1429 - "Relax and acknowledge God..." Psalm 461-11; esp. v.10

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Welcome to On the Way with Tony Crisp. Each weekday, Dr. Crisp will be discussing biblical passages, people, places, and prophecies. Tune in daily to start your day right and deepen your understanding of how to better walk the way and enjoy the journey. Here's your host, Dr. Tony Crisp.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

Welcome to On the Way. This is Tony Crisp, and this is Podcast 1429. Today I want to take a break from our series on the Jew and the Gentile and the place of both in God's redemptive plan. And I want to speak to you out of Psalm 46. And the reason I'm doing this today is because I have talked with an unbelievable amount of people over the last two weeks that are troubled to their core about what's going on in the Middle East, about the future, about where we are in biblical prophecy, about the rise of anarchy it seems in places even in America, how that there is trouble, it appears everywhere in Europe, and the status quo that we have become accustomed to, it seems is being shaken at its foundation. And for some reason we think that we are entitled to and do a good life, a comfortable life all the time, and that nothing's to be out of place, and that somehow God owes us something. Now not everybody does that, but I hear that coming through as people are wondering what is going on. There's nothing going on out of the ordinary that's not been happening almost everywhere else in the world except America, and we have been living in a bubble. You see, the reason the Psalms are so filled with words of comfort and encouragement about trouble and heartache, betrayal and confusion, discombobulation, all of these things is because this is what life is made up of in many aspects and in many places in the world. Because we have lived in the lap of luxury in America, and even the worst off of us are many times better off than those who live in the rest of the world. And so we have become accustomed to things that are comfortable and things that are quote normal in our lives, and when we lose a job or something bad happens to us or there's an untimely death, somehow we feel like that God has abandoned us and that somehow life is out of control and we're being punished somehow. That's just simply not the case. And Psalm 46 is a good psalm for us. I just want to read it through and then I want to come back and just hit a couple of high spots, and I want to encourage you today and ask you to really put into practice by God's grace what you hear today. Psalm forty six says God is our refuge and our strength. He is a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear. Now just read that over and over and over again, because there's going to be trouble in your life and mine. There's going to be calamity, there's going to be confusion, there's going to be upheaval. There's going to be wars and rumors of wars. This is what Jesus not only talked about, he promised this was going to happen. And it says, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. We see that in different parts of the world through volcanoes and earthquakes and all kinds of disturbances, we see tidal waves, all of these things. These are the things that are spoken of in the Bible. The psalmist says, Though its waters, that is, the earth, the oceans, though its waters roar and be trouble, though the mountains shake with its swelling, there is a river whose stream shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. He's talking about the dwelling place of God. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. God shall help her just as the breaking of dawn. The nations raised, the kingdoms were moved, he uttered his voice, the earth melted. All of this is in reference to people coming against the people of God. The Jewish people in the Old Testament and the Jewish people in the New Testament were never popular. No, they weren't. Someone was always out to get them. There's always going to be antisemitism. There's always going to be Jew hatred. There's always going to be hatred of those who follow Jesus who is recognized as a Jew. He came as a Jew. And he is in the promised and anointed line. He is the anointed one. He came from the loins of Abraham, and he is of the seed of David of the tribe of Judah. He's going to be if he came again, we would put him on the cross again. Maybe not you and I individually, but the people of the earth would, because he stands against everything that the world system under Satan stands for. It says the Lord of hosts is with us, and the God of Jacob is our refuge. Was he primarily talking to the Jewish people? Of course. But now we are grafted into the great covenant people spiritually, and we can claim these spiritual promises. Come, behold the works of the Lord. And that's the personal name of God. He's talking about the God our Father, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He makes them cease. He's the one that stops them. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the chariot with fire. God can supernaturally stop something, does he? Sometimes yes, but most of the time no. He expects his people to take charge and do that. Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes war's deceits to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the chariot with fire. Now this is to get us to look toward heaven and not toward our own selves. But then listen to this phrase, verse ten. