IN GOD WE TRUST—3
THE GOOD NEWS NO ONE IS REPORTING
(S1) Good morning PV. Welcome to week 3 of our
series In God We Trust. If you recall last week, we
asked ourselves if we were under the influence of
Culture or God. One common thread the past few
weeks and months has been the difficult times we
are in. Again today, I'm not trying to make a
political statement, I'm trying to make a spiritual
statement. And my goal is not to console those of
you who are disappointed nor to celebrate with those
of you who are happy now or in the past. My goal is
to build the faith of all God's people that no matter
who is in office in our nation, our mission never ever
changes as followers of Jesus. In times of trouble
God overflows with His exceedingly abundant
protection, provision, and strength. Our God is big
enough to oversee the whole world and loving
enough to care about you. Be still and know that
He is God. This is THE GOOD NEWS NO ONE IS
REPORTING, that is the message this week.
(S2) The message comes from Psalms 46. To lay
some context to what is happening when this Psalm
was written in 701 BC, when the evil king
Sennacherib from Assyria attacks Jerusalem. I don't
know about you, but I've never lived in a city that
was really under attack, especially from someone as
evil and as brutal as the Assyrian Army. I want to
give you a context, because if you understand what
the people living in Jerusalem were feeling, it will
bring understanding to the text that says, "God is
our ever-present help in time of trouble." The one
thing I think we all have heard or were taught about
in school was about Hitler and the German army in
WWII. The Germans for the first half of the war and
more were unstoppable and took part in some of the
worst atrocities against Humanity in history. Look at
what went on at the concentration camp, Auschwitz
alone. Most of Europe was living in fear for their
lives. The Assyrian Army, they were the most
efficient and feared military force in the ancient
world and are comparable to Hitler and the German
army.
The Assyrians had the most advanced weaponry at
the time. There was no other force that had the
weapons that they had. They had the most strategic
training, and these warriors were brutal beyond
measure. When they attacked, they didn't want to
just destroy. They wanted to destroy and completely
humiliate and devastate the people. They would use
psychological warfare, both before during and after a
battle to terrorize their enemies. They made these
tablets that would depict what they would do to the
prisoners after the battle. And they would leave them
in a community after they left, or they would send
them a head like a postcard saying, "Hey here's a
little letter of what we're going to do to you." These
tablets show them pulling out the beards, beating in
heads, sticking their fingers down people throats,
treating them like animals and torturing them. You
can see on the screen an actual tablet and it is really
disgusting. If you know what impalement is, this is a
form of both torture and execution, that these
Assyrians invented. And without being too graphic
or disgusting if you can imagine a spear or a giant
sword where you put a human being you know, you
put the spear through the backside of a person all the
way up through their body, and you hang them there
while they suffer until they die, this was the
Assyrians. They say, most people believe that the
Romans invented the crucifixion. Others believe the
Assyrians invented crucifixion and the Romans
perfected it. The Assyrians were so brutal. They
would skin their prisoners alive. They would often
cut off body parts. They'd cut off an ear or nose of
their prisoners. And then the Assyrian warriors
might wear it. Imagine, a nose or an ear on a
necklace just to declare their dominance. And what
they did to the women and the children. I'm not even
going to mention it because it would be too difficult
emotionally even to put into your minds. This is the
context into which God was speaking. They were
terrified, terrified beyond measure. If you could
imagine in a time of national turmoil, where they felt
utter hopelessness, no ability to defend yourselves
on their own ability, against such a force. But the
spirit of God, gives them hope. And 2,700 years
later, the same God gives us the very same hope,
when He reminds us of who he is God. Psalm 46
starts with “God is our refuge and our strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.” No
matter if you’re happy (election) disappointed,
excited/scared, be thankful for a God who is our
refuge, a hiding place, our strength, our shelter, and
ever-present help in time of trouble.
(S3) 46 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present[b] help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth
gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart
of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the
city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be
moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
(S4) 6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The moment you're in trouble, he's ready. Your
situation never catches God off guard. He never
says, "I didn't see that coming. I don't know what to
do now. I wasn't prepared for this." He is, as another
version says, "He is our ever-present help in time
of trouble." Let’s talk about this phrase because it's
so much richer than just the English words. I want to
help us to understand His ever-present help. This
phrase, ever-present help, comes from two Hebrew
words. The words Nimsa and Meod.
(S5) The Hebrew word nimsa means to be
discovered, to be encountered, to experience. In
other words, I can't just tell you about this attribute
of God. There's no way that words can describe it.
You must experience it, Nimsa. I could try to tell
you about the Grand Canyon, but until you've
walked up to it and seen the glory of God's creation,
words can't describe it, you've got to experience it.
This is the Nimsa. You must experience him. No
matter what form of trouble you may face, I pray
that you would experience the very real presence of
God, in a way that I could never ever describe. But
when you know it, when you experience Him, no
one can take it away from you.
Now, Meod tries to describe the presence of God.
Meod means exceedingly abundant, exceedingly
much. One writer called it the muchness of God.
