Month: October 2023

Psalm 46 – The Lord is our Refuge and Strength

The Psalms are songs of praise to God, some written on certain occasions, and others written just to proclaim His glory. The context of Psalm 46 is debated. Some attribute it to King David after a battle was won. Some attribute it to the deliverance of Jerusalem from Assyria during the reign of King Hezekiah, in which the Assyrian army was miraculously wiped out by God. But, Psalm 46 is a Psalm of praise, praising God for His deliverance and the hope He gives.

In this world, we will face trouble. There’s the geo-political and economic troubles we see on the news. But then there’s our personal troubles. Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

In Psalm 46, we are remined that God is our refuge, that He is our hope, And we are invited to remember His marvelous works.

    GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH.

    Verse 1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

    God is our refuge. He is where we can go to escape the trials and tribulations of life.We can look to Him for peace and comfort.We can lift up our concerns to Him in prayer, and know He hears and He does good for us (Romans 8:28).

    God is our strength. He is the source of life.He is the force that gives us life and keeps us going.We press onward, not by our own strength, and not because we have to, but because He enables us, and powers us forward. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

    He is our refuge and strength because He has redeemed us, given us new life through Christ, and an eternal hope in His Kingdom. Everything in this life is temporary, and soon we will be rescued from the trouble of this life.

    Verses 2-3 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

    Therefore, since God is our refuge and strength, we will not fear. We will not be overcome with anxiety. We will not entertain the thought that our ruin and demise has come.

    Though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Though the things that we felt were unmovable moved… Though the things we relied upon have failed. Though our security blankets have unraveled, we will not fear. We will not tremble before this world. And we will not lose hope.

    Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled… Though things in this life rise up and intimidate us…Though our fears become reality…

    Job said in Job 3:25, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.”

    Maybe your worst fear is coming upon you… Yet, you shouldn’t fear, because God is your refuge and strength.

    In remembering God as our refuge and strength, we need to remember the hope He has given us.

    THE HOPE GOD HAS GIVEN US.

    Verse 4- There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

    The psalmist has stated that we will not fear, because God is our refuge and strength.He then lists some of the most cataclysmic things that could strike fear in our hearts (the mountains being carried into the sea…)

    Then, He redirects us to the hope by painting a picture of the city of God… and He starts this picture with a river. There is just something peaceful about sitting next to a river. But for a city, a river is a source of life, provision of water, and possibly commerce. When the writer references the City of God, He isn’t talking about Jerusalem, because there is no river in Jerusalem. The writer is referencing the Heavenly City… New Jerusalem. And the river… the river of life. The writer is referencing our eternal home, God’s house with many rooms. The place Christ said He was going to prepare for us.

    Heaven will be a place of eternal peace and rest. No anxiety, No trauma, no triggers, no painful memories haunting us. No problems, no turbulence, no tribulation.

    Verse 5 – God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

    The best part of Heaven will be the presence of God, and dwelling with our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:3 – And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

    The most comforting words the disciples heard in Jesus’ comments in John 14… “That where I am, there ye may be also.”

    If your faith and hope is in Christ, then the hope that you have in Heaven is seeing and living with Jesus. The Lord’s presence in Heaven will make it what we expect it to be.

    Verses 6-7 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

    The Lord will have ended sin and iniquity on earth. He will have set everything at peace. And He is with us, and will be our refuge.

    BEHOLD THE WORKS OF THE LORD.

    Verses 8-9 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. 9 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.

    Look at what God has done.

    He’s ended wars and defeated the fiercest of enemies.He delivered Israel from Egypt, from the Amalekites, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Hittites and others. He has brought us through the worst life has thrown at us. He has raised up our nation, and given us His word.

    God, who gave His Son to redeem us, will not withhold that which is good from us.

    Romans 8:32 – He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

    Knowing what God did for us in the Gospel, what makes us think that He won’t carry us the rest of the way through?

    Psalm 46:10-11 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

    Be still and know that He is God. Trust God. Trust His timing. Wait for His perfect timing. He will be exalted. He will be victorious. And, He is with us. (If God be for us, who can be against us?)

    FINAL – There’s a lot of turbulence in the world today. Praise be to God that we can look to Him and find peace.

    Lazarus and the Rich Man

    The story of Lazarus and the rich man comes at the end of a series of parables Jesus gave in response to the Pharisees who had criticized Him for dining with sinners and publicans. In this parable, Jesus describes the rich man as an ideal Pharisee, while describing Lazarus as a most-reviled beggar. But when they enter into eternity, it’s Lazarus that is welcomed into Heaven, and the rich man who finds himself in Hell.

    The story of Lazarus and the Rich Man should wake us from our slumber. It should remind us that our salvation is not tied to our culture, accomplishments or expectations, but rather by God’s grace through our faith.

    Listen as Pastor Leland Acker discusses this passage, describing what God wants for us, contrasting the rich man from Lazarus, and telling us how to apply this message to our lives.

    Noah: When Faith Motivates Action

    Have you ever thought about how deeply Noah must have trusted God?

    God warned Noah that He would bring a flood to destroy all flesh from the earth. Up until this point, it had never even rained, let alone flooded. So, what God was describing to Noah was something that had never happened in the history of mankind up until that point.

    Furthermore, to be saved from the flood, God instructed Noah to build an ark, detailing the specifications, dimensions and construction type. To our knowledge, man had yet to even build a boat.

    So, God told Noah that something that had never before happened was going to happen, therefore he must build a vessel that has never been built. Unprecedented weather patterns were on the way, and Noah must employ untested technology to survive the flood.

    But, Noah trusted God. So, when God warned Noah of the flood, Noah believed God. And when God told Noah to build the ark, and how to build the ark, Noah built the ark according to God’s designs. Why? Because Noah trusted God.

    Hebrews 11:7 states, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

    Noah’s faith was the reason he believed God, and it was also the reason he moved quickly (moved with fear) to do what God instructed. Since Noah had this faith, God withheld the flood until the ark was finished.

    Noah had faith, and that faith saved Noah, but that faith also motivated action. What does your faith motivate you to do?

    Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

    The Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God, the embodiment of God Himself, the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us, Who created all things and gave us life, took on the role of the lowest ranking servant in the household, and washed His disciples feet.

    In this one act of humble service, the Lord not only demonstrated His indescribable humility, but sent a message that pride, self-centered ambition and promotion, and the establishment of rank and pecking order have no place in God’s Kingdom.

    Think about it. If washing the feet of the disciples is not beneath Jesus, then nothing is beneath Jesus. And if nothing is beneath Jesus, how can we think that anything is beneath us, for the servant is not greater than the Master.

    In this message, Pastor Leland Acker exhorts us to love one another, and humbly serve one another, taking time to understand each others’ needs and viewpoints. If we do so, we will find true happiness.