Okay, this evening now we're
going to take a look at Psalm 46. And I've titled this message
with a title from verse 10. And the title simply is this,
Be Still. Be still. Don't be anxious. Don't be in a rush. Don't get
in a hurry. Be still, God says, and know
that I am God. Remember, throughout the book
of Isaiah, We read the words recorded by God Almighty where
He says, I am the Lord, beside me there is no other, a just
God and a Savior. Be still, wait upon the Lord.
He's worth waiting for. His blessings are eternal blessings.
His blessings and His salvation are everlasting blessings, everlasting
Now, this Psalm, Psalm 46, when we were flooded back last summer,
July 17th, as I sat on the top of my stairs and watching the
water come up higher and higher and higher, up to the point where
we had nine feet of water in the house. And as I sat there,
and I must confess, I was brokenhearted. All the work that we had done
the previous year in trying to recover from the flood of the
previous year, I just watched it all just float away, destroyed,
and taken away. As I sat on the top of my stairs,
watching that muddy water at my feet, this psalm brought great
comfort to my heart. God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble, and I felt like I was in deep
trouble. No way to get out of the house,
surrounded by water, even considered some way to climb up in the attic
to escape the flood waters. Didn't know how high they would
get. Finally determined that that wasn't a good idea. Might
not be any way to get out of that attic. But as I thought and meditated
upon this psalm, it was a blessing to my heart. You see, that's
where believers find comfort and help in trouble. It's not
in emotions. It's not in the feelings of the
flesh. It's not in these temporal, carnal
things. The believer finds comfort and
help in trouble in God's Word, in God's truth, in God himself. He is our comfort. He is our
comfort. Someone mentioned earlier the
text over in 2 Corinthians chapter 1. Don't turn there, but I think
this verse is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies
and the God of all comfort, who comforted us in all our tribulations. that we may be able to comfort
them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves
are comforted of God." Where do you turn in a time of heartache,
in a time of sickness, in a time of turmoil, heartache? Where do you turn? To whom do
you rest? Where do you look? I tell you,
to the believer, we look unto the Lord. We look unto God who
works all things according to His own perfect will, knowing
that what He brings to pass in our life is His purpose, His
eternal purpose, that He has purposed for us. And these things,
as we read earlier, are just but light afflictions which work
not against us, but that work for us. And in the light of eternity,
these things that come our way at the time that they do come
to pass in our life, however it may be in the way of sickness,
in the way of death, or the way of trial of one sort of another,
These things are not working against us, they're working for
us. And in the light of eternity,
they are but just light afflictions, which last for just a moment,
and then they do flee away. Our Lord said, these words have
I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace, but in
this world you shall have tribulation. But be of good comfort, for I
have overcome. I have overcome, and that's our
comfort. This psalm has been a blessing
to many of God's saints down through the centuries. This psalm
was said to be the psalm that Martin Luther, the old reformer,
turned to during the rage of the enemies against the gospel
of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. This is going way back,
the 1500s. Martin Luther had these words
that are recorded. He said, we sing this psalm,
talking about this psalm, how it blessed him. We sing this
psalm to the praise of God because God is with us. Powerfully and
miraculously, he preserves and defends us against all the fanatical
spirits of wicked men, against the gates of hell, against the
hatred of the devil, and the assault of all flesh and sin
that war against us. this psalm was a comfort to that
old faithful saint of God. Another preacher of the past,
lived in the 1800s, ministered to a large congregation in London,
England. His name's Charles Spurgeon.
Many of you are familiar with his preaching, with his writings. But he said of this psalm, Psalm
46, happen what may, The Lord's people are happy and secure.
