WEBVTT 00:00:02.989 --> 00:00:08.310 We look tonight in Psalm 18, where we find the 00:00:08.310 --> 00:00:11.689 theme for this evening, The Lord Our Refuge. 00:00:17.929 --> 00:00:21.070 David says, I love thee, O Lord, my strength. 00:00:21.910 --> 00:00:26.530 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my 00:00:26.530 --> 00:00:31.989 deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge. 00:00:32.810 --> 00:00:36.009 There are two Hebrew words that are used in verse 00:00:36.009 --> 00:00:39.869 2 that are similar and communicate basically 00:00:39.869 --> 00:00:42.469 the same truth that we're examining tonight. 00:00:43.030 --> 00:00:46.590 The one word is the word fortress. It is a word 00:00:46.590 --> 00:00:49.130 that is used five times in the Psalms as well 00:00:49.130 --> 00:00:52.750 as a few other places in the Old Testament. The 00:00:52.750 --> 00:00:58.130 word means a stronghold, an inaccessible place. 00:00:59.170 --> 00:01:04.129 Interestingly, the Arabic word that is equivalent 00:01:04.129 --> 00:01:08.409 to this is the word Masaidun. Those of you who 00:01:08.409 --> 00:01:11.430 are familiar with Palestine have heard of Masada, 00:01:12.569 --> 00:01:15.310 which is where the name Masada comes from, the 00:01:15.310 --> 00:01:19.670 Arabic Masaidun. Masada is a very inaccessible 00:01:19.670 --> 00:01:24.370 place, where in the time when the Roman army 00:01:24.370 --> 00:01:30.189 was subjecting and subduing Israel. A few of 00:01:30.189 --> 00:01:33.510 the Jews were able to escape there to Masada. 00:01:34.250 --> 00:01:37.609 It is a high, inaccessible stronghold on the 00:01:37.609 --> 00:01:41.450 shore of the Dead Sea. And there they held out 00:01:41.450 --> 00:01:44.510 against the Roman general Titus and his mighty 00:01:44.510 --> 00:01:47.510 army for months and months and months until the 00:01:47.510 --> 00:01:50.549 Roman army could build a ramp and finally get 00:01:50.549 --> 00:01:52.969 inside Masada. But when they got inside, they 00:01:52.969 --> 00:01:55.629 found that all the Jews had committed suicide 00:01:55.629 --> 00:01:58.430 rather than be taken prisoner by the Roman army. 00:01:59.299 --> 00:02:04.359 Masada, fortress, stronghold, an inaccessible 00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:09.379 place. David says, the Lord is my Masada, my 00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:12.939 fortress. And then the other word is the word 00:02:12.939 --> 00:02:19.259 refuge. Refuge is used 41 times in the Psalms. 00:02:19.780 --> 00:02:24.400 It refers to a place of protection, a place of 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:29.319 escape. David related well to both of these words. 00:02:30.300 --> 00:02:36.099 For example, Zion, which became the city of David, 00:02:37.460 --> 00:02:40.780 was originally a fortress of the Canaanites. 00:02:42.379 --> 00:02:46.560 It was David himself who conquered Zion and then 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:49.879 made it eventually his capital city. You can 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:52.900 find the record of that in 2 Samuel chapter 7. 00:02:53.229 --> 00:02:57.490 David understood what a fortress was. He captured 00:02:57.490 --> 00:03:00.289 the fortress city of Zion and it became then 00:03:00.289 --> 00:03:04.770 his fortress capital city. On the other hand, 00:03:04.849 --> 00:03:07.909 when you think of a refuge, you can't help but 00:03:07.909 --> 00:03:13.830 think of En Gedi. That area of greenness in the 00:03:13.830 --> 00:03:18.969 midst of the wilderness of Judea. A place where 00:03:18.969 --> 00:03:23.020 there were tropical trees and plants. A stream 00:03:23.020 --> 00:03:26.159 and waterfalls in the midst of barrenness and 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:31.060 brown. David spent a good deal of time in Getty 00:03:31.060 --> 00:03:34.939 because it was there he found refuge or protection 00:03:34.939 --> 00:03:40.020 from Saul when Saul sought his life. So David 00:03:40.020 --> 00:03:42.939 identified well with both of these terms, fortress 00:03:42.939 --> 00:03:47.379 and refuge. Perhaps the greatest significance, 00:03:47.379 --> 00:03:51.909 though, of the term refuge is found in the Old 00:03:51.909 --> 00:03:57.870 Testament cities of refuge. These are listed 00:03:57.870 --> 00:04:00.889 for us in Numbers 35, and the basic concept is 00:04:00.889 --> 00:04:02.710 explained there. Most of you undoubtedly are 00:04:02.710 --> 00:04:05.030 familiar with them, but let me just remind you 00:04:05.030 --> 00:04:09.629 what was involved. God established a system of 00:04:09.629 --> 00:04:11.889 law that was put into place before there was 00:04:11.889 --> 00:04:16.069 a central government. One of the primary purposes 00:04:16.069 --> 00:04:18.350 of that system as well as central government 00:04:18.350 --> 00:04:23.730 is the protection of human life. The basic thrust 00:04:23.730 --> 00:04:26.350 of the law was an eye for an eye and a tooth 00:04:26.350 --> 00:04:33.449 for a tooth. If a life was taken, then the one 00:04:33.449 --> 00:04:36.069 who was the murderer was to have his life forfeited. 