Psalm 48 This is Our God:
Reading: Psalm 48:1-14
Text: For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death. Psalm 48:14
Introduction:
The Book of Psalms is a wonderful volume for many reasons.
As prayers they express the psalmist’s deepest emotions; pouring out his heart to the Lord in complete honesty.
As statements of fact, they separate truth from error…reality from non-reality.
As prophecy we see the advent of Christ’s first coming in incredible detail and equally his second coming (especially Psalm 2)
Today’s text is historical in nature…I personally love those with an historic flavour. You not only get a recap of Israel’s history…but also added detail which isn’t contained in the original account.
[Keep a marker in your bibles]
Psalm 48 (not the most well known of the Psalms) alludes to God’s divine protection and would-be attacks by Israel’s enemies; indeed his constant protection over Zion… “the city of our God.”
Whilst the specific account isn’t explicitly detailed, the general picture is one which can be applied to so many of their conflicts with other nations… standing still and seeing the salvation of the Lord.
The purpose of HISTORY is to learn from HISTORY…and this is exactly what we see:
“Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.” (Psalms 48:13)
“Mark ye well”
Or in other words: TAKE NOTE
CONSIDER…think deeply.
Why…
“That ye may TELL it to the generation following”
In order to learn from history, it must be passed on…told to the following generation.
HOW IMPORTANT is the PRESERVED word of God?
Think about it for a while…if the word of God hadn’t been preserved throughout the ages, only those privy to the original manuscripts would benefit from its wisdom.
As we IMMERSE ourselves in Psalm 48…
And I use the word immerse [*PONDER and MEDITATE*] very DELIBERATELY…
The word immerse means to be completely submerged or be engrossed in.
As the reader immerses himself in scripture, he is being washed by the word of God.
This is how we ought to approach all scripture (to immerse ourselves). The word of God is designed to wash and cleanse us from the filth of this world.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalms 51:7
So, as we immerse ourselves in Psalm 48, I pray that we gain a deeper understanding not only of this particular Psalm but a greater knowledge of God as a whole.
Psalm 48 culminates (V14) with the words, “This God is our God…” and will be our key text. It invites us to consider the Lord…WHO HE IS…and what he has done in OUR lives.
4 points today:
The Particulars of God
The Possessing of God
The Permanence of God
The Pathways of God
Let’s pray 🙏
The Particulars of God:
“This God…”
Like so many of the Psalms…Psalm 48 celebrates who God is.
The Psalmist does this by:
Making reference to PARTICULAR events.
And
Extolling PARTICULAR attributes of God.
He does this by emphasising the fact that it is THIS God who is responsible for the things aforementioned in the previous 13 verses.
It is this God and not any of the gods of the nations which surrounded Israel at the time
It’s the God of Israel… the God of the bible.
Whilst the central theme is largely that of Zion… “the city of our God,” we cannot separate “the cityof our God,” from “the God of our city.”
The Psalmist alternates between these two:
He alternates between God…the Lord, the great King, the Lord of hosts:
AND
The city of our God (the city of the great King) …with emphasis being placed on THE CITY and its virtues
He alternates between the virtues of the city and the virtues and attributes of God.
There’s a clear CORRELATION between the the GREATNESS of God and the GREATNESS of the city throughout this Psalm.
GOD’S GREATNESS IS DECLARED IN THE VERY FIRST VERSE*
“A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.” (Psalms 48:1)
Safe to say:
It would be pointless attributing such greatness to “the city of God” in the absence of God’s greatness.
GREAT IS THE LORD…and GREATLY TO BE PRAISED
Because of his GREATNESS, he is absolutely worthy of our praise. And that praise ought to be expressed GREATLY
The Psalmist’s boasting would be meaningless if it weren’t for God’s greatness.
[Turn to]
“A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in *vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in *vain.” (Psalms 127:1)
Just as the knowledge of God is revealed through his creation (Psalm 19 and Romans chapter 1), so too the GREATNESS of God is seen in the GREATNESS of Zion.
But it doesn’t just stop with God’s greatness:
We come to understand his holiness which seems to permeate “the mountain of his holiness” (HOLY GROUND) and his beauty according to the city’s location (situation) (v2).
I get the distinct impression that the Lord has an appreciation for beauty and aesthetics.
