Sunday, September 19, 2021 AM

At Sunnyside this morning worshiping together. A few announcements as we get started this morning for service. Come back tonight. We're gonna be meeting in the Fellowship Hall and Vernon Denny Johnson, missionaries that we've supported for many years here at Sunnyside, they're gonna be here sharing with us, kind of a Q &A session, and we can get caught up with them tonight.

They are missionaries over in West Africa area, so look forward to meeting with them. Coming up this Wednesday we'll have church, or of course we'll have church, we'll have dinner here at the church at 545 for everyone together in the Fellowship Hall and then at 630 the kids will break off for their TAG program and the adults will have Bible study and prayer meeting after that.

And then coming up on September 26th we'll have communion in the morning service that morning and then in the evening service that night after the evening service truth group for those young adults that will be there.

This week's fighter verse comes from 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 verses 9 and 10. It says, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

For the sake of Christ then I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak then I am strong. We have some needs still for Operation Christmas Child.

Those shoe boxes will be we'll begin packing those in November. So for this month if you want to donate things like flip-flops, sunglasses, tennis balls, stickers, some soap, and some other things we're taking donations out in the foyer out there.

The sewing ministry has some needs and related to the sewing ministry Loretta Nelson asked me to make the announcement that she's going to be here this coming Friday September 24th here at the church for most of the day.

Probably if you want to show up from 10 between 10 and 5 p .m. she will be here helping anybody who is interested in helping with the sewing ministry and making some things for those shoe boxes. She wanted to let me know that she will be here.

It's a come and go for anybody that is interested. All right any other announcements before we begin worship this morning? It's good to be together this morning. We're gonna have a time of prayer and preparation and then after.

That Randy will come and lead us in prayer. Father I just pray that you would.

Quiet our hearts this morning and that we might be able to hear from you. I pray that your Holy Spirit would speak to our hearts, minister to us, and Father pray that this would just be a time that we can truly worship you.

We are so grateful and thankful to be able to come this morning and and just to sing praises to you and hear your word and I pray father that you would just make us witnesses for you throughout this week.

I pray that you would just be your hands and feet father and father just want to ask that you would watch over Michael. I pray that you'd bring healing to him. I pray that you'd encourage him and his family and strengthen him.

Father we thank you for his faithful teaching of the word and preaching. Pray for Josiah as he comes this morning that you would just let him be able to share what you put on his heart. Again father we just thank you for Jesus.

Thank you for your goodness to us. Encourage our hearts today as we meet.

Together in Jesus name. If you're able would you stand with me for our call to worship. Our passage this morning is found in Psalms chapter 71. We'll be reading verses 7 and 8. Read with me together. I have been as important to many but you are my strong refuge.

My mouth is filled with your praise and with your glory all the day. Our first song is in our Psalms for worship hymnals page 71a. It is in you oh Lord I put my trust. Sing with me together. We'll be in the book of Isaiah today chapter 2.

We'll be reading the first 11.

Verses. Isaiah 2 starting in verse 1. The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills and all nations shall flow to it.

Many people shall come and say come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways and we shall walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations and rebuke many people. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war anymore.

Oh house of Jacob come and let us walk in the lights of the Lord. For you have forsaken your people the house of Jacob because they are filled with Eastern ways. They are soothsayers like the Philistines and they are pleased with the children of foreigners.

Their land is also full of silver and gold and there is no end to their treasures. Their land is also full of horses and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is also full of idols. They worship the work of their hands that which their own fingers have made.

People bow down and each man humbles himself. Therefore do not forgive them. Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled.

The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. This is God's Word. Would you pray with me? Father we thank you for today. We thank you for the wondrous grace of your Word and we ask Lord that you would take away the idols of our hearts.

That you would take away our pride and that we would truly be humbled. That we be humbled and serve you in all humility Lord. Keeping our focus upon Jesus Christ and him alone as our Savior, as our Lord, our God, and our King.

And.

It's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. During these times it's challenging. We see those around us going through tough times. Those with sicknesses, illnesses, even deaths. But those whose hope is in the Lord can have peace.

