Doug Van Meter - 12 October 2014
A Mighty Fortress is Our God (Psalm 46:1–11)
Every era in the history of the world has presented the church with a particular challenge—not necessarily a unique challenge, but rather a particular opposition. For example, the first-century church faced the challenge from corrupt Judaism; the third- and fourth-century church faced the challenge of Arianism and the battle for the doctrine of the person of Christ; the sixteenth-century church faced the challenge of the monolithic Roman Catholic Church and was forced to defend the gospel truth of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone; and the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century church faced challenges to the doctrines of the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture. In each case, the church was threatened—both from outside and inside—and her enemies assumed her demise was imminent. In each case, God had the last laugh. In our day, the particular challenge we face is militant atheism, championed by the likes of Richard Dawkins, the late Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Bill Maher and other lesser known individuals and organisations. While their philosophy is often termed “the new atheism,” they are really promoting old news—the same old lie that has been promoted by unbelieving enemies of God throughout history. Psalm 46—the basis of Martin Luther’s most famous hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” which is one of the best loved hymns of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions and has been called “the Battle Hymn of the Reformation”—speaks of God as our refuge in times of turmoil. Contemporary Christians—facing the rise of militant atheism, the onslaught of Islam, the march of secularism, and the condition of much of the western church—need to grab a firm hold of the Lord as their refuge and strength. We would do well to learn and pray Psalm 46 together.
From Series: "Miscellaneous"
Sermons in this series are once-off sermons preached by various church members.