This is the doctrine or teaching of this psalm, and it might,
to help our memories, be called this psalm. He said this psalm
is the psalm of holy confidence. Confidence. Not in us. Not in
us. Not in our flesh. Oh, but in
Him. God of all comfort. He's our
confidence. He's our comfort. You remember
the words of the Apostle Paul recorded in Philippians chapter
3? He said, We are the true Israel of God, which worship God in
the Spirit, that rejoice in Christ Jesus, and we have no confidence,
no confidence in the flesh. In the flesh no man can please
God. In the flesh no man can merit salvation. By the deeds
of the flesh shall no sinner be justified before God. Having
that introduction, let's consider verse 1. God is our refuge. God
is our refuge and strength. The very present help. A very
present help. Help in trouble. Help in trouble.
Now, I like the confidence of which the writer of this psalm
expresses himself. He doesn't say, God could be
our refuge or God might be our refuge. You know, if we meet
certain conditions, He certainly will be. No, it says, God is
our refuge. A positive, confident statement. This is not proud presumption.
This is not an arrogant boast, but rather the cry of faith. The cry of a believer. God is our refuge. God is our strength. God is our
help. God is our salvation. Any refuge. A refuge is what? A hiding place,
isn't it? is a place of security and a
refuge from the storm. If there was a violent thunderstorm
out brewing while you were working outside in your yard, you wouldn't
stand out there in the thunderstorm, would you? You would take shelter
under your house roof, wouldn't you? Under the roof of your house.
You see, a refuge is a place of security, a place of safety. Any refuge Apart from the one
that God has provided, Christ is our refuge, Christ is our
salvation, but any refuge apart from the one that God has provided,
which is the Lord Jesus Christ, any refuge apart from the one
that God has provided is not a good refuge. In Isaiah, what
is that chapter, Isaiah, where it talks about, Isaiah 28, isn't
it, where he talks about God will sweep away the refuge of
lies. any refuge that you hide in,
any experience or feeling that you hide in, certainly the wrath
of God will find it out and sweep it away. The only hiding place
for the guilty, the only hiding place for the sinner is in the
refuge that God has provided, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself. Oh, He is our hiding place. He
is our refuge. You see, in Christ Jesus there
is therefore now, right now, I don't have to wait to find
out right now. There is no condemnation to those
who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. God is our refuge. It says this three times in this
Psalm. God is our salvation. He is our refuge. It says in
1 John 4, 8, God is love, and He is love. God is light. In him is no darkness at all,
says in 1 John 1, 5. God is love. God is light. We know that God,
as he reveals himself in Holy Scripture, God is holy, holy,
holy, holy, the Lord God of hosts, Isaiah 6, 1. But God is our refuge. God is our refuge. He is our
righteousness. He is our redemption. He is the
cause of our regeneration. He is our reconciliation. You
can go on and on with those R's, couldn't you? He's our righteousness,
our reconciliation. He's the cause of our regeneration.
God is our refuge. Specifically, Christ. God our Savior. Turn over here
to Isaiah 28. The scripture I mentioned a while
ago. This is a foundation upon which we rest and which we find
comfort. God is our refuge. Isaiah 28,
16. Therefore, thus saith the Lord,
behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation of stone, a tried stone, a precious
cornerstone, a sure foundation. That's the refuge that God has
provided. And it's all descriptive of the
Lord Jesus. He that believeth shall not make
haste, shall not be forced out. He is our hiding place. He is
our refuge. So back to Psalm 46 now. So God
is our strength. God is our strength to the believer
now. God is our strength. We can say
that. He's the strength of our salvation. He's the strength
of our righteousness. God is our refuge. And God, it
says, secondly, God is our strength. Now, that word strength there
means security and boldness. Security and boldness. We have
no power or spiritual strength in ourselves. For we all are
as unclean thing, and all of our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags, and we do fade like a leaf that's blown away. We have no
strength in ourselves. In ourselves we are weak, we
are impotent, and we are helpless sinners. The Lord Jesus Christ
alone is our strength. He's our strength to justify
us from all sin. Christ is our strength to raise
us up from the dead. spiritually and to make us new
creatures in Christ Jesus? How's that going to be done?
