‘The City of God’: His Church Psalm 46:5

Text: “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.”

Psalm 46:5.

Good morning, Divinely helped Christian!  Because you and I are in fact, ‘born again’ into Christ’s Body – the church – we are forever promised His help; His enablement; the very present help of His Holy Presence.   What a privileged people genuine regenerate Christians are!   Thanks be to God for His help and His Presence!

In this wonderful God-inspired Psalm, the international and universal church of Christ Jesus is likened unto a ‘city’.  The Lord Himself, as we have seen in last week’s Bible Exposition, is likened unto an ever-flowing river; a great refreshing river that runs through the midst of that ‘city’; making the hearts of the citizens of that Holy city, temporally and Eternally ‘glad’.

Verse 4:  “…the streams thereof shall make glad the city of God.  If the church of Jesus Christ is a walled city; walled and made Eternally secure in the promises of her Saviour; with His Holy Presence, as an Almighty River, running through this city’s midst – then that church, that great city, is rendered impregnable against all her evil enemies of the world, the flesh, or, indeed, the Devil himself!  Hallelujah!  In Christ Jesus, we are forever secure!

“…And upon this Rock (the revealed deity of the Lord Jesus Christ) I will build My church; and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.”  (Matthew 16:18)

 Ralph Erskine (1685-1752) had these bold statements of his Christian belief to share with us:

“The City:  The church of God is like a City:

1. Because a city is a place of security.

2. A place of society: what one wants another supplies; they have mutual fellowship. 

3. A place of unity, that people may therein live in peace and concord. 

4. A place of trade and traffic. Here is the market of free grace: “Ho, every one that thirsteth,” (Isaiah 55:1), etc.  Here is the pearl of great price exposed for sale. 

5. A place of freedom and liberty: freedom from the guilt of sin, wrath of God, curse of the law, present evil world, bondage to Satan, etc., etc. 

6. A place of order and regularity; it hath its constitutions and ordinances.

7. A place of rest, and commodious to live in, and thus it is opposed to the wilderness.

8. A place of privilege. 

9. A place of pomp and splendour; there is the King, the court, and the throne. 

10.  A place of pleasure and beauty. (Psalm 48:2)

(Reproduced from The Treasury of David, C.H. Spurgeon, pages 219-210)

This great ‘city’, or His church, has God Himself at Divine Mayor, First Citizen indeed.

Verse 5. “God is in the midst of her.  If you and I be the Body of Christ, the true Spiritually regenerate (born from Above) members of Christ’s Body – then it follows that, no ‘body’ can live without a heart; and no Spiritual Body (i.e. Church) can live if Christ is not the heart and life’s Blood that makes that Body live, and breath, and go forth to win others to it.

“I (Jesus Christ) am the true Vine, and My Father is the husbandman.  Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit...Abide in Me and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the Vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.  I am the Vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.”  (John 15:1-5)

Many today profess to be ‘Christians’, yet in reality they are not, and never have been ‘baptised into one Body..’, Christ’s Spiritually regenerate church.  These unregenerate souls live life in the shadow of ‘the true church’, yet, if unsaved when death calls, will go out into a Christ-rejecter’s Eternity, and be lost forever.  It is time for all of us who profess to be Christians, to make our Salvation sure!  “Examine ye yourselves!”            (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Many today have been ‘baptised’ with tap-water, and even erroneously as babies, yet have never experienced the only completely necessary ‘baptism’ God recognises or sets forth in His Word.  Being Spiritually ‘baptised’, by repentance and faith in Christ’s full Atonement Sacrifice made at the Cross of Golgotha’s Hill.  “Ye MUST be born again...” (John 3:3-8)

“For as the body is one, and hath many members (arms, legs, fingers, etc.), and all members of that one body, being many are one body: so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit (Capital S., God Himself!) are we all baptised into one Body (i.e. the church), whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit...Now ye are the Body of Christ, and members in particular.”  (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)

It is this Spiritually regenerated (made Spiritually alive) Body, the church, that is likened unto a great city with the River of God’s Presence flowing through us.  He defends, as well as refreshes, ‘His people’, the true Spiritual church.  Praise and glory to His Name!

Verse 5. “God is in the midst of her.  His help is therefore sure and near.  Is she besieged, then He is Himself besieged within her, and we may be certain that He will break forth upon His adversaries.  How near is the Lord to the distresses of His saints, since He sojourns in their midst!”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 220)

Without the Lord God’s Divine help, you and I – members of His Spiritual church – would perish in an instant, our enemies and the enemies of Christ being ever so active in this day.

Thought: If Christ be for us – who dares to be against us?  In Him we have full Victory!