00:04:36.449 --> 00:04:39.689 It was to be taken from him. But before there 00:04:39.689 --> 00:04:42.069 was central government, how was that to be established? 00:04:42.540 --> 00:04:45.740 How was capital punishment, if you want to use 00:04:45.740 --> 00:04:49.060 that term, to be carried out? Well, God's answer 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:54.779 was the blood avenger. That is, the nearest relative 00:04:54.779 --> 00:04:59.519 of the person who was killed was to avenge the 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:02.759 life of his relative. He was called the avenger 00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:07.339 of blood. It was his responsibility to take the 00:05:07.339 --> 00:05:11.019 life of the one who had killed his relative. 00:05:12.930 --> 00:05:16.350 Now, one who had killed someone, particularly 00:05:16.350 --> 00:05:20.610 if he had killed that person accidentally, did 00:05:20.610 --> 00:05:24.410 not want that to be carried out, obviously. And 00:05:24.410 --> 00:05:28.170 so, God established, for a system of law when 00:05:28.170 --> 00:05:31.250 there was no central government, cities of refuge. 00:05:32.430 --> 00:05:35.550 There were six of these cities. Three of them 00:05:35.550 --> 00:05:38.629 were on the east side of the Jordan River, three 00:05:38.629 --> 00:05:42.519 of them on the west side. Their names on the 00:05:42.519 --> 00:05:48.180 west side were Kadesh, Shechem, and Hebron. Those 00:05:48.180 --> 00:05:51.279 are familiar names to us. The ones on the east 00:05:51.279 --> 00:05:53.779 side perhaps are less familiar. The one to the 00:05:53.779 --> 00:05:57.019 furthest north was Golan, where we get the name 00:05:57.019 --> 00:06:05.160 Golan Heights, Ramoth, and Bezer. These six cities 00:06:05.160 --> 00:06:09.120 were established by God as Levite cities. and 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:12.040 also as cities of refuge. Here's the way it worked. 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:16.920 If a man killed another person, he had the privilege 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:21.579 of fleeing to the nearest city of refuge. There 00:06:21.579 --> 00:06:24.100 he was to be protected by the elders of that 00:06:24.100 --> 00:06:28.600 city until a form of trial could be carried out. 00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:34.240 It's uncertain as to whether the trial was carried 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:38.199 out in the city of refuge itself. or whether 00:06:38.199 --> 00:06:40.740 it was carried out back at the site of the crime. 00:06:41.620 --> 00:06:43.980 But either way, the people, the elders of the 00:06:43.980 --> 00:06:47.360 City of Refuge were responsible for protecting 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:52.279 the accused killer until some sort of trial could 00:06:52.279 --> 00:06:55.839 be held. The Avenger of Blood could pursue the 00:06:55.839 --> 00:06:58.920 killer unto the gate of the city, but he could 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:03.300 go no further, for that city was a refuge for 00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:09.439 the accused. If, as a result of the trial, it 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:11.759 was found that the death was not accidental, 00:07:13.019 --> 00:07:16.540 but the man was in fact a murderer, this was 00:07:16.540 --> 00:07:19.600 not a manslaughter case, it was murder, then 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:23.040 the elders of the city were to cast out the killer 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:25.699 so that the avenger of blood could do his work 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:31.720 and exact the justice of God upon him. On the 00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:33.800 other hand, if it was found that this man