By our strength? No, not at all. It's His strength. It's His might. It's His power. You have He quickened who were
dead in trespasses and in sin, were justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, He is our refuge and
He is our strength. You know in salvation He's everything.
It says in Colossians chapter 3 verse 1, Christ is all and
in all. He's all of it. Thirdly, Christ
is our very present help from all trouble, grace to help in
time of need. Says in Hebrews chapter 4, He
said, come boldly Come boldly unto the throne of grace, that
you may obtain mercy, find grace to help in time of need." I find
that. When is my time of need? All
the time. I'm in constant need of His strength,
of His power, of His grace. Christ is the only remedy for
and from trouble. Whatever our trouble may be,
He has the proper help. And you know what His help is?
Himself. Christ Himself is our help in
a time of trouble. It says over here in verse 5,
God shall help her and that right soon. Lord help me soon. Help
me right now. I'm a needy creature. I am poor
and needy as David said, yet the Lord he thinks upon me. Notice verse two and three of
Psalm 46 now. Because the Lord is our strength,
because the Lord is our refuge and righteousness and redemption,
he's our very present help in a time of trouble. Therefore,
therefore, therefore, will not we fear." Now, without that first
verse, and once everything is said in that first verse, we'd
have much reason to fear. But seeing that God has been
made to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
because God has made Him to us our refuge, our strength, our
very present help in trouble, therefore, will not we fear. Though or although
the earth be removed and the mountains be carried in the midst
of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof, we will
not fear. We will not fear. We have no
need to fear. God is with us. God is with us. Turn back here to Psalm 27. Psalm
27. God is with us. Very similar statement here is
made in Psalm 27, verse 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation,
now whom shall I fear? The Lord is my light, He's my
salvation, He's my all and my all, whom shall I fear? The Lord
is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? He's
my strength. He's my salvation. Therefore,
we have no need to fear. Another reference I have jotted
down here, find Psalm, or Isaiah rather, Isaiah 43. Isaiah 43. God says in verse
one, but now, thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob,
he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not. Fear not. for I have redeemed thee, I have
called thee, by your name you're mine." Don't fear. Rest. Rest in Christ. Now look back
to Psalm 46 again. He mentions these various things
here. Though the earth be removed,
we shall not fear. What is he talking about here?
Our earthly supports. If all of our earthly supports
were kicked out, taken away, to the believer, Does that change
our standing with God? Not at all. Christ is still our
help. He's still our refuge. He's still
our strength. Though all the earth be removed,
all earthly supports be taken away, that doesn't change our
standing and state before God Almighty as a justified sinner.
Though the mountains be carried away, or our earthly guides as
they could represent our earthly guides be taken away, Christ
is still our help. Christ is still our refuge. Christ
is still our salvation altogether. Though the waters of trial flood
my soul, Christ is still my help. my refuge, my strength. Matter
of fact, whom the Lord loves, He sends His trials, these floods,
however it may come, into our life for our good, for our eternal
good, and for His glory. Though the mountains shake, When
our faith is tried, Christ is still our strength, He's still
our help, He's still our refuge. I like the words written in Romans
8, if God be for us, who can be against us? God be for us,
and He is. So much so that He spared not
His own Son, but delivered him up for us all.
How shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" You're
looking at a man who has all things. Everything God has for
any sinner to justify him before God Almighty, he's given that
to me and to everyone who believes him freely. He opens his hand
and he satisfies the desire of his covenant people. If God be
for us, who can be against us? Now, let's consider verse 4,
Psalm 46, verse 4. There is a river. Oh, there is
a river. The streams whereof shall make
glad the city of God, the people of God, the holy place of the
tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of His people. There is a river. The river that
abundantly flows with the free and full favor of all spiritual
blessings God has for his elect freely bestowed, fertilizing,
refreshing God's people, and it yields in their heart comfort
and relief to every weary sinner. who looks to Him. It's recorded
in Revelation 21, He showed me a pure river of water, of life,
clear as crystal proceeding out of the throne of God. He is the
river of water, of life, salvation. At the head of the river, is
our Sovereign Lord who works all things at the counsel of
His own will. The channel of God's river flows
through the Lord Jesus Christ where all spiritual blessings
are found in Christ Jesus. The mouth of that river is the
Holy Spirit dispensing all spiritual blessings to God the elect For
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, meekness, temperance, even faith. It's not the product
of the flesh. It's the fruit of the Spirit.