Those whose hope is in the Lord can have have faith that he is the righteous judge of the universe. Those who have hope in the Lord know that they have salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. There's so many wonderful things because of the mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So if you would turn to page 406 we'll sing my hope is in the Lord. And then also then we'll go into page 493 it is well with my soul. Father we thank you for this day and we thank you for the.

Pastor that you have supplied us with Lord Michael Dearham and his family. We thank you for the service that they've done for you and for this body of believers and we pray that you would grant them healing right now Lord restoration and comfort in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

That they might know that you are with them during this time and that you are for them. May they rest in Christ Lord and may you please heal them and restore them Father. And it's in Christ's name we pray.

Amen. Yet man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. This life is filled with troubles with various types and kinds ever since the fall. Trouble has been a product of humanity's sin, a part of this life in this broken world.

And there are indeed various types and kinds. It staggers the mind, it discourages the soul to think on all these types and to consider the number and frequency of such sad matters. We each go through our own troubles in our own lives whether publicly or privately and we see that trouble is abroad in large parts of the world affecting multiple lives across multiple nations.

This life is filled with trouble and trouble can lead us into unholy fears. Fears that are not godly, not the fear of the Lord which is health and strength to a man, but fears motivated by trouble brought on by sin.

These fears can then begin to control one's life, begin to dictate what next steps to take. These unholy fears are a snare that keep people in spiritual bondage. And even believers, God's people, face and struggle with unholy fears brought on by trouble.

One instance in the scripture is the Apostle Peter. At Antioch in Galatians 2 we see that in the face of trouble Peter is controlled by fear. As the group of Judaizers comes to Antioch, Peter withdraws himself.

He steps away from the Gentiles, not eating with them, not acting as he should according to his Savior Jesus Christ, but being controlled by his own fear brought on by trouble. And whether it was by fear or by doubt, we see a similar situation with David.

In 1st Samuel 27, after sparing the life of Saul the second time, David says in his own heart, now I shall perish from the hand of Saul someday, and now I must go to the land of the Philistines. So David did not remain in faith, but rather through either doubt or fear he was controlled by the trouble that was brought to him.

And he went to live in the land of the enemies of the Lord and became one of the chief guardians of the king of Philistia. So even believers, God's people, find themselves struggling against unholy fears.

Yet praise God we are not alone in our troubles. We need not let unholy fear control our lives, guiding us into more brokenness. God gives us an answer to our situations when we find ourselves facing trouble.

God helps us in these times. What does God say? Psalm 46 is what God says. God speaks to the answer. God speaks to the situation of the trial of troubles. So let's turn there this morning, Psalm 46, and see what the Lord has said.

Beginning in verse 1, to the chief musician a psalm of the sons of Korah, a song for Alamoth. And as we read through this psalm I would encourage you if you're able to stand for the reading of God's word as this is what the Lord has said.

Verse 1, 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 stream 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 war cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the chariot in the 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 refuge. Selah. Here is the word of God, you may be seated. This psalm can be divided into three parts, separated by the use of Selah. The first three verses, we see that God is with us even in extreme trouble.

In verses 4 through 7, we read that God is with us, we shall not be moved. And in verses 8 through 11, we read that God is with us, He is God. So with that in mind, let's examine the first section, verses 1 through 3 of Psalm 46.

The psalm begins with a statement of faith, a spiritual reality that does not change, never changes. Even though trials come, this spiritual reality does not change. This is the truth that sets the foundation for the rest of the psalm.

God is our refuge, our safety, and our peace. He is our strength and a very present help in trouble. Therefore, in light of this glorious truth, we do not fear. We do not let unholy fear find a place in our heart.

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, even though the world be torn apart and fall around us, even in an extreme situation, we will not fear Selah.

God is with us. Therefore, when we face trials, when we face trouble, even though the very world around us falls apart, even though we face extreme troubles, we will not fear. We do not let the trouble we go through inspire and breed unholy dread in us to guide us in our actions, in our thoughts, in our life.

No matter how extreme the situation or trouble we face, it does not reach above the Lord. No trouble reaches up to God's level or goes above Him. God is above all of the trouble. Though, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

You are with me. And we know that during our most extreme and desperate hour, God has helped us. What do you think that is? What do you think your most extreme or desperate hour is? Could it be that the world falls apart?