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted among the nations. The word is Goim, that's the word for Gentiles. I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Now let's go back to that verse that many times you hear quoted. That is a call for all of us to look to God for the answers in life, to look to God for the comfort that we all want and need and God wants us to have. Be still. That word be still is the word to relax. It's the word to be quiet. It's the word to settle down. It's translated probably thirty ways and in a variety of those particular words. But the word simply says relax. Stop fidgeting. Stop worrying and fretting. W that solves no problems. It only hurts us. Be still and know that I am God. The word no Yada is translated a lot of ways, but usually the first way it is translated is acknowledge. Recognize. If we just literally translate that the way we talk, now listen to this. Here's what God says. Relax and acknowledge that I am God. Will you just relax and understand that things are not out of my control? Will you just stop long enough to remember what Daniel told us and told Nebuchadnezzar when Nebuchadnezzar thought he was something many of you have said, Well, I don't like what Donald Trump says, I don't like the way he talks, I don't like the way he portrays himself as this way or that way. Listen, God sees all of that. And if he gets out of line, God is able to do with Donald Trump what he did with Nebuchadnezzar. He can put him out in the pasture eating grass. Now listen, Donald Trump or no world ruler, I don't care if they're the most powerful people politically on earth, are above God. God raises one up and he puts one down, and no one tells God what to do. No one. God is not out of control, and neither is anyone else. They're under God's thumb. And so relax. Settle down. Don't lose your head like everybody else and be fretting like everybody else. I mean, after all, we are followers of the great God. We know him personally. We can talk to him as a father. Stop worrying about everything and begin to talk to our heavenly Father. He's the only one that can fix this stuff. Now you go call up your friends and you just fret and worry and say, what's going on? What are we going to do? We're not going to do anything. We're going to pray and seek God's face. We're going to be salt and light like we've always been. And we're not going to lose our heads like everybody else. You know why? Because we don't own our heads. We don't own our hearts. We are bought, lock, stock, and barrel. Jesus has bought us with his own blood and he has redeemed us. And the worst thing anyone can do to us or any other child of God is they think the worst thing they can do is take our lives. But Paul said for me to die is gain. Why? Because we are immediately in the presence of Jesus. We are immediately free from this sin sick world. You see, there are some things that are worth dying for, but they're the same things are worth living for. And so relax. This is what he says. Be still. If if I just translated that right out of the Hebrew into our way of speaking, it would be settle down, relax, and acknowledge, recognize, understand that I am God. I'm the creator. I'm the maker. I control everything. And I will be exalted. He didn't say, you know, I'm going to try to be exalted. I'm going to work at being exalted. God said, I will be exalted because I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen. That's the nations. That's the word Goim. That's the word for Gentile or heathen. Listen, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is Lord. He is God to the glory of God the Father. He will be exalted in the earth. He said I will be exalted in the earth. And so listen, folks. Verse eleven says, The Lord of hosts is with us. The Lord of the host of heaven. He is the God of every angelic creature. He is the God of every creation. And every tongue will confess, every knee will bow, everyone will acknowledge that He is the creator, He is the Savior, and you will either do it now or you will do it in the future when it's too late. But right now what you and I need to do as children of God is we need to acknowledge the God of heaven and relax and quit fretting like everyone else. Listen, during COVID I thought maybe we've learned a lesson. We were acting just like everyone else. I saw it. You saw it. And when I caught myself fretting and worrying about this or that, all I had to do was turn to the loving Savior and He still my soul. But he asked me to be still. And so now I'm saying to you, my beloved, my brothers and sisters all over the earth, people from a hundred and seventy nations are listening. You will hear this. And almost five thousand cities now worldwide listen to this, not every day, but throughout the weeks and the years. Listen to me. God is in control. Relax. Acknowledge God in every area. You see, Solomon was wise when he said, Do not lean unto your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge God, and He will direct your paths. He will calm your spirit. For on the way, this is Tony Crisp.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Thanks for listening to On the Way with Tony Crisp. Tune in every weekday for information on biblical passages, people, places, and prophecies. Fridays are for your questions. Email your questions to questions at TonyCrisp.org. Then just listen for your question to be answered on Friday's podcast. That's questions at TonyC R I S P dot org. Thanks for listening and have a blessed day on the way.