Faith is a gift of God. All the streams of this river
make glad the city of God, and that is a picture of the church
of God. The city of God and the church
of God are synonymous terms here in the Psalms. Look at Psalm
48, verse 1. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in
the city of our God, the mountain of holiness, beautiful for situation
and joy of the whole earth, is the city of our great King, talking
about His church. Our God said, I'll build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. All the streams
of this river make glad the city of God, His church. The streams
of this river are the blessed gospel truths of grace that flow
into this river that teach us the way of salvation in Christ
Jesus. These streams all flow into this
river and they make a mighty, mighty river. I'm often interested when I travel
across the country to see that continental divide. There's a
continental divide in the east part of the country. When you
cross it, they say a continental divide. When that water, some
of it goes this way, some of it goes that way. When you go
out west and you cross those Rocky Mountains, there's that
continental divide. Some of the streams flow this
way and some of the streams flow this way. All the streams of
God's truth flow into this mighty river of God's blessing and He
blesses His church with the abundance of truth in this mighty river
of God. It's full of life. This river
is not polluted. This river will never run dry.
This river of salvation. It's not polluted. It's full
of life. He is the water of life. And He is this blessed river.
I can show you that in scripture. You know, He's called the river.
Turn over here to Isaiah 32, I believe it is. Isaiah 32, verse
1 and 2. Behold, a king shall reign in
righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. Isaiah 32.
Verse 2, and a man shall be a hiding place from the wind. There's
that refuge again. Who is this man here? He's the
God-man. He's the man, Christ Jesus. A
man shall be a hiding place from the wind and a cover from the
tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as a shadow of a
great rock in a weary land. You remember when the children
of Israel out in the wilderness and God told Moses to take that
rod and smite that rock? And out of that rock came a river
of water. You know, that's a picture of
Christ, the smitten rock. He is the rock smitten of God,
smitten and afflicted of God. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him. But somewhere in scripture it says, that rock followed them. You know, but 40 years in the
wilderness they traveled, and out in that desert land, and
these are talking about 2 or 3 million people, they think,
bred from heaven. One day they said, well, we're
tired of that heaven. God sent a flock of quail that buried
them in meat. That rock and that water that
flowed out of that rock is a picture of Christ and Him crucified.
And it says that that rock followed them. And I kind of get the picture
that stream of water just followed them everywhere they went. and
a river of water. And that's true spiritually with
God's people. He is that river, abundant. You go down here to this, what's
this river run through there? Holston River, is that what it's
called? Go down there tomorrow morning, I challenge you, go
down there and try to drink it dry. Just get you a bucket and
fill it up and just try to bail it dry. They lock you up somewhere. What you doing down there? I'm
trying to bail this river dry. Ain't going to work. You can't
exhaust that river, can you? It seems like to us an abundant
supply. So much so, so much more so,
is God's river. of blessings and mercy that flow
from the throne of God through the Lord Jesus Christ unto His
covenant people. An endless, abundant supply of
mercy and grace. His storehouse is full of blessing
and His river never runs dry. This river will never dry up,
will never be diverted. Diverted away from the city of
God. You know up there in Pikeville
where we're prone to such flooding, You know they actually diverted
a whole river? They took the Levisah fork of
the big sandy that went through the city of Piteville all the
way around it. And you know they diverted? They diverted a whole
river. They moved a whole mountain to
divert that river away from that city. This river of God will
never be diverted away from the city of God, the people of God. Christ dwells among his city,
his church, his body. You see, it says there, there
is a river the streams were of, she'll make glad the city of
God. Oh, they make glad these doctrines of God's truth, the
doctrine of grace. They make glad the city of God.
