one of
the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there
out blood and water and he that saw it bare record and his record
is true and he knoweth that he sayeth true that ye might believe
for these things were done that the scripture should be fulfilled
a bone of him shall not be broken and again another scripture sayeth
they shall look on him whom they have pierced He pierced his side
and out came blood and water when he was dead, when the price
was paid, when the trouble had gone, when the sin had been removed,
when there was no more sin in his people. when he had made
them to be righteous when he'd cleansed them when he'd taken
away all their sin and all the cause of trouble all the cause
of judgment when the death had been taken away from them when
the darkness had gone his side was pierced and out came blood
and water blood which cleanseth from all sin Water a picture
of living life. That water that flows from the
side of Christ that flows out of the belly of which if you
drink you will live forever. That water of the Spirit of God
that takes of the blood and brings it and applies it and washes
the sinner. That water that brings life.
Have you drunk of that water? Have you been washed in that
blood? Did he die in your place? Did he take the trouble of your
heart and take it away? Did he love you? When he suffered
and died on that cross, when he cried out, it is finished. Did he cry out, it is finished
for you? Was his blood shed for you? Did the water flow forth for
you? Will that water that flowed from
Christ's side make glad your heart in the city of God? Will that water lead you to that
city? Where is your refuge? Is He your
refuge? Is that blood and that water
your refuge? Is that city your refuge? is
he your salvation? that's in the city in the city
there is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city
of God God is in the midst of her she shall not be moved God
shall help her and that right early but outside the heathen
raged the kingdoms were moved he uttered his voice and the
earth melted. Outside of this city, outside
of this refuge, outside of Christ, the heathen raged, the kingdoms
were moved. Are you raging? Are you one of
those that rages? against this God, his kingdom,
his son, his salvation, his refuge, his water, his blood. Are you raging? You see the raging
all around. You see it today. O how the kingdoms
are moved! O how the heathen rage today! O they rage! And if you stand
up and speak of God, if you stand and speak of His righteousness,
if you speak of the sin of man which has brought in death, judgment
and wrath, if you declare the truth, you'll see the heathen
rage. You'll see their rage and you'll
see the kingdoms moved. You'll see the trouble that they
bring. Are you amongst them or are you
in the refuge? Because if you're amongst them,
if you're raging with the heathen, if you're moving with the kingdoms,
all the kingdoms together, one world together, all collected
with its one thought and one way and one victory that it's
aiming for. If you rage with the world in
its great might and its great power if you move with the storms
of the waters of the sea together you will find that there's a
voice which when it speaks will destroy you utterly. The heathen
raged The kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice. The earth melted. Today the kingdoms are moved. Today the heathen rage. Today they broadcast their great
voice, their great knowledge, their great opinion upon the
airwaves. across the internet, through
every means to all tribes and countries and tongues. Oh, how
everyone knows what they think, they rage. But when he utters
his voice, they will melt. And if you rage with them, and
he utters his voice in the gospel, you too will melt then you will
know what trouble is rage all you like move all you will you'll
find many companions you'll be with a great multitude and a
great crowd you'll have a great company and the loudest voice
and the ones and twos in the midst who say but God the ones
and twos in the midst who say but God is our refuge who you
hardly hear and hardly notice they might pass you by they might
be trampled under your foot and under the foot of the great multitude
of which you're a part you may rage with the heathen you might
have the moment you might have the greatest voice now but as
soon as he speaks as soon as God speaks as soon as he speaks
in his gospel in power The earth will melt. You will melt. You will be broken before him.
