He will come!

 “In God We Trust – Part 3”

(Psalm 46:8-11, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 18, 2011)

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.

It should not surprise us that the Lord, who we have referred to for many centuries as “Almighty,” is more powerful than any enemy who could stand in His way. As Israel, the church, or any of God's people have faced adversaries that were far more powerful than them, those who believed God, taking Him at His Word, knew that they had a divine Leader who was stronger than those who opposed them.

In the eighth century before the birth of Christ, the enemy that posed the greatest danger to Israel was the Assyrian Empire. They decimated the tribes living in the territory north of Jerusalem. Even the southern territory, known as Judah, was in great distress recorded for us in several different books of the Old Testament. Yet God was a very present help for the city of Jerusalem, and the Assyrian Empire was never able to take possession of the city, despite the aggressor's obvious military advantages. God used the Assyrian Empire for His own purposes, and He watched over His people to preserve a remnant according to His plan, even in the darkest of times.

This God Most High, the God of Jacob, has great works that are worthy of beholding. But some of His greatest works, took place without immediate human witnesses. When God made His eternal plan to unite all things in His Son, things in heaven and things on earth, there was no man to witness that. When God created light and darkness, water and air, the dry land of planet earth, the sun and the moon and all the planets and stars, and animals to fill the earth, there was no man to observe it and to record what took place. When the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in the womb of a virgin, it was private. No one saw it. And no one saw the body of Jesus go from death to life.

What people have witnessed is what we call providence or history. We can look at the account of what happened in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt and in the conquest of the promised land. We read about what happened in the early centuries of the church. We can think about the work of God in our own lives or in the lives of people that we know. Even in all of these mighty works, we do not actually see the hand of God, but we do witness the results of His hand. We also hear His Word that prepares us for what He will do, providing us with a commentary on who He is and what He is accomplishing.

Much of what God will do is still a part of the future. No one has actually seen it, because it has not yet come to pass. We see nations moving toward war in our own day. We have not yet seen how God will bring a lasting peace upon the earth. He had the power to bring desolations upon the Assyrian Empire so that they could not take Jerusalem. They had war. They had weapons. But “He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.” We have not seen that yet entirely across the entire earth. We may have seen wars, and we may have seen wars pause for a time in one place or another. But one day, the Almighty King will make wars cease everywhere. That we have not yet seen.

How do we know that full peace will come? How do we know that heaven will come down upon the earth, and that God will work the most perfect renewal? The invasion of peace into this world of war has already taken place. John the Baptist came first. He prepared the way for the coming of the King of Peace. He pointed to the Lamb of God, Jesus, and told people to follow Him. Salvation has come in person. The forgiveness of sins has come in the life and death of Christ. The tender mercy of God has made an unmistakable impression upon this dying world in the proclamation of Jesus upon every continent over these centuries. Light has come to peoples and to places that were firmly in the grip of darkness, and the Spirit of God is guiding the most diverse group of people that you could ever imagine along the way of peace.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!”

We have not seen all of this with our eyes. You could miss it easily. You could travel the world and see very little of it if you stayed away from the people and places where the kingdom of peace is reigning in the hearts of God's beloved children. You could miss it if you decided not to seek first the kingdom of God.

But if you seek first the kingdom of the Almighty, you will find it. You will see it in the lives of those who have been touched by the Spirit of the Almighty, and you will especially hear it in the Word that reveals to us the message of the King of peace.

If you want this peace, if you want to see the power of brutality crushed, if you want to see the goodness of the Almighty win, you only need to hear the Word of life, and believe. He says here, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” How does it happen that a person hears and believes? That is as great a secret as the coming of the Most High as a baby in the womb of a virgin. You cannot see it actually happen, but you can be a witness of the impact of the Most High God on a life, your own or someone else's.

11 The LORD of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

I can tell you that much has taken place between last Christmas and this Christmas. I do not know what will happen in the year to come. But I can say this based on the promise of Jesus who died for us and who rose from the dead. He will never leave you or forsake you.

He is the God of hosts. He is the powerful King above all earthly powers. The Lord of hosts came to earth once. He was announced by one who prepared the way for Him. He healed. He taught. He suffered. He died. He rose again. He is still with us. He is the Lord above all the armies of heaven and earth. He is the God of Jacob, and He is our fortress.

In God we trust. Will there be war in the Middle East? In God we trust. Will the nations of Europe be unable to find financial and social stability? In God we trust. Will the church face violent opposition from those who hate her mission? In God we trust. Will there be astounding unfaithfulness and brutality among those who claim to be great friends of Jesus Christ? In God we trust. He will glorify His own Name. We can still hear and believe the Word of life in the darkest day. He will come, and He will establish His peace everywhere and forever.

1. Where is God in the midst of war and peace throughout the earth?

2. What does it mean to be still and know that the Lord is God?

3. What is God's commitment to His own glory?

4. How can we trust in God?

New Testament Passage: Luke 1:68-79