Could it be that you face an enemy that you have no way to combat, no way to fight, no way to overcome? The Scriptures, the Word of God, gives us the answer. What is our most desperate hour? What is our most, what's our biggest trouble?

It's being a sinner in the sight of a holy God. A sinner, one who is spiritually dead and trespasses and sins, one who lives in lawless rebellion against God, one who lies, steals, lusts, hates, one who lives in sin and rightfully deserving of God's judgment, eternal condemnation.

This is what sinners deserve. This is what you and I deserve. Yet God has helped us in this, our most extreme trouble, our most desperate state of spiritual deadness. He has in fact not helped us from afar, but he's come to us near.

He's come down to our level of fallen flesh. And is this not the glorious uniqueness of the Christian faith? While other man-made religions tell you, do good works, build a tower up to God, achieve holiness on your own, strive to meet God's standard, yet the Christian faith is the true faith that says, you can't do that.

In your own strength you never will. Yet the Lord has come down to you and has helped you. God became man, Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took on human flesh and lived a perfect life, a righteous life, with no trace of sin whatsoever.

Who became a curse for us and was condemned by God on the cross for all of the sins of all of his people that he will ever save. Who died and rose from the grave, who is now seated at the Father's right hand.

In this God-man in Christ we behold God's greatest help to us. The greatest help we will ever experience from God. What a mercy, what grace. By the mercy of God we enter through faith into Christ, believing him and trusting his work.

Christ is our very present help in our troubled, sinful lives. Therefore we are forgiven. Christ takes our sinfulness and we receive his righteousness. Now standing, being made right with the Holy God.

Believers receive the Holy Spirit to dwell in the inner man, the inner heart, so that now God is present with the believer at all times. Wherever we are, wherever we go, wherever you are, wherever you go, God is with you.

You can worship him in your trouble and in your good times. God is with you. In light of this glorious truth that God has helped us in our darkest hour, in light of what the psalmist writes, God is with you.

Let this be known to you. God has helped you in the trouble of being a sinner and God will help you in your extreme trouble, whatever you may face or whatever you go through. God will help you. In the world falling apart and in every other trial, even though your world might fall apart, God will help you.

When you encounter trouble with your homework and with your study, when you encounter trouble at your job, when you encounter trouble with your marriage, with your kids, with your parents, when you encounter trouble with your own mind or emotions, when you encounter trouble with unbelief and sin, whether it's outside of you and other people or whether it's inside of you, in your most extreme trouble, God is with you and God will help you.

He is in fact a very present help to you. Isaiah 41 says, Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

He is your very present help, being your strength and your refuge. Praise God. Therefore, don't be afraid of your trial. Don't be afraid of your trouble. Don't let unholy fear take control and guide you in what you should do next.

What does this unholy fear do to a person if it gains control of the heart of the inner man? It leads to sin. It leads to more brokenness. It leads people to attempt to fix their own problems with their human flesh and their own strength, which is no strength at all.

It leads to worry and fret, to hopelessness. It leads to nothing good. Unholy fears leads people to focus on themselves and their sins, or it leads them to focus on others and not focus on Jesus Christ and Him alone.

I remember our pastor making a comment not too long ago, What you fear is what you worship. What you fear is what you worship. What you fear is what you think of the most and hold close in your heart and in your mind.

It's what your thoughts dwell upon. So what do you fear? Do not fear your unholy fears that come through trials and troubles. Rather, fear God alone. Believe His Word. Believe what He said. Know He is God and rest in Him.

Even in extreme trouble, He is with you and we shall not be moved. That's the next portion of Psalm 46 and verses 4 through 7. The picture, a water supply that graces the city of God. A river that comes into the place where the Most High dwells.

Its streams bless the city. This is God's city, where the citizens of God dwell in holy habitation underneath the Most High's holy reign. We see God is among His people. He does not rule from afar and the city and the people will not be moved.

And why is that? Because God is there. God is present with them, not because of their own strength or their own might, but because God is in their midst. The Lord will help this city in His good timing at the break of first light after the dark night.

The nations around the holy city, the Gentiles, those unbelievers who are not God's people, they rage. The kingdoms of the earth are moved to threaten the city. As was the world itself collapsing the trouble in verses 1 through 3, so now the trouble is the nations gather against God and against His city in verses 4 through 7.