Your voice will be silenced. And then you will hear. Now will
you hear this side of death? Will he utter his voice in the
gospel? to you. Will there be a still
small voice silently speaking unto you? Come out of her, my
people. Come out of this multitude. Come
out of this raging torrent. Come out of the heathen. Come
unto me. Come by way of my river. Come by way of the blood. come
by way of the water and the riven side, come unto the city, come
out of her, come unto me, come unto Christ, come unto the Saviour. Will he speak unto you through
his gospel and lead you unto the Saviour and unto the city
of God and unto salvation? Or will his voice come unto you
when it's too late? when he speaks unto the world
in judgment and when the whole world looks up and the heavens
are rolled up like a scroll and the earth is burnt with fire
and the earth is melted and the end is brought in and the sheep
are divided from the goats will you hear his voice when it's
too late? will you cry out Lord Lord I
did this in thy name and that in thy name and he says I never
knew you depart from me you worker of iniquity will it be too late? will the troubles of this world
seem but nothing compared to the trouble that you enter into
on that day? or will you hear his voice, a
still small voice, in the Gospel that says God is our refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble. When will the earth
melt for you? Will it melt on the last day,
on that great trumpet sound when the world is brought to an end?
and when there's no second chance or will you hear? will the earth
melt within? will the earth melt without?
will your heart melt within? will the gospel come into your
soul in power and you hear his voice and you're brought under
him and brought under the city Will you then turn with the psalmist
and say, as one who's heard his voice in grace and salvation,
the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. The earth melted. Will you then
behold the works of the Lord? Not your works, not man's works. not the works of religion, not
the works of the mighty, but the works of the Lord. The psalmist
says in verse 8, 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. Come behold the works of the
Lord. Where will you see these works? You may see them, as I've
said, on the last day. On the last day when he says
enough, then the heathen may rage. Man might move with his
bow and his spear and his chariots and the modern interpretations
thereof. Man might have his great might
and power but he'll bring it all to nothing. He'll melt the
earth. He'll make the wars to cease.
But you may also see this if you behold the works of the Lord
at the cross when Christ died. when out of his side flowed forth
blood and water. At the cross God judged the sins
of his people. In Christ he made their wars
to cease unto the end of the earth. In Christ he broke the
bows of his people that they used to make war with their neighbour
and with God. In Christ he cut their spears
in thunder. In Christ He burnt their chariots
in the fire. He took all their rebellion,
all their sin, all their hatred, all their might, all their power
and brought it to nothing that He might take it away, that He
might bring in the righteousness of God for them. Come behold
in Christ the works of the Lord. Behold the Lamb of God. Behold
the Saviour, behold the blood shed for sinners. Behold the
desolations He hath made in the earth. He brings it all to nothing
that in His Son He might bring the dead unto everlasting life. Have you seen the waters, the
streams, the rivers flowing from His side? Psalmist concludes, in the light
of all of this, be still and know that I am God. 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. Selah. There are storms, there
is raging. The kingdoms are moved, the heathen
rage. The storms come, the trouble
flows. But the believer who finds his
refuge in Christ alone can hear the cry of the Spirit of God
under his soul. and rest in it when he hears
God say unto him in the midst of trouble in the midst of the
storms when all around are raging when all around are speaking
hateful things when all around are doing all they can to undermine
when all around there's trouble and iniquity in the midst of
it all he can hear God say unto his soul be still and know that
I am God and He is still and He knows that He is God. Be still. Is there trouble all
around you? Are you fretting as you look
out upon this world? Do you look out and see all these
swirling torrents of things that are going on both in the world
around you and in your own life? Do you see all the storms of
life? Does it bring you to fret, to
worry, to wonder? Well, child of God, be still. Be still and know that He is
God. Be still and know that I am God,
He says. I will be exalted amongst the
heathen. I will be exalted in the earth. He is your refuge and your strength. A very present help in trouble.
He's delivered you. He's paid the price. Christ took
away the sin. He's shed his blood. He's put
an end to all the trouble. Past, present and future. It's all done. There's nothing
that man can do to you. There's nothing that this world
can do to you if you're in Christ. You're in a refuge. You're in
a city. There's a wall around you. The
Lord of hosts is with you. The God of Jacob is your refuge. Be still. Are you still? Where are you looking? Where
are you resting? Has he put faith in your heart
to rest and to trust in Christ alone? Are you resting? Are you trusting? Do you know
him? Have you heard his voice as the
earth melted? as the war ceased, as peace entered
in, be still and know that I am God.