The attributes of God continue further
In verses 3-6 we read:
“God is known in her palaces for a *refuge. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.” (Psalms 48:3-6)
In these verses we get a sense safety and security (certainly) within the palaces, but I imagine the entire city. The mere sight of the city created fear in the hearts of those that passed by. The evil that they thought to perpetrate was quickly forgotten upon witnessing the imposing sight of the city…its towers, its bulwarks.
The fearsome sight of the city goes hand in hand with the fear of the Lord who causes the knees to shake and hearts to melt. They had heard of what he did in Egypt…regarding the plagues.
It was because of this (terrible) fear that they were protected from their enemies. It wasn’t just the imposing sight of the city which afforded them protection but the Lord who was associated with its inhabitants.
Ultimately, the Lord was their REFUGE and rightly so:
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10)
“I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” (Psalms 91:2)
We know that there is more than one way to defeat an enemy (not just by force alone). The enemies of Israel knew how to exercise patience by laying siege on the city and starving them out of existence. This process could take 2 years.
So:
Whilst they kept relationship with him, he afforded them protection. However, when they failed to keep relationship with him, they became a reproach.
Some of the other attributes (or particulars) of God contained within this Psalm:
Lovingkindness:
“We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.” (Psalms 48:9)
Why would “we” think of his lovingkindness in the midst of the temple, you may ask. It is here where sacrifice is made for sin and anyone with a genuine heart for God knows that: “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” (Psalms 103:10)
Righteousness and Judgements:
“According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness. Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments.” (Psalms 48:10-11)
Why is righteousness and judgement so praiseworthy?
SIMPLY BECAUSE
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)
A city that departs from God’s righteousness becomes a reproach and suffers the consequences of its wickedness.
“Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.” (Isaiah 52:5)
CONSEQUENTLY:
We see a very stark contrast between the description of Zion in Psalm 48 and that which is in the book of Lamentations. [Turn to]
“How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!” (Lamentations 1:1)
“How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.” (Lamentations 4:1)
Now because of their disobedience…
JOY IS TURNED TO MOURNING AND DESPAIR
BEAUTY IS TURNED TO ASHES
As I close off this point:
As we immerse ourselves in Psalm 48, we get a REAL sense of God’s presence within the city of Zion. This shouldn’t surprise us since the Lord had instructed the children of Israel to make things “according to the pattern” …even as CREATION reflects the CREATOR … the PATTERN (or design) reflects the “PATTERN MAKER (or DESIGNER)”
Everything that God does is a reflection of WHO HE IS
This is where evolutionists go wrong…they are continually looking for a common ancestor rather than looking for a common CREATOR.
The picture we get of Zion is one of
GREATNESS and not MEDIOCRITY. Just as the Lord dwelt in Zion, he now dwells in us. Surely then, there is no place for MEDIOCRITY in the life of the believer.
PARTICULARLY AS HE BUILDS OUR LIVES
When this God is our God, it should naturally follow that we become like him and will be “as he is”
The Possessing of God:
“For this God is OUR God…”
We ought to place emphasis on the word “OUR” In fact it’s often profitable to break down the English (not the Hebrew or the Greek) in order to get a deeper understanding.
The word OUR is a “possessive pronoun” which automatically tells us:
That “THIS GOD” BELONGED to them and the Psalmist IDENTIFIED himself with “THIS GOD”
There was a RELATIONSHIP between the two.
We could go further and highlight the word “THIS…this God” which is a singular pronoun as opposed to “these gods” which is plural…automatically dispelling the notion of POLYTHEISM (multiple gods).
We see the words “OUR GOD” 3 times in Psalm 48…is that significant?
I can’t definitively say “Yes,” nevertheless we see it evenly spaced throughout the psalm.
“A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.” (Psalms 48:1)
“As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.” (Psalms 48:8)
“For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.” (Psalms 48:14)
There is so much content in the bible regarding Israel’s fluctuating RELATIONSHIP with the Lord…from near total faithfulness to grievous back-sliddings.
When we think of the Lord’s relationship with the nation of Israel, we should remember the COVENANTS between them.
Whilst Israel claimed the Lord as their own:
It’s important to recognise that it was the Lord who chose them first. They were called by his name which we’re told is JEALOUS…and he chose them above all the inhabitants of the world.
“Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.”
