Sunday, December 29, 2013

Sunday Morn Take Away 12/29/13




When going to church on Sunday morning, I bring my Bible and a notebook to jot down things that our Pastor Philip De Courcy says during his sermon.  When the notebook is filled it goes on the shelf, seldom to be opened again. 

For a while now…I’ve been thinking that perhaps I need to have a more record of what I’m taking away from our Sunday morning service.  This won’t be a recap…more likely bullet points.  A place for me to record what the Lord is saying through the study of His Word. 

Today we studied Psalm 46.

God the Refuge of His People and Conqueror of the Nations
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth.

46 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Noah Webster Quote…God can save by many or by few…  Their greatest weapon was their faith in God.

Psalm 46 is a celebration for what God does for those who trust Him.
Even in the face of monumental trouble. 
Will we continue to trust Him?

God is our help in the midst of trouble
Not a bubble or protected from all trouble
God does promise to meet us in the midst of the trouble.
Sometimes God calms the storm.
Sometimes He calms us in the midst of the storm.
Our trust is in God Who is sure in the midst of trouble.

Martin Luther Quote…my conscience is bound by the Word of God.

Faith in God delivers security
A sense of well-being
Not an absence of trouble.
Security is the ever present presence of God

From Vs 1 – Trouble = a tight spot…painted into a corner
This was a time of great shaking for Israel...a time of upheaval. 
No sense of security…nothing firm beneath your feet.

What are we going to do?
Trust in God
Deuteronomy 33:27
God was their greatest stronghold
Tucked under the shelter of God Himself
Our Shelter, our Safe Tower
Where will my shelter be this coming year?

Quote – Frederick Nolan…where God is, a spider’s web is like a wall.  Where God is not, a wall is like a spider’s web.

Our God is inexhaustible...an able supply of resources. 
A Strong Refuge
Invincible, inexhaustible
He will supply the necessary strength equal to the trial.

God’s help is timely…in the nick of time…2 Kings 19:35
The strength of God that is our help when we need it.
There will be grace when we need it and for what we need it for.
God’s strength is timeless
He is our Help from of old.
His strength has always been present
Psalm 90:1-2 – our Refuge in every generation.
God is immutable…He does not change.
There is help from of old.

God has unlimited resources.  Faith in God provides sufficiency…waters that refresh. 
2 Chronicles 32:30Hezakah redirected the waters to come into the city of Jerusalem.
Rivers of Living Water
Peace, joy, comfort, righteousness
A living well and living water within you…the Holy Spirit
A fount of every blessing…calls for songs of loudest praise.

Story…Amazon River…pushes itself out to sea 90 miles.  Surrounded by salt water, underneath the boat was fresh water…but they didn’t know it.  They were asking for fresh water, but they already had an abundant supply. 

Judgment is the process…peace is the outcome. 
God of the armies of heaven
God will trouble those who are troubling you.

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