Aren't you glad that God has taught you the gospel, that God
is God, and that Christ is the only Savior of sinners? God is
in the midst of her. And the city of God is glad and
happy, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High
God. God dwells among His city, His
church, His body. You see, this city Jerusalem
had something that no other city had. No other city had what Jerusalem
had. in the time of Solomon and those
kings. No other city had what they had.
What did they have? They had the tabernacles of the
Most High. They had the temple of God. They
had the priestly service of God where atonement was made, where
the priest ministered and the priest represented the people
unto God. No other people had that. No
other city had that. And I tell you, my friend, the
church of the Lord Jesus Christ, He tabernacles among us His church,
this is the only church, the church of the firstborn, the
church of the Lord Jesus Christ, is the only one who has a designated
high priest, Son of God, who represents us before God, not
with the blood of bulls and goats, but with His own blood. He enters
into the holy place, and having obtained eternal redemption for
us, with His own blood. The church of the Lord Jesus
Christ is the only church that has an atonement made with the
blood of God for He had bought us with His own blood." Oh, to
be a member, to be a citizen in this city! I'm not talking
about Kingsport. I'm talking about the City of
God. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, the church of
Christ is the body of believers. And they have this special indwelling
of God the Holy Spirit for Christ in you as a hope of glory. It
says that in verse 5, God's in the midst of her. God's in the
midst of her. And she shall not be moved. God
shall help her and that right soon. God is in the midst of
His church. In the midst of His people. To
have the Most High God dwelling among His people is to make His
church on earth like His church in heaven. To have God dwelling
among His people. One old hymn writer said this,
more happy but not more secure are the glorified saints in heaven. More happy, perhaps, but not
more secure are the glorified saints in heaven. His gracious
and abiding presence shall never be taken away from us." His parting
word to his disciples. He said, go and preach the gospel,
knowing that I have all power and heaven and earth is given
unto me. Go and preach the gospel. baptized believers, and then
he said this, he makes this statement, he said, Lo, I'm with you always,
even to the end of the earth. I'm with you always. He'll never
leave us. He'll never forsake us. The believer
will never be moved away from the heart of God. It says in
Isaiah 40 verse 11, we're on his heart. nor from the hands
of Christ. No one can separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus. He said, no man can pluck
him out of my hand. My Father which gave to me is
greater than all, and no man can pluck him out of my Father's
hand. I and my Father are one. The believer will never be moved
away from the heart of God, nor from the hands of Christ, nor
from the foundation upon which we rest. And that's Christ. Turn over here to Psalm 62. He only is my rock, verse 6,
my salvation. He's my defense. If He's my rock,
He only is my rock, my foundation, my salvation, He is my defense,
I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation, my glory,
the rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God. Now trust
in Him at all times, ye people. Pour out your heart before Him.
God is a refuge for us. And then stop sighing. Think
about that. God is our refuge. God's in the
midst of her. Say, well, I don't see him. I
don't feel him. You know, I don't either. I don't feel him. He didn't say,
you'll feel my presence always. He said, lo, I'm with you always.
Work to believe his word, not trust our feelings. What was
it old Martin Luther said? Feelings come and feelings go.