had 00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:37.290 killed the other person accidentally, So it was 00:07:37.290 --> 00:07:41.230 manslaughter, as we would call it. Then the elders 00:07:41.230 --> 00:07:43.689 of the city were to care for this man. They were 00:07:43.689 --> 00:07:48.089 to provide for him as long as he needed to be 00:07:48.089 --> 00:07:53.129 there. The city of refuge became his home. If 00:07:53.129 --> 00:07:55.509 he left the city of refuge, the avenger of blood 00:07:55.509 --> 00:07:58.490 could find him and kill him. But as long as the 00:07:58.490 --> 00:08:00.689 man guilty of manslaughter stayed in the city 00:08:00.689 --> 00:08:05.490 of refuge, he was to be provided for there. There 00:08:05.490 --> 00:08:09.009 could be no price paid that would allow him to 00:08:09.009 --> 00:08:12.709 be released early. He had to stay there until 00:08:12.709 --> 00:08:17.569 the death of the high priest. Now if that was 00:08:17.569 --> 00:08:21.889 six months, it was six months. If it was 50 years, 00:08:22.009 --> 00:08:26.189 it was 50 years. But he was to stay there essentially 00:08:26.189 --> 00:08:30.149 a prisoner, but provided for. in the city of 00:08:30.149 --> 00:08:32.289 refuge until the death of the high priest and 00:08:32.289 --> 00:08:35.330 then all those who were in the city of refuge 00:08:35.330 --> 00:08:39.669 and were being kept could be released and could 00:08:39.669 --> 00:08:43.330 go and the avenger of blood could not exact the 00:08:43.330 --> 00:08:47.529 toll of the man's life. That was the way God 00:08:47.529 --> 00:08:50.129 provided for some of the system of justice in 00:08:50.129 --> 00:08:53.690 Israel before there was a central government. 00:08:55.370 --> 00:08:58.940 By the way that system was used as well in other 00:08:58.940 --> 00:09:03.580 nations at that time and God used it among his 00:09:03.580 --> 00:09:06.720 own people, established it as we have basically 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:09.720 explained it tonight. So you see the city of 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:14.539 Refuge became a place of provision because the 00:09:14.539 --> 00:09:17.779 man was to be cared for in that city. It was 00:09:17.779 --> 00:09:22.759 a place of petition because a trial was to be 00:09:22.759 --> 00:09:25.159 held to determine his guilt or innocence of murder. 00:09:25.580 --> 00:09:28.120 He could appeal to the elders of the city to 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:31.320 protect him from the avenger of blood, the man 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:34.379 who was there to carry out justice. It was also 00:09:34.379 --> 00:09:38.100 a place of protection. For he could not be touched 00:09:38.100 --> 00:09:42.559 as long as he was in that city. That is why the 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:45.059 cities of refuge are a wonderful picture of the 00:09:45.059 --> 00:09:49.220 salvation that we have in Christ. Because following 00:09:49.220 --> 00:09:54.779 us is the justice of God. to avenge justice upon 00:09:54.779 --> 00:09:59.740 us, we who are sinners. We have violated the 00:09:59.740 --> 00:10:02.620 laws of God, and God has said, the soul that 00:10:02.620 --> 00:10:07.320 sins, it shall die. But God has graciously made 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:12.820 provision for us in His Son, Jesus Christ, so 00:10:12.820 --> 00:10:18.059 that we may flee to Him and find in Him refuge. 00:10:19.820 --> 00:10:24.240 from the justice of God that we deserve. It's 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:27.320 a wonderful story how he himself fulfilled that 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:31.120 justice of God, isn't it? He fulfilled it on 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:35.659 our behalf. He satisfied it. He became the propitiation 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:39.480 for us. But because of his work, we may flee 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:43.919 to him and find refuge from the justice of God. 00:10:45.100 --> 00:10:49.120 And so you see the idea, the concept of refuge 00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:51.940 is not just Old Testament, it is New Testament 00:10:51.940 --> 00:10:54.720 as well. Let's turn to one passage in Hebrews 00:10:54.720 --> 00:11:07.139 where we see it used. Hebrews chapter 6. After 00:11:07.139 --> 00:11:10.960 delivering a stern warning to go on to maturity, 00:11:12.809 --> 