Yet God is in His city. He simply utters His voice and the earth and all those raging in it melts. His foes are defeated with but a word from His mouth and the city is not moved. And verse 7, the Lord of hosts is with us.

The God of Jacob is our refuge, Selah. Facing the trouble of the enemies of God, threatening them, the people of the Lord know that their King, their very King, is in their midst, who helps them at just the right time, at just His time, according to His plan.

At the break of dawn after the night, the people are not moved, for God is with them. And this is true for the church today, for the church is God's people and even though we face strong enemies, harsh forces of darkness, whatever they might be, our King is in our midst.

The Holy Spirit is poured out upon us and our hearts are made glad and out of our hearts flow rivers of living waters. Instead of needing a tabernacle, God now dwells within us, within the inner man, within the heart, always present by His Spirit.

And though we may go through rough nights, God is there with us and shall deliver us at the break of dawn in His good timing. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. And yes, the church does encounter various enemies of God coming against them.

There are many who would render destruction against the people of God, for they are God's people. And the enemies of the church are the enemies of God. They hate the church because they hate God. Though the church has gone through many persecutions, it will not be stopped.

Though the church has suffered much and though it's spilt many of its blood, many of its martyrs have been killed, it will not be stopped. And this isn't because of the strength of the saints, it's because God is in our midst.

Our King is among us. The continuance and perseverance of the saints is not because of the strength of the saints, because God is in our midst, being His people's refuge and strength through whatever we go through.

Christ is the one who will build His church, and no one will hinder His work. Psalm 2. Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath and distress them in His deep displeasure. Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion.

In our most desperate trouble of being a sinner, the dawn has broken. Christ, the light of men, has come to our level and has helped us. We have the Spirit because we are in Christ, the place where the people of God abide now.

Yes, we abide in Christ by faith in Him, believing Him to be who He says He is, and trusting His work, what He has done for us. Those gathered in Christ are safe and secure. They will not be moved. They will not be moved.

Nothing shall separate us from Him. Jesus Himself speaks, I have given them eternal life, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. No one shall snatch you from Christ's hand. And Romans 8, what then shall we say to these things?

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?

It is God who justifies. Who is He who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We who are in Christ shall never be moved out of Him. We shall not be moved. Therefore, when trouble comes in whatever form, whatever enemy you encounter, let this be known to you. You will not be moved.

You will not be moved from Christ. No enemy or trouble will come up to Jesus and crowbar or pry His hands just enough so that you can slip through. There is no fire, there is no cold that will flinch Christ to let you go.

There is no storm that will flinch Him so that He lets you go. Nothing will snatch you out of His hand. Nothing will pluck you out of His hand. He's plucked you out of this present evil age, and He'll keep you.

You won't be moved. You will not be moved. No trouble or enemy will change this or hinder God's will for your life. In this life, there will still be hardship and trouble and suffering that will still be there, but you will still be on the path that God has for you, a path according to His good will, a path that is meant for His glory and your good.

No trouble or enemy will change this or hinder God's life, God's will for your life. He has granted you this new life by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, and you shall not be moved from Him.

One example in the scripture is Stephen the martyr. In the book of Acts, we see that Stephen, by the grace of God, is saved. He begins to serve the church with power, by the Spirit, with faithfulness, and he has brought before a religious council of the day.

There, in the religious council, he is not controlled by fear, but he's controlled by the fear of God. He preaches the gospel through the Old Testament. He shows how God has worked through redemptive history to accomplish His plan to accomplish the salvation of His people.

During that meeting with the council, he looks up and he sees heaven opened up. He sees the glory of God. He sees Jesus Christ at the right hand of God, and he's stoned right afterward. Someone can ask the question, how is it that you use Stephen as an example of God will never leave you, you won't be moved, you won't be taken from Christ?

He was faithful, but on that day, he was killed. How does that work? God was still with Stephen. God was still with him. His plan for Stephen's life was accomplished. He served the Lord with faithfulness, and God called him home in His proper timing.

God called him home. And though the enemy brought forth death against Stephen, that was merely just the doorway into entering into the rest of the Lord. And Stephen heard those words, well done, good and faithful servant, well done, enter into my rest.