(Deuteronomy 10:15)
He chose them to be his “peculiar treasure”
“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a *peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:” (Exodus 19:5)
[TURN TO]
“I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.” (Ecclesiastes 2:8)
*The word peculiar doesn’t mean strange, and it doesn’t necessarily mean unique either. In combination with the word treasure, it refers to the treasure or riches which specifically pertains to a king… “HIS POSSESSION”
He chose them not according to their large population:
“The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:” (Deuteronomy 7:7)
DESPITE THEIR LOWLY STATUS THEY HAD VALUE TO GOD
In terms of belonging…that sense of belonging was INTENDED to be mutual.
As we see this in the Song of Solomon:
“My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.”
(Song of Solomon 2:16)
A sense of BELONGING and IDENTITY is IMPORTANT.
Sadly, fallen man rebels against any notion of BELONGING in a biblical sense. He distorts it and replaces the concept of belonging with one of “ownership” and then says in his struggle for INDEPENDENCE: “you don’t own me”
BUT:
In the very beginning the Lord says: it is not good for man to be alone. We were created for relationship. BOTH with God and our peers.
Sadly, as fallen creatures we will often do whatever it takes to belong (to fit in) …the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.
Yet we are told…BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD
James tells it to us plainly:
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the ENEMY of God.” (James 4:4)
Right relationship with God is so important as it carries with it, so many BLESSINGS as we see in Psalm 48.
We only need to look at the latter part of Deuteronomy to see the promises of God according to obedience to his laws.
For the inhabitants of Zion, it was more (or at least should have been more) than just being a native of Jerusalem. National pride does nothing to enhance relationship with God despite the blessing of being born there.
As we see in Psalm 87: Which is another Psalm which lifts up Zion as “the city of God.” (Read Psalm 87 in your own time)
“And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.” (Psalms 87:5-6)
But the blessing has nothing to do with GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION but by virtue of the fact that as the Lord said:
“But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there…”
(2 Chronicles 6:6)
RELATIONSHIP and BELONGING go hand in hand with IDENTITY and IDENTIFICATION.
If you were to ask any young person raised with a secular humanistic world view the question: “WHO ARE YOU?”
The secular humanist isn’t going to tell you that he was created in the image of God.
As far as he is concerned, he is the product of random chance through the process of a BIG BANG and EVOLUTION over billions of years.
And so, he creates his own IDENTITY…identifying with whoever and whatever he feels at the time…rather than finding his IDENTITY in God.
As New Testament believers our identity is in Christ: We are called by his name (just as Israel was called by God’s name). We are Christians because we belong to Christ.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus…. for a PURPOSE
(UNTO GOOD WORKS)
I think of my own identity PRIOR to coming to Christ. I heavily identified with the New Age and hippy culture. As you can probably see, when I came to Christ…everything changed.
We shouldn’t ignore the fact that this “NEW IDENTITY” had an enormous cost associated with it…we were bought with a price and for this reason we need to count it a privilege.
That identity will be fully realised in eternity:
“Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” (Revelation 3:12)
Like the Israelites: We too:
ARE ABLE TO SAY “OUR GOD”
Like the Israelites, we too are:
“a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” (1 Peter 2:9)
AGAIN:
The incredible thing is that the Lord always shows the initiative first, just as he did with the nation of Israel.
He loved us first (before we loved him) and provided a Saviour whilst we were yet sinners.
FOR THAT WE OUGHT TO BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL.
The Permanency of God:
“For this God is our God for ever and ever…” (Psalms 48:14)
* “FOR EVER” is an interesting concept (v8 and v14) which implies an infinite measure of time. As finite beings, we’re really limited in our understanding of “FOREVER” [Ecclesiastes 3:11]
But we do know at some point that: TIME SHALL BE NO MORE
In verse 8:
“As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.” (Psalms 48:8)
The perceived permanency of the city matched the acknowledged permanency of God…both EXISTENTIALLY (God is eternal) and RELATIONALLY (in the lives of Zion’s inhabitants). These 2 go hand in hand…
Whilst this permanency indicated BOTH in verses 8 and 14 is true from an eternal perspective …from a temporal perspective (keeping in mind the various covenants) in some respects, it is contingent on the permanency of their relationship with him.
Certainly, the Psalmist’s hope and the confession of faith is that the Lord would be an ENDURING PRESENCE in the life of Israel both as a nation and individually.
This is a solemn declaration of the intended permanence of their relationship with the Lord. As far as the psalmist was concerned, he had no intention of “switching gods” as had been the practice of apostate Israel and which would occur in the years to follow.
