The God Who Protects - Part 2

Bryan Chapell: The God of Jacob is with us. And because of that, we know that though the earth gives way, we can be still and know that God is God and God is with us. So glad you joined us for today's Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Bryan Chapell. In today's episode, Pastor Bryan shares the second half of a lesson from Psalm 46. Dr. Chapell shares how God is our refuge and strength. This truth allows us to still know peace in a world where there is none. You can find this lesson and many others when you visit unlimitedgrace.com. And while you're there, look for Pastor Bryan's book, The Promises of Grace. Dr. Chapell offers a careful look at the beauty of grace and all it brings to believers. These blessings come with the understanding that because we cannot hang on to God, He hangs on to us. Let's hear now from Dr. Bryan Chapell as he shares the second half of the lesson, the God who protects. Now, today's Psalm 46. Psalm 46 whose opening words, you may recall, the Lord is our refuge. Let's stand as we honor God's Word and consider the ways in which He is providing for us. Psalm 46. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved in the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. 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. Come, behold the works of the Lord. How He has brought desolations on the earth. He makes war 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. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word, but even more for what it promises, that you would be our refuge and our strength, a fortress in a world that seems like it often assaults us. But in your promise to be the God of Jacob and our God too, you are God who works in families and for the family of faith. Through Jacob's family providing your son and ultimately our salvation. As we consider the mighty deeds of our God, would you help us think how we can be at peace again, not because our world has all calmed down, but because our hearts have. With confidence in you, may we say, amen, we trust you. This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Please be seated. We've been on vacation. One of the weeks we were out in Colorado, went to visit a son, baptize a grandchild, wonderful time. But we also went because our youngest daughter, Katie, is staying with our son and his family in Colorado this summer. You may remember three weeks ago at the end of this service, I asked some of you to pray with me for our daughter, Katie. She was in something of an emotional tailspin, had not gotten into the grad school that she wanted. Went to spend some time with my son and his wife and their family in Colorado. The consequence was not only was she greatly disappointed about not getting into the grad school she wanted, she was now distant from her friends, from her support network, living in a new state. So you had to add to disappointment, isolation and loneliness. And for Kathy and me, we just saw our daughter just emotionally lower than we have known her to be. And we were worried. And so I said at the end of this service, would some of you just come pray for me? I'm not sure how to help my daughter. Pray for my daughter. And Mike Jackson was the first to come up here and put his arm around me. And the others of you gathered and and we prayed and others prayed for other things. Now, I saw Katie, Kathy and I took a little trip with her while we were out in Colorado. And as we were talking, we were we were dealing with a different daughter. She was she was back to her old self. She was ebullient and happy and joyful and fun like she usually is. We said, what happened? She said, well, last week, which would now be three weeks ago, she said, I I went to a new church because I was told they had young people my age. And I went and she said, there was nobody my age. She said, I was frustrated and disappointed. And she said, I was walking out the door. And somebody tapped me on the shoulder and said, do you like to camp? And she said, yes. And they said, well, all our young people are out camping this weekend, but they'll be back tonight. And you could go to their meeting. And Kathy said, I went to the meeting. I've got all kinds of people who love what I love and they love the Lord and we she said, Mom and Dad, it just changed so fast. Now, we had to do a little bit of the thinking back. So, I'm up here and and Mike has his arm around my shoulder. And we're praying for my daughter. And right at that moment, somebody's tapping my daughter on the shoulder in Colorado and saying, do you like camping? And I think, you know, of the words of Scripture. While you are yet asking, I will answer, says the Lord. And so here we are praying. And the Lord is answering in a different place. Does it always happen that way? Of course not. But we have in our lives these these Ebenezer stones, these these rocks of remembrance that we say, all right, I'm going through a hard time now. But consider the deeds of the Lord. It's what Israel is doing in this passage. They they certainly go through hard times, but they are considered. Remember how the Lord brought us out of slavery? In the horse and rider of the Egyptians were thrown into the sea. Remember. And remember when we went into the Promised Land, and there were the the the great enemies of God's purpose there, but the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. And remember when the kingdom was established, and already we thought there was no hope because Sennacherib had taken out the northern kingdom. And God sent just one angel and He provided. And they they recount these tales of what God has done. Remembering the deeds of the Lord. Because what we're ultimately being strengthened by is not just the removal of all evil in a fallen world, but the support of our souls. We have this river in us that is believing in the power and the goodness of God. And it is our strength for the world we face. There is no temptation taken you, but such as common to man. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able. But will with the trial also provide a way of escape so that you can stand up under it. He is the God who gives strength as well as refuge. And it is that river that God is providing. It is that willingness to understand what He is doing that makes sense of these verses. He is this this river God. This one who says, if you're thirsty, come to me. If you can't make sense of it, read my word. Here is the waterment to flow into your heart and into your soul that you may be strengthened for whatever you have to face. The greater protection that God offers is not the removal of all ill. Heaven hasn't come yet. It will, but not yet. It is the confidence that He is at work. So that we can stand up and face tomorrow. And pray for those that we need to pray for. So a couple of thoughts. You might just think about who the Lord wants you to tap on the shoulder before you leave this service. And then you might remember some things the Lord has done in the past if your presence is a real struggle. So that you would pray. Remembering the deeds of the Lord. The one who is our refuge and strength. Because something happens when you remember a God who's a refuge and a river. You find some rest. And that's what God is promising as well. How can we rest? Verse 6. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter. He utters His voice, the earth melts. It's just a reminder that that He is powerful over all things. Here's the great expression. Nations rage, kingdoms totter. God just says a word. And the whole earth melts. He's more powerful than all of that. At the same time, verse 7, the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. It's it's not just that He's great out there somewhere. He's listening to Mike pray for me. He's listening to our prayers for our daughter. The God of Jacob is with us. And what do you remember about Jacob? Conniver, liar, thief, idolater. And yet God is saying, you turn to me and I will help you. Because I'm the God of somebody like Jacob. And I actually take Jacob, with all of his conniving and all of his weaknesses, and I use him to build a family out of which Israel, the family of faith will come, out of which Jesus will come to save you. As though God is saying, I I have this this infinite plan and I have this intimate plan. And they're operating right together. So that you can you can rest in my purposes even when things don't make sense. Verse 9. He makes war cease to the end of the earth. As though you say, God is Lord Sabeoff, which means Lord of hosts. That the nations bring their forces, the the companies bring their lawyers, the family brings its ire. Whatever is the issue we're facing and God said, I'm greater than that. I'm Lord Sabeoff. I'm I'm Lord of hosts. And it's it's meant to give our hearts some rest to remember that He is Lord of hosts. But He's not just Lord of hosts. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He's the Lord Shalom. He's bringing peace to our hearts even when our lives are not experiencing that peace. How can there be peace? Verse 10. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. What brings us peace? It's just knowing that God is God. My God is God. The power that created the universe, the power that turned back Sennacherib, the power that sent Jesus. The heart that loves me past my sin. That God is my God. You're listening to Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Brian Chapell. Have you thought about the fullness of God's grace and the role that it plays in your life? You can hear and understand that you are saved by grace. But what other spiritual benefits can an understanding of grace reveal? And what has God promised to believers that His grace will provide? In the book, The Promises of Grace, Pastor Brian offers a careful look at the beauty of grace, and all it brings to you as a believer. God's Word does not promise more money and fewer headaches, but His grace provides a confidence in our relationship with Him. Pastor Brian wants to help you focus on the promises that you can expect God to fulfill. Promises of assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Spirit, and perseverance in trial. You can request your copy of The Promises of Grace when you go online at unlimitedgrace.com. Or by calling 844-41-GRACE. That's 844-414-7223. And now, more from Brian Chapell on today's Unlimited Grace. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. What brings us peace? It's just knowing that God is God. My God is God. The power that created the universe, the power that turned back Sennacherib, the power that sent Jesus. The heart that loves me past my sin. That God is my God. And when I recognize that, I I trust Him. I think of Psalm 127. In vain do you rise up early and stay up late, eating the bread of anxious toil. Do you not know God gives to His beloved sleep? You can rest. How can you rest? Because my God is God. That's how I can rest. I I may not be able to explain, I may not be able to see this ending in in a way that makes sense to me or that I can figure out or that may happen but in my lifetime, but but my God is God. And for that reason, I continue to trust Him. He's got this. Because He's God. And not only is my God, Lord Sabboth, my God is here. He is, verse 11, the Lord of hosts who is with us. The God of Jacob who is our fortress. He is He's not just Lord Sabboth, He's Lord Emmanuel. God with us. And we need both pieces of that to actually have our hearts at rest. That He has all this power, but He's also with us for a caring and loving purpose that was ultimately revealed in Jesus. If I don't know that, I won't I won't truly be able to rest. I will focus only on the crisis and the fact that it's not done yet. Only on the enemy and that it's not destroyed yet. Only on the anger and that it's not calmed yet. But if what I say is, you know, sometimes I'm treated the way Hezekiah was. I have all my resources stretched and pushed away from me. No longer my walls work. No longer my army works. No longer my wealth works. That's gone. So what do I got left? God. It's all I got. It's all you need. And that God is with me. And because of that, I can still find rest when I'm going through the troubles that I can't make sense of. Kathy's brother is a a doctor in Springfield, a surgeon. And um several weeks ago, he took a friend of his, a colleague who's also a man of faith to a cardinal game. And uh they've known each other a long time but were kind of catching up on families and issues. And as these two men of faith were at the cardinal game, the friend began to speak to Cathy's brother of the trials in his life. Said my daughter got married recently. Young guy, strong, strapping, vigorous, 30 years old. Who had an inexplicable heart attack. Destroyed a large part of his heart. For that reason, he was put on a heart transplant list and they just presumed they were in for a long, hard wait. But as the circumstances can develop and the priorities are listed, they got the call. There is a heart available and you're going into surgery tomorrow. You know, they were hardly recovered from the trauma of the heart attack. And they're having to face now his possible loss in a heart transplant operation. So the family's at the hospital. They're gathered in the waiting room while the surgery begins. And the friend who's sitting there at the cardinal game with Kathy's brother says, here's what I did. I have a Bible app on my smartphone. So I just opened it up to the verse of the day. Now, folks, there there are about 31,000 verses in the Bible. This is the verse that showed up on the Bible app that day as the verse for the day for this man whose son-in-law was going into heart transplant surgery. Ezekiel 36:26. I will give you a new heart. And I will put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. So said the friend, we knew that despite it all, the Lord was still with us. Now, I would tell you, Kathy's brother doesn't know who won that cardinal game. Because he said, we just wept for the next few innings. Two men of faith saying, we don't understand all these events. But God is our refuge and strength. The God of Jacob is with us. And because of that, we know that though the earth gives way, we can be still and know that God is God and God is with us. And so we will find rest for our souls. So may God do his work in your heart. Even when the enemy is pushing in and your walls are not big enough to stop it. That you would know the river of Christ that is peace to your soul because you have united your heart to His. And know that He is now for you. And though the earth gives way, you can be still and know that He is God. Amen. Friends, I'm so glad you decided to tune in today and listen and I would consider it a privilege to pray for you right now. Let's go together before the throne of heaven and pray for the Lord's blessing. Father, thank you for being merciful to us. Help our hearts to grasp the greatness of that mercy that you provide so that we can offer our lives to Jesus as a sacrifice of praise that you have made holy and acceptable, despite our many weaknesses and flaws. We thank you for this great grace and pray in Jesus' name. Amen. That's Pastor Bryan Chapell, and you've been listening to Unlimited Grace. If you've been blessed by this message and would like to hear more from Dr. Chapell, I would encourage you to visit unlimitedgrace.com. In addition to messages from Pastor Bryan, you can explore the many sermons, podcasts, seminars and more available to you. Also, be sure to request a copy of the book from Dr. Bryan Chapell called The Promises of Grace. We'll send you a copy right away as our way of saying thank you for your most generous financial support. Once again, go to unlimitedgrace.com or you can give by calling 844-41-GRACE. That's 844-414-7223. Please be sure to join us next time as once again, we endeavor to put Christ at the center of our efforts so that lives might be transformed by His unlimited grace. This ministry is brought to you by Unlimited Grace Media and continues to be made possible with your generous financial support.