He is now absent from the body, but present with the Lord. God never left him. Death is a weapon that the enemy might use, but it will not pry you from Jesus Christ, for Christ has defeated death. Isaiah 41 says, for I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, fear not, I will help you.

God held Stephen's hand. God holds your hand through every trial and trouble you go through. Every single one, protecting you, watching over you, ensuring that his plan for your life will unfold, whatever that might be.

He's closer than your best friend. He's closer than your parents. He's closer than your family. He's closer than your kids. He's closer than your spouse. He is near in your hurts, in your pain. He is very near, always ready to listen, always ready to hear, always helping, whether it feels like it or not.

He's always there, and no enemy or trouble is ever greater than God or Jesus Christ. God is greater. Christ is greater than any hardship or foe you have faced, you are facing, or you will ever face. And knowing this, I beg you, rest in this.

Rest in Christ. Know that he will keep you, and that nothing, there is nothing that can separate you from him. Don't let unholy fear, brought on by the enemy you face or the trouble you face, direct your life to guide you off the path that the Lord would have for you.

Don't let it lead you into sin. Stay with the Lord. Rest in your powerful, tender, merciful Savior. Stay with Christ. The last section of Psalm 46 is in verses 8 through 11. We see that God is with us, and he is God.

This last section begins with an invitation. Come, behold. Come see what the Lord has done. See that his enemies are laid waste in desolation. See that God has ended wars and destroyed the tools of destruction.

Indeed, God is not a harmless God, but one who brings righteous ruin to his enemies, rightfully so. Behold his mighty works. Behold, he is victorious in the end. And in verse 10, we see something unique in Psalm 46.

Someone else begins to speak. In verse 10, it says, Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. Near the very end of this psalm, instead of the sons of Korah speaking, writing this psalm, God speaks.

And he says, Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. The trouble in verses 4 through 7. I will be exalted in the earth. The trouble in verses 1 through 3. Here in this psalm, God says, Be still.

Don't be afraid. I am above your trouble. I am above it. It does not come up to level. It does not come up to my level. It does not go above me. And the psalm ends with restating the Lord of hosts is with us.

The God of Jacob is our refuge. This last section directs us to think on God, to lift our eyes heavenward, to meditate on his works, to know he is God and he is with us. He indeed is one who ends wars and brings righteous ruin on his enemies.

He is the Lord. He is the one exalted above all. Isaiah 40 says, It is he who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

He brings the princes to nothing. He makes the judges of the earth useless. Scarcely shall they be planted. Scarcely shall they be sown. Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, when he will also blow on them, and they will wither, and the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

To whom then will you liken me, or to whom shall I be equal, says the Holy One? Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number. He calls them all by name.

By the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, not one is missing. The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might, he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.

They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. This everlasting, eternal, and exalted God is the one who is with you in your trouble. And now come behold another work of the Lord.

Come behold the work of Christ. Come behold the mystery of the incarnation, this child laying in a manger who will change the course of all eternity, who will save his people from their sins. Come behold him who brought ruin to the devil, this Jesus of Nazareth, who has defeated death itself.

O death, where is your sting? Come behold Christ who brings an end to the war between sinner and God, therefore being justified by faith. We have peace with God, no longer struggling against him, but now at peace with him.

And even more so, God ends the war between unholy sinner and holy God and even says to the sinner, now you're my child. I adopt you as my son, as my daughter. Come sit at my table with me and my beloved son.

And one day on the day of the Lord, Christ will fully and utterly defeat death and all of his enemies. He will come on that day and be victorious with his people. Christ is God and he will be exalted above all.

He will be victorious utterly in the end. And on that future day to come, that final day, we will be with him in glory with no more trouble, no more pain, no more sorrow. But we will be with him in his glory and we will see him as he is and we will be like him.

Our eyes will behold the glory of the resurrected lamb and we will live to our fullest potential in this life, being an image bearer of God, fully reflecting Jesus Christ and his glory forever and ever.

Praise be to God. God is above all of our trouble and he instructs us, be still and know that I am God. When trouble comes, do not let it stir up unholy fear in you. These unholy fears only lead people to more brokenness, only leads them to more and more sin, to worry, to despair, to hopelessness.