There's so much of his goodness we can't even fit it
into words, exceedingly much, much muchness. As
maybe a toddler would say, it's lots, lots, lots, lots,
lots. In other words, this verse literally means that in
times of trouble, (S6) God overflows with his
exceedingly abundant protection, provision, and
strength. That's what our God does.
The question though is, what does that mean for us
today, right now? In our own context, as we face our
own enemies. You may feel like you're under attack
because you got crazy family or whatever and
thanksgiving is coming. You know, you've got to
deal with them. Everybody's got a crazy family,
right? What does God is our refuge our strength, our
ever-present help in time of trouble mean when
we're feeling overwhelmed with anxiety with family
coming over. What does it mean when you're so
uneasy that you stay awake at night because you're
worried about the world your kids, or your grandkids
are going to grow up in? What does it mean in the
middle of a global pandemic, when you might not
feel safe, when your job may feel fragile? What does
it mean when your marriage is hanging by a thread?
What does it mean when your children that you love
aren't functioning well? What does it mean when
your faith, which once was strong, isn't as strong as
it once was? What it means is, that our God is
exactly what you need, when you need him. And the
amazing thing is, he is so much more, your everpresent help in time of trouble. The goodness of
God, which cannot be explained must be experience
that no matter what you are facing our God is
exactly, precisely, specifically what you need in that
moment and yet he's so much more, who is God?
What is God, in your moment of need?
The thing is, if you watch the news or social media,
God is the good news that no one is reporting.
When you are anxious, He is your peace. When you
are hurting, our comforter. When we are lacking, He
is our provider. Our God is our strength when we are
weak. He’s our hope when were hopeless. He’s our
light when the world grows dark. And when we sin,
He is our righteousness and forgiver. This is the
Goodness of our God. He is our shield. He is our
righteousness. He is our fortress. He is our rock. He
is our defender. Our God is exactly what you need
in the moment you need them. And our God is so
much more. Our God knows exactly what you're
going through. And he's exactly what you need when
you need him.
Listen to verse six and seven again, 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. Does it ever feel
like that in your world today? Is this how your world
feels today, last week or maybe it will be tomorrow.
Remember who Jesus is, Emanuel, God with us.
God did not just remain in heaven, but He came to
earth to share and show His love for each one of us
in Jesus. Jesus without sin and perfectly pure is our
atonement for our sin, He suffered and was
crucified, so we could know the goodness of God.
We can find comfort in Jesus in that He is among us.
God will never leave us or forsake us. He is our
fortress. Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three
are gathered in my name, there am I among
them.” And Hebrews 13:5, Keep your life free
from love of money, and be content with what
you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you
nor forsake you.” (S7) In other words. our God is
big enough to oversee the whole world. And he's
loving enough to care about you. The nations are
under his throne and yet this reigning, ruling,
sovereign, powerful, ever present, all sufficient
God, is loving enough to know the exact details of
what's going on in your life right now. I can't just
tell you about him. You see, He is so good you
must experience him. Come and see him, open
your heart to Him, cry out to Him, lean into Him,
cling to Him, and depend on Him. Whenever you
draw near, he draws near to you. When you cry out
to Him, He steps towards you. All the parents out
there. Think about when your child or children
would cry out for you in distress. What was you’re
your reaction? You ran to them and relieved their
pain, anxiety or maybe fear. I do not know about
you, but as a father I loved that moment and bond.
God feels the same way for each one of us when we
need Him. He delights in revealing himself to you.
And God is exactly what you need in the moment
you need Him. And he is so much more. Come and
open your hearts and see the glorious deeds and the
goodness of our God. He is sovereign. He is
Supreme. He is King. He is righteous. He is just and
He's loving enough to be involved in the intimate
details of your life.
Now, verse 10 is the hard part for most of us. I know
it is the hard part for me. Imagine it's 701 BC and
you are a father or mother, and the Assyrians were
about to attack. Remember what they said they were
going to do, and you do not have the strength or
power to defend yourself or your family. And God
says, (S8) “Be still and know that I am God” We
can relate to them. Be still when everything I value,
everything I love, everything I've spent my whole
life trying to build and protect is jeopardized. And
you're telling me I can't do what I'm designed to do,
which is protect, strive, and fight. Looking back over
the last few weeks and the bombing that took place
in Afghanistan, my first reaction was to retaliate
immediately. But there are some battles that only
God can win. And there are times, in some seasons
where your only assignment is, to be still and know
that he is God. Be still and know, be still and know.
Notice the text, doesn't say be worried and know that
he's God. Getting up in someone’s business right
now. I'm coming for you. Doesn't say be freaked out,
doesn't say be anxious, doesn't say be worried,
doesn't say be an idiot on social media. Be delivered
in name of the Father, Son and Holy spirit. Be set
free. Be in an intimate relation with God.
It’s hard to have a relationship with someone when
you don’t have the time for that relationship. We
have so many distractions in our lives that prevent us
from hearing from God. It was no different when
Jesus walked the earth. Jesus and his disciples were
traveling about the Judean countryside. As they
walked from town to town, the thought crossed the
mind of Jesus many times. “My time on this earth is
coming to an end.” With His earthly life coming
near to its end, Jesus decided to go into a small
town. There he was greeted by a friendly face, a
woman named Martha. Martha invited Jesus to
come visit with her and her sister, Mary.
