Psalm 46
Reformation Sundayย -ย 5 November 2017
Rev. John Derme
As we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, it would be easy for us to get all caught up in glorious terms about how wonderful that time in history was. As we do, we might get the impression that Martin Luther's lifetime was a golden age for the church, when everything was grand. We might even wish that things could be for us now like they were for Luther back then. That impression would be wrong. Luther had plenty of troubles. He had friends who turned against him. He experienced the Peasants' War, in which over 100,000 people died. He lived through episodes of the black plague, which struck his land and killed people he served. Two of his children died during his lifetime. And his own life was in constant danger from his enemies, who wanted to stop him from proclaiming the Word of God.
Luther's life was no golden age. There is no such thing as a golden age, during which there is no trouble. You don't live in a golden age, either. Your life is filled with trouble, too. At least, that is what it looks like from our perspective. But Psalm 46 tells us that, in spite of all the trouble we see, we are under protection from trouble.
Psalm 46: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. โBe still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.โ The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
The earth shakes. Mountains tumble into the sea. The sea roars, foams, and rises. Nations are in uproar. Kingdoms rise and fall. We see the tumult that Psalm 46 describes in our news. There's constant political upheaval. Wars never cease. Natural disasters come one after the other: earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, fires, floods, and tornadoes. We also see the tumult in our own lives. People we trust fail us. Friends who are supposed to be strong get sick and die. Enemies hurt us. We see the tumult even in the Christian church. False teaching infects so many congregations. We are tempted to compromise on the truth. Christians are robbed, fired, and beheaded. We experience hatred, pressure, and other forms of persecution.
When we see the trouble in the church and in our own lives, we are tempted to be afraid. It looks like disaster and upheaval will overwhelm us. It appears that persecution will stop us from proclaiming the gospel. When we see these troubles, it is only natural to fear. Yet, though fear may be natural, it is also sinful. Fear is a lack of trust that says God cannot protect us from trouble. Since we have doubted him, we deserve for God to stop protecting us. He ought to let our troubles overwhelm us and sweep us away.
Yet God is our refuge and strength. He can and he does protect us. Therefore we will not fear. Think about all of the troubles you have experienced in your life. He has not let any of them overwhelm you. Think about all of the opposition the church has faced over the last 2000 years. He has not let any of it stop us from proclaiming his Word.
On the one hand, Psalm 46 describes how this world is falling apart. But in the midst of it all, we hear about a beautiful city built on a river. It is a joyful place, where none of that tumult in the world bothers anybody. Though the nations are at war, this city will not fall, because God is in this city. You won't find it on any world map. This perfectly peaceful city is God's church, the home of all people who trust in him. Through faith in Jesus, you and I already live in this city.
It is a terrible thing when one person hurts another or when one nation is at war against another. But that can't even compare to how bad it is to fight against God. It's scary when we have to live in fear of other people. But nothing could be more frightening than living in fear of God. By nature, we were at war with God. We didn't just fear that he wouldn't protect us. We feared him as our enemy. But God doesn't attack us. He protects us. We do not fear, because we are at peace with God. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
God went to war not against us, but for us, when he became a human being. Jesus Christ showed that he is the Lord Almighty when he defeated sin, death, and hell for us in his victorious life and death. When he was crucified, Jesus valiantly suffered what we deserved for our fear and doubt against God. Through faith in Jesus, we have perfect peace with God, now and forever.
The Lord Almighty has command over all things in heaven and on earth. Even when political rulers and warlords think that they are in charge, God is the one who overthrows them all. Even when natural disasters hit, God is not shaken. And since God used his almighty power to protect us from hell and save us for heaven, we know that he will help us with all of our earthly troubles. Since the church is made up of his people, we know that the Lord will use his strength to protect us. He says "Be still, and know that I am God."
It often looks like we will be overwhelmed and the church will be stopped. We see so many bad things happening to us and the people we know. We hear about attacks on Christians around the world. But nobody can take away the peace that Jesus won between God and us. And nobody can take away God's protection over us. From a human perspective, it looks like our lives are filled with trouble. But God shows us that we are actually citizens of his perfectly peaceful city. Nothing can harm us here. Nothing can even bother us when we understand how carefully our God is protecting us. You are at home in this city now through faith in Jesus. You will fully realize your place in this city when you are with Jesus in heaven.
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 theses, which called for a discussion about the church selling certificates that supposedly paid the penalty for sins. From that point on, he proclaimed the Word of God, that our sins are forgiven through faith in Jesus and not by anything we do. Proclaiming the Word seemed only to bring trouble into his life. The most powerful people in the world wanted to end his life and stop the free gospel from being proclaimed. Yet even as Luther continued proclaiming, the Lord continued to protect him. For the rest of his life, he kept proclaiming the Word, and the Lord kept him and those who heard the message safe, until the Reformation was established. During that time, Martin Luther wrote a well-known hymn to share the courage that Psalm 46 gave to him: "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."
The Lord protected Luther through many troubles, and he has protected the church over the 500 years that have followed. We are the heirs of the Reformation. The opportunity to proclaim his Word now comes to us. We proclaim it as we speak the Word to our friends and family. We proclaim it in our congregations, by establishing more congregations as we are working to do in the North Valleys, and as we gather and send mission offerings to establish churches all over the world. From a human perspective, we don't live in a golden age of no troubles. But we have his promise that Christians always live in a golden age of protection. The church will proclaim his Word for the next 500 years or as long as he gives us to do it. God is our protection.