We see this pointed out by Jeremiah
“Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.” (Jeremiah 2:11)
No doubt the psalmist recognised the eternal nature of God, knowing that even after his own death, the Lord would still be there “establishing the city of our God forever and ever.”
And:
He would (and could) be their God forever and ever. No matter what replacement theology teaches, God forbid that he should cast away his people.
It’s only through the word of God we have both hindsight and foresight.
We have hindsight regarding the captivity in Babylon.
We have foresight regarding Israel’s whoredoms and the Lord’s refusal to give them a bill of divorcement.
We have hindsight regarding the EVERLASTING COVENANT despite Israel’s rejection of their Messiah.
We have foresight regarding the nation of Israel and its “second gathering”
And we have foresight regarding “THE NEW JERUSALEM”
In light of the new Jerusalem, I wonder if the psalmist had this in mind:
That “…here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”
(Hebrews 13:14)
As Abraham who:
“…looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:10)
THE ETERNAL CITY AND THE TRUE CITY OF OUR GOD
There has to be both a COMFORT and a CONFIDENCE in knowing that God is on the throne and always would be:
“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”
“…he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalms 121:4)
Along with the PERMANENCE OF GOD comes a sense of security and comfort.
Of course, we know that the security and comfort of the believer goes beyond the temporal…it is ETERNAL
We SHOULD be persuaded that he is able to keep that we have committed unto him against that day…not because of any confidence in ourselves but because of who THIS GOD is…he doesn’t change and he doesn’t lie.
The same Lord who is able to establish Zion forever and ever is able to establish and keep us…ETERNALLY
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
(John 10:28-29)
This is what you call doubly secure…both the Father and Christ have the believer safely in their hands.
The Pathways of God:
“…he will be our guide even unto death.”
The Lord’s guidance is widely spoken of in scripture…and as you would expect. Psalm 48 acknowledges this and so it should:
After all:
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6)
Recognising ourselves as sheep, who without a shepherd, would be hopelessly lost…Psalm 23 must become a template for our lives.
It’s worth noting that the Lord’s guidance generally takes the form of leadership. A guide points you in the right direction. He doesn’t push you in the direction that he wants you to go.
He LEADS his sheep and not drives his sheep.
HE LEADS US BESIDE STILL WATERS
HE LEADS US IN PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Generally speaking, it is his gentleness which makes us great
This is important to know. Firstly, it’s a character issue…this is consistent with the character of God.
Secondly, the Lord desires willing servants (NOT SLAVES). We have a choice to follow him or not. Praise God that he makes the choice easy.
If there is one thing that really gets under my skin is defending the Bible regarding the issue of slavery. Modern bibles are guilty in this because they translate the Greek word “dulos” as slave rather than servant.
The provision of servitude in the mosaic law was provided out of kindness and not cruelty. It was a remedy for bankruptcy. If we look at the law of Moses and the laws concerning servants…IT IS THE MOST EQUITABLE OF SYSTEMS
Now apply this to our own lives. We were morally bankrupt; servants of SIN. Now because of God’s mercy we are servants of righteousness.
I AM NOT GOD’S SLAVE…I serve him willingly (God loves a cheerful giver). That which I do in service to him is my “reasonable service” done entirely because of his mercy (Romans 12:1)
This is the underlying premise of his guidance. He leads us in paths of righteousness for his names’s sake.
That the Lord is THE GOOD SHEPHERD, is undeniable.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take MY yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Perhaps we should contrast our Lord (the good shepherd) with the “idol shepherd in Zechariah 11:16-17
“For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.” (Zechariah 11:16-17)
This passage refers to the antichrist, who we know will be nothing like THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
He will be ultimate tyrant…his modus operandi is
COERCION and not KINDNESS
LAWLESSNESS not LOVE
We also acknowledge that the Lord’s guidance also includes correction and chastening.
In verse 7 we see the ships of Tarshish broken up by an east wind. As a record of history, this could very well be a reference to Jehoshaphat’s error in 2 Chronicles:
“And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly: And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongeber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah *prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.”
(2 Chronicles 20:35-37) *rebuked
The passage is fairly self explanatory. Jehoshaphat had previously made affinity with Ahab, the father of Ahaziah. He thought to extend that affinity by joining himself with his son.