00:11:16.289 The writer of Hebrews underscores the security 00:11:16.289 --> 00:11:20.830 that is the true child of God that belongs to 00:11:20.830 --> 00:11:24.149 him. He says in verse 13, For when God made the 00:11:24.149 --> 00:11:27.570 promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no 00:11:27.570 --> 00:11:31.590 one greater, he swore by himself, saying, I will 00:11:31.590 --> 00:11:37.029 surely bless you, and I will surely multiply 00:11:37.029 --> 00:11:42.389 you. And thus, having obtained Having patiently 00:11:42.389 --> 00:11:47.730 waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear 00:11:47.730 --> 00:11:51.909 by one greater than themselves, and with them 00:11:51.909 --> 00:11:56.889 an oath given as confirmation is an end of every 00:11:56.889 --> 00:12:01.549 dispute." May I just say that that is the hope 00:12:01.549 --> 00:12:05.049 of the parent of every teenager, an end of every 00:12:05.049 --> 00:12:09.220 dispute. But here we have the spiritual concept 00:12:09.220 --> 00:12:12.419 that there is no disputing the security of the 00:12:12.419 --> 00:12:17.059 child of God. Why? Because God has not only promised, 00:12:17.159 --> 00:12:19.879 but he has secured the promise with his own oath. 00:12:21.100 --> 00:12:23.259 And it goes on to say in verse 17, in the same 00:12:23.259 --> 00:12:27.059 way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs 00:12:27.059 --> 00:12:30.419 of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose, 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:34.419 interposed with an oath, in order that by two 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:37.759 unchangeable things, in which it is impossible 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:42.340 for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement. 00:12:43.500 --> 00:12:48.559 We who have fled for refuge in laying hold of 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:53.500 the hope set before us. You see, refuge is a 00:12:53.500 --> 00:12:56.519 concept for us too. What a wonderful thought 00:12:56.519 --> 00:13:02.019 that is that we have fled for refuge in laying 00:13:02.019 --> 00:13:06.059 hold of the hope that God graciously set before 00:13:06.059 --> 00:13:11.059 us. What hope is that, by the way? He speaks 00:13:11.059 --> 00:13:15.220 in chapter 7 of the better hope that we have 00:13:15.220 --> 00:13:18.480 in the new covenant. Well, I would suggest to 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:21.259 you that the hope that he's talking about is 00:13:21.259 --> 00:13:25.919 the hope of the complete removal of our sins 00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:29.700 through the finished sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 00:13:31.309 --> 00:13:34.490 There was no hope of that under the Old Covenant. 00:13:35.649 --> 00:13:40.289 It provided merely a covering for sin, an atonement, 00:13:41.049 --> 00:13:44.570 as it were an IOU that had to be paid sometime. 00:13:46.029 --> 00:13:48.990 God's justice was not fully satisfied. It was 00:13:48.990 --> 00:13:52.830 only delayed. There was an atonement, a covering. 00:13:54.070 --> 00:13:57.019 That was the hope of the Jews. And it provided 00:13:57.019 --> 00:14:00.120 salvation for them, but it was not the best hope. 00:14:00.200 --> 00:14:03.600 God has provided that for us in Christ. It is 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:07.299 the hope that not only are our sins covered. 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:12.220 No, no. They are removed entirely. They are forgiven. 00:14:12.340 --> 00:14:17.960 They are expunged from the record because of 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:22.600 the finished sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We have 00:14:22.600 --> 00:14:27.299 fled for refuge. to that hope that God has set 00:14:27.299 --> 00:14:31.620 before us. And he says, this hope we have as 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:38.159 an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast, 00:14:38.740 --> 00:14:42.019 and one which enters within the veil where Jesus 00:14:42.019 --> 00:14:48.440 has entered as a forerunner for us, having become 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:51.000 a high priest forever according to the order 00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:54.700 of Melchizedek. I would suggest to you that all 00:14:54.700 --> 00:14:59.460 that the city of refuge was, and more, Jesus 00:14:59.460 --> 00:15:02.460 is to us. He is to us a place of protection. 