feelings are deceiving my warrant is a word of God nothing else
is worth believing he's with us whether we sent his presence
or not that's what he says I'm with you always even on the end
of the earth now look at verse 6 the heathen raged you reckon
that's going to upset God The heathen raged. Turn back over
to Psalm 2 a minute. The heathen raged. Didn't they
still do? They raged in the day when the
Lord walked among sinners. Pilate brought him forth and
said, Behold the man. Behold your king. And they raged
and said, We have no king but Caesar. Away with this man of
Nazareth. Who is he anyway? They raged against him then,
and they still rage today. Psalm 2, why do the heathen rage
and the people imagine a vain thing? Because of sin, because
of what we are. The kings of the earth set themselves
on a rule to take counsel together against the Lord and against
His anointing, saying, good-bye God. Let us cast His band asunder
and cast away their cord from us. You reckon that's going to
upset Almighty God? He that sitteth in the heaven
shall laugh. The Lord will have them in derision. He'll speak to them in his wrath
and vex them in his sword, his pleasure. I've set my king upon
my holy hill, Zion. The heathen still rage with rebellion
in their heart. The carnal heart, the carnal
mind is still enmity against God. Sinners are born in a rage. and will die in a rage unless
God intervenes by His sovereign mercy. It's only by His Word that the
enemies are conquered. Look what it says, the heathen
raged and the kingdoms were moved. He uttered His voice. He just
spoke a word. And all opposition melted away
into utter insignificance. The earth melted. Who can stand
up against God? Rage all you want. God will have
you in derision. And all opposition will be melted
away into nothing. By His word, the enemies are
conquered. None can stand in opposition
to His mighty word, His mighty sword. For the word of God is
quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing
asunder soul and spirit, the joints of the mires. His discerning
of the heart, mind, and will of the creature, God knows all
things." Aren't you glad he's able to conquer the heathen?
He conquered this heathen. He conquered some of you heathens
by His grace. He is the conquering King. Oh,
one day I raged until He arrested me, broke me, and caused me to
submit unto Him. And then I say, the Lord of hosts,
verse seven, is with us. He repeats himself. This is a
quote worth re-quoting. The Lord of hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge, verse 11. The Lord of hosts is
with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Call his name Emmanuel. God with
us. In the light of heaven we see
God above us. In the light of the law we see
God against us. It's only in the revelation of
the gospel do we see God for us and God with us. The Lord of hosts is with us. Call His name Emmanuel, God with
us. God is with us and we're one
with Him. Our Lord said in Luke 11, He
that's not with me is against me. He that gathers not with
me scattereth abroad. The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Now I don't know how many times it's mentioned in the scripture
when it talks about God being the God of Jacob. But I know
it's, that'd be a good study sometime, one of you men look
that up, or ladies, look that up, the God of Jacob. It's in
the scripture, I know, several times. The God of Jacob is our
refuge. I like what's recorded in Malachi
3, where it says, I am the Lord, I change not, therefore you sons
of Jacob are not consumed. God does not change in his character
nor in his purpose. Believers can certainly identify
with Jacob. But Jacob was a notable cheat,
a notable sinner. And yet it says that God loved
him. That's a miracle of grace, isn't
it? God said, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. A lot of people
get upset with the scripture of Jacob Or rather, Esau have
I hated, and say, well, how can God hate Esau? I can understand
that. The mystery of the gospel is,
how can God love Jacob? He was just as big a scandal
as his twin brother Esau. The miracle of how God can love
Jacob is only in the Lord Jesus Christ. The love of God is manifested
and revealed in Christ. We say with Paul and Jacob, O
wretched man that I am. Believers, see like Jacob, are
sovereignly and eternally loved of God. God loved Jacob, set
his heart and purpose upon Jacob. Believers like Jacob have been
operated on by the power of God. Read Genesis 32 sometime. God
said, your name will no more be called Jacob, but Israel,
a prince of God. Believers like Jacob have a new
name, being made new creatures in Christ Jesus. And believers
like Jacob worship God in spirit and in truth. Oh, the Lord of
hosts is with us. He's with us. You're never alone. God's with us. When you're riding
on the highway, by yourself in the car, God's with us. When
you're home alone, cooking, cleaning, doing the dishes, doing the laundry,
sweeping the floor, God is with us. When you're on the job back
in some dark hole, some coal miner back in the darkness of some far-reaching
mind portal, God is with us, God is with us, the Lord of hosts
is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge, our salvation,
now come, come, come, don't stay away, come, come, our Lord said,
all you that are labor and heavy laden, come unto me, come all
you that are thirsty, come, he said to me, come behold the works
of the Lord, Come behold the works of the Lord. You know,
today's preaching is taking up sin or do something, taking up
with sin or do something for God. Do something for God. They say in their messages, well,
come behold, come and behold the works of the church. Come
and behold and see what we're doing for God. The message of
the gospel is come behold what He has done for us. Come behold
the works of the Lord. what mighty work God hath done
for us you know really when you get right down to it now listen
to me carefully salvations by works did you know that? his
all his works you thought I messed up there didn't you? salvation
you read Psalm 111 talks about the Yes, Psalm 111, I think it
is, talks about the works of the Lord, the works of the Lord,
the works of the Lord. Somebody had to accomplish salvation.
