In The World About Us

Psalms 46:1-11 ESV

“God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam,

    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah” (vv. 1-3)

If we are following Jesus Christ with our lives in humble surrender to his will for our lives in walks of obedience to his commands and in holy living, in practice, then when the world is falling apart all around us, and so many things appear to be so hopeless, we can draw on the strength of the Lord to get us through any and every situation. We can believe in his sovereignty over all things and know that he has a purpose in all that he allows to go on in our lives and in the world about us. 

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy habitation of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

    God will help her when morning dawns.

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

    he utters his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” (vv. 4-7)

What is this “city of God” today? It is not physical Jerusalem, for she is now of Hagar, the slave woman, because she is still in slavery with her children. It is the Jerusalem that is from above, the holy city of God, his church, of which all who believe in Jesus Christ with genuine faith are a part. We who believe in Jesus Christ with genuine God-persuaded faith, whether Jew or Gentile by physical birth, are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise God made with Abraham and his seed, Jesus Christ.

We who believe in Jesus Christ are now God’s holy temple, his holy people, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. We who were Gentiles (by physical birth) were once not a people, but now we are God’s people by faith in Jesus Christ. And now we are the children of promise along with all Jews who believe in Jesus Christ. For us Gentiles are fellow heirs with believing Jews, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 9:4-8; Romans 11:17-25; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:6; Colossians 3:12-15; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; 1 Peter 2:9-10; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]  

We are the protected of God. We are his holy habitation, for he dwells within the hearts and lives of those who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness (Romans 6:1-23). God is in our midst. God is our help and our strength when the nations rage and kingdoms totter, which they are tottering one by one. But the Lord of hosts is with us and the God of Jacob is our fortress. Amen!

“Come, behold the works of the Lord,

    how he has brought desolations on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the chariots with fire.

‘Be still, and know that I am God.

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth!’

The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” (vv. 8-11)

We are not promised “smooth sailing” in this life we have been given by God. In fact, Jesus and his NT apostles let us know quite clearly that we can expect opposition and rejection and persecution as part of our walks of faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. We can expect trials and tribulations and difficulties and sufferings which come into our lives to try our faith to test it to see if it is genuine. For through suffering we learn obedience and perseverance and steadfastness of faith and purpose.

But God does allow wars and desolations and difficulties or they could not exist. It doesn’t mean he is for wars or evil of any kind, but he allows evil to exist and for evil people to do evil. For to remove all evil he would have to remove all of us who are born with sin natures. But these things will take place, yet God will use these situations as his judgments on his adulterous and idolatrous church in order to bring them to repentance and to renewed faith in Jesus Christ before our Lord returns (see Revelation 2-3).

So, when these things take place, which they will, we are not to be unsettled by them. But we are to be determined in heart, mind, and spirit to remain faithful to the Lord and to fight off the attacks of our enemy with the armor of God – with faith, righteousness, truth, the word of God, the gospel of Christ, our salvation, and prayer. And we are to be still and to know that God is God, fully sovereign over all. He will be exalted among the nations and in the earth. He can bring desolations and he can make wars cease, too.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

The important thing for us is that, in all things and in all situations, we are to keep our hope, our trust, and our faith in the Lord. We are to believe that he is in control, and that his purposes will be accomplished in whatever happens in our lives and on this earth. For his ultimate goal is our salvation from sin and our spiritual union with him in walks of obedience to his commands (New Covenant) and in holy living. Then when Jesus returns, we will get to be with him for eternity, and we won’t end up in hell.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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