When they arrived at their house, Jesus sat
down and Mary did the same, sitting right up next to
the feet of Jesus. There she listened and listened and
listened to Jesus’ words. Picture the beautiful stories
and lessons she must have heard. But while Mary
was sitting there, we see a figure in the background.
Martha is running about, thinking of all the things
that need to get done. One minute she’s at the
dining table, the next she’s outside by the food.
Then she’s back inside, making sure everything is
clean. Can’t you just see the anxious look on her
face? She had so many things to do, and so little
time to do them all! And each time she passes Mary,
there is an anxious look. The first time it was
probably just a quick glance. As she passes a second
time a little cough escapes her mouth. The third
time, Martha makes sure Mary can hear her huff.
Finally, she had had enough. Martha quickly moves
and stands right up next to Jesus.
The question leaves her lips. “Lord, don’t you care?
Don’t you care that Mary has left me alone to do all
the work?” That question says it all. Martha
thought for sure that she was right. She was so sure
that she had her priorities straight. The thoughts that
must have gone through her mind! “Here I am,
doing everything, and she just sits there? Can’t it
wait? We need to eat, don’t we?” She expected the
Lord to respond, “Of course I care Martha! How
could I have forgotten?” But, in case Jesus didn’t
get her point, she adds this little command: “Tell
her, then, to help me!”
How surprised do you think Martha was then
to hear the Lord’s response? “Martha, Martha.”
With those two words, Jesus said, “You’re wrong
Martha.” Don’t you think Martha could have heard
the Lord’s disappointment? Jesus didn’t need to say
anything else for Martha to get the point. The
thought was there, “What did I say wrong?” Jesus
had Martha’s attention. His words had caused
Martha to look back on her words and actions.
He continued by saying, “You are worried
and upset about many things.” Can I give you a
literal translation here? “You are anxious, in
turmoil, strife and protest concerning things that did
not matter at the time. Jesus wanted Martha to
realize what was really going on. Her mind was
filled with all those things she was worried about.
She remembered how she had just been scurrying
about. She remembered how she was worried if
everything would get done. But surely, she must
have thought, these things still need to get done,
don’t they?
The Lord answered her unspoken question.
And as surprising as his first response was, nothing
topped this. “One thing is necessary.” Don’t you
think Martha was floored? “One thing, Lord?
Really? Only one? What is it,” she surely thought.
“Maybe the cooking and cleaning can wait.” The
Lord’s point was clear enough. There will be time
to cook; we can clean later. “Come,” Jesus was
saying, “join Mary at my feet.” Cling to Me, be still.
(S9) Be still, the word still in Hebrews was raphah.
It means to be quiet. It means to relax. This word
literally means to give yourself a break. There are
some battles that are just battles for the Lord. And
your assignment, is to be still, give yourself a break.
'Because our God is big enough to oversee the whole
world. And he's loving enough to care about the
intimate details in your life. Be still, and know, this
is a knowing that doesn't come by reading, and it
doesn't come by hearing. It only comes by
experiencing.
So, what happened to the people in Jerusalem? The
Assyrians planed their attack. And King Hezekiah
the King of Jerusalem prayed one prayer. And what
do you think our God did? When the King prayed,
our God sent, one angel. One angel. One angel
dismantled 185,000 Assyrian warriors. One angel. It
didn't take a legion of angels. It didn't even take
God's favorite 10. It just took one, one angel.
Because our God is exactly what you need, when
you need him. And he is big enough to oversee the
world, and yet loving enough to be involved in your
life.
We may need just one today. Just one angel, just one
song. Just one answer prayer. Just one sermon, just
one word, Raphah. Just one moment in his presence.
When he says, "Be still." Church be still, be still
mom, be still dad. Be still my child and know in a
way that can't be described but only be experienced
that our God is always God. And here's what God
declares not just over the United States of America,
just one nation on God's planet. But God says, "I
will be honored, by every nation and I will be
honored throughout the world." That's how good our
God is. So, my question for you is this, what do you
need? What do you need God to be? Who do you
need him to be in this moment? Because our God is
exactly what you need, and so much more. And I
would love to invite you, to just take a moment and
slow down and silence the noise of this world and
quiet your soul, prepare to worship because he is
here. The Lord of Heaven's Armies is here and let
God be exactly what you need, and so much more.
Be still and know, not wonder, not hope and not
wish, but know that he is God and God alone. And
he is exactly what you need, and so much more.
(S10) Hebrews 12:1–2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every
weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us
run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our
faith, who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated
at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus is not going to come and try to out yell the
world around you. To hear God’s voice, you must
turn down the world’s volume. “Be still and know
that I am God”
One of my favorite ways to behold the works of the
Lord and helps me to be still and know that He is
God–is to look around while I am outdoors. Look at
the colors of the sky in the early morning or sunset.
Come out to a sunset here at church and look west, it
is not called Pleasant View for no reason. Ponder the
transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly and the
beauty that comes from the caterpillar. Or on a
cloudless and moonless night gaze at the stars in the
night sky and see His majesty.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm
19:1 ESV)