What did he pray in John 17? Lord, I finished the work you
gave me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou
me with Thine own self with the glory which I had before the
world began. Come behold His work. of obedience
unto the law. Come behold His work of dying
for our sin as God's appointed sacrifice in God's land. Behold
His work! His doing! And you know what
that is equal to? Salvation to us by His matchless
grace. Come behold the works of the
Lord. What desolation! What conquering! He hath made
what victories He hath made in the earth. Come behold the works
of the Lord. I've got a reference here. Don't
turn. Let me just get it for you. Psalm 92. Psalm 92 verse
4. This is a good reference. Turn
there and let's read this. My mind had... I couldn't remember what this
verse was. I want you to read it. Maybe
you want to mark this in your Bible. Psalm 92 verse 4, For
thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work, I will triumph
in the works of thy hands. O Lord, how great are thy works,
and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not, neither
does a fool understand. Oh, the works of the Lord. I'm glad he accomplished all
that God gave him to do. What he works in opposition to
shall be destroyed. What he works in promotion of
shall be eternally blessed of God. For the pleasure of the
Lord shall prosper in his hands. All the works of men shall be
destroyed. All his works endure forever. God who hath begun a good work
in you, he will finish it. Being confident, he said, of
this very thing, that God who has begun a good work in you,
He will finish it, He will accomplish it. The wise man Solomon wrote
this, Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever. No one can
put anything to it, nor can anyone take anything from it. What God
does shall be forever. He makes wars to cease. I've
got to wind this up. He makes wars to cease unto the
end of the earth. He breaks all opposition. If you're His, chosen by Him,
elected of Him, He'll break you. God is nigh them of a broken
heart. He saved us such as be the contrite spirit. He'll make
the war against God to cease. And he'll break the bow, he'll
cut the spear, he'll take all instruments of opposition against
him and put them asunder, break them. And he'll take away our
wheels. He burns the chariot in the fire. He smashes all of our efforts
at self-salvation and shows us that salvation is of the Lord.
And then he says this, be still. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen.
I will be exalted in the earth. Be quiet. Be resigned. Be quiet and be resigned to His
will, the will of God. And own and acknowledge that
God is God. Beside Him there is none other.
He is unchangeable in His nature. purpose and promise. He's almighty
to deliver and save. He's all-knowing and all-wise. Stand still. Remember what God
said through Moses on the banks of the Red Sea that day. Stand
still and see the salvation is of the Lord. They said this,
the people said this, and I'll let you go here. I've preached
too long. In Exodus 14, the people said this to Moses. Is not this
the word that we did tell thee when they were up against it?"
I mean, they were up against it. Pharaoh behind them, the
sea in front of them, they couldn't go anywhere. "'Is not this word
that we did tell you, Moses, 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 this wilderness?'
And Moses said unto the people, Fear you not. We've heard that
message before. Fear you not. Stand still and
see the salvation of the Lord which He will show you today
for the Egyptians, the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you
shall see them again no more. The Lord shall fight for you
and you shall hold your peace. Stand still, my friend. Be still
and know that I am God.