This unequal yoking is wicked to say the least. The ramifications were extremely severe. This account is the final straw in a checkered legacy left by Jehoshaphat…which would include Athaliah killing (the seed royal) all but one of the heirs to the throne.
The Psalmist freely admits that mankind has a tendency to stray and thus require guidance.
Psalm 139 gives us (for lack of a better word) a formula for seeking God’s guidance in an open and transparent way:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalms 139:23-24)
LEAD ME IN THE WAY EVERLASTING…God desires that our lives bear fruit and that fruit will be rewarded in eternity. The way EVERLASTING leads to eternity and eternal life. Everything we do in this life counts towards a better or a worse resurrection.
As sheep of his pasture, we have heard and hopefully continue to hear his voice and FOLLOW…
THE CHALLENGE FOR US IS TO CONTINUE LISTENING AND NOT BE DISTRACTED…
Distracted by other voices…
Distracted by our own lusts (having itching ears)
Distracted by our our interests
This is the CHOICE WE must make daily…to take up our cross and follow him.
Remember:
The Lord has a destination in mind when he leads and guides us…
IT’S NOT SOME RANDOM PATH…
Remember how the Lord led the Israelites through the wilderness with the Promised Land in mind.
As we heard earlier…it was David’s desire for the Lord to lead him in the way EVERLASTING.
We are lead in a direction which has ETERNITY in mind.
It is only through the Lord’s guidance that we can live a full and profitable life…being GUIDED by him even unto death.
What a blessing that would be…to know that Jesus has led you all the way…
ALL THE WAY TO THE FINISH LINE.
Conclusion:
For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death. Psalm 48:14
The Psalmist is clearly not ashamed to declare “his God” to the congregation…
As I’ve said earlier…as we read Psalm 48, we get a real sense of God’s presence in the city of Zion.
Yet it takes a conscious decision to hold on to the reality of God and acknowledge him in all those things experienced…
THE PHYSICAL BEAUTY OF THE CITY
THE SAFETY OF BEING CONTAINED WITHIN ITS WALLS.
THE REMEMBRANCE OF HIS LOVINGKINDNESS IN THE TEMPLE SACRIFICES.
Likewise, we shouldn’t be ashamed to declare our God to those around us.
But again, it takes a CONSCIOUS effort on our part, to hold on to the reality of God in our lives.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
TO NOT DO THIS IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER
2 Peter exhorts us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The prime reason for Peter writing this is a warning against deception and false teachers.
This is of course, an important issue, yet we can apply this generally, and the benefits of a deeper relationship with God are many…but which includes: PEACE COMFORT WISDOM.
For this reason:
We should all desire greater INTIMACY with God and not be held by the ties to THIS WORLD and love for this world.
Love for the world (and the things in the world*) has been the undoing of all who do not know God…Who do not know “THIS GOD”: THE GOD PORTRAYED IN PSALM 48.
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15)
Truly: Love for God and love for the world CANNOT coexist…. CANNOT COEXIST
ANY ATTEMPT TO COEXIST BECOMES COMPROMISE
Remember that though we are in the world we are NOT of the world.
Jesus warns us with these words:
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)
The believer can apply this warning to a lesser degree…yet it is serious, nonetheless.
I pray that today’s message has reminded you of “this God” …the God celebrated in Psalm 48.
It would be such a TRAGEDY if he were to become A DISTANT MEMORY as we see throughout Israel’s history.
This is the power of our own history…our own testimony.
It is THIS GOD who saved saved you and continues to work in your life.
The important question is:
DO YOU KNOW THIS GOD? And if so, how well do you know him?
Do you know his particulars?
Is he you treasured possession?
Does he permanently indwell your heart?
Do you seek his guidance daily?
IS THIS GOD, YOUR GOD? If not, why not.
One thing that I failed to mention…and that is the EXCLUSIVITY of THIS GOD. The post post-modern world hates the word EXCLUSIVE and much prefers the word INCLUSIVE.
The modern pagan prefers to have his own Pantheon of gods to believe in depending on the occasion.
YET:
This God says the I am the way…THE WAY. The exclusive way to heaven.
And yet he also says: that WHOSOEVER believes in him should not PERISH but have everlasting life.
This has to be an exclusive offer too good to refuse.
My prayer is that you would seek him while he may be found.
Seek him with all your heart because he promises that he will be found.
Let’s Pray
0 Comments