00:15:03.500 --> 00:15:06.519 Protection from the justice of God upon our own 00:15:06.519 --> 00:15:10.840 sins. He protects us because He's already paid 00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:15.720 the price for our sins. He is our place of petition. 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:19.639 He is a high priest forever after the order of 00:15:19.639 --> 00:15:23.179 Melchizedek. He is there forever to intercede 00:15:23.179 --> 00:15:26.480 before God on our behalf so that when there is 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:30.659 one who comes to accuse us, as Satan does as 00:15:30.659 --> 00:15:33.720 the accuser of the brethren, we have a great 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:36.899 high priest who stands before God and intercedes 00:15:36.899 --> 00:15:40.879 on our behalf. He is our place of petition. He 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:46.179 is our mercy seat. And then he is also our place 00:15:46.179 --> 00:15:49.980 of provision. For we are cared for in this world, 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:54.960 but beyond that, he has gone before us, behind 00:15:54.960 --> 00:16:00.220 the veil, in the very presence of God, as a forerunner. 00:16:01.320 --> 00:16:04.860 That means he has gone before us on our behalf. 00:16:06.379 --> 00:16:09.940 And as surely as he has gone there and is there, 00:16:10.460 --> 00:16:13.259 so one day we who have placed our hope in him, 00:16:13.379 --> 00:16:16.460 our faith in him, will one day be there too. 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:20.320 He is our provision. He is our refuge, the Lord 00:16:20.320 --> 00:16:23.919 our refuge. Let me just bring this concept down 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:27.379 to some practical ideas as we think of how the 00:16:27.379 --> 00:16:31.080 Lord provides refuge for us in our pilgrimage 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:35.059 in the world. To do this I'd like to go back 00:16:35.059 --> 00:16:38.480 to the book of the Psalms and first to Psalm 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:54.360 46. Psalm 46. These familiar words, God is our 00:16:54.360 --> 00:17:00.600 refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 00:17:01.399 --> 00:17:05.839 Therefore we will not fear no matter what happens. 00:17:06.819 --> 00:17:09.819 That last little phrase sort of explains what 00:17:09.819 --> 00:17:13.380 the words mean in verses two and three. He says, 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:18.099 God is our refuge. He is a present help in the 00:17:18.099 --> 00:17:20.779 time of trouble, therefore I will not fear no 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:24.720 matter what happens. God in the first place is 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:31.440 a refuge from worry for the child of God. Worry 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:34.519 is perhaps the greatest thief of our joy and 00:17:34.519 --> 00:17:39.339 our peace in Jesus Christ, isn't it? For anxiety 00:17:39.339 --> 00:17:46.109 and peace. cannot exist together. When you and 00:17:46.109 --> 00:17:49.109 I allow ourselves to become anxious about the 00:17:49.109 --> 00:17:54.089 trouble around, when we allow ourselves to worry 00:17:54.089 --> 00:17:58.329 about our circumstances and our situation, then 00:17:58.329 --> 00:18:03.250 the peace of God flees away. On the other hand, 00:18:03.390 --> 00:18:07.410 when we enter into the truth that the Lord is 00:18:07.410 --> 00:18:12.789 our refuge, the peace of God that passes understanding, 00:18:12.869 --> 00:18:16.470 fills our hearts, and anxiety cannot stand it. 00:18:16.710 --> 00:18:20.829 Anxiety then flees. You and I experience one 00:18:20.829 --> 00:18:25.950 or the other, the peace of God or worry. When 00:18:25.950 --> 00:18:28.789 we understand the Lord is our refuge, he becomes 00:18:28.789 --> 00:18:32.869 a refuge from worry. How do we enter into that 00:18:32.869 --> 00:18:35.990 refuge? What is the door that will allow us to 00:18:35.990 --> 00:18:39.329 enter into and enjoy the refuge from worry? The 00:18:39.329 --> 00:18:42.480 answer to that is faith. Isn't that basically 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:46.420 what Paul says in Philippians chapter 4? Look 00:18:46.420 --> 00:18:49.240 at those verses, Philippians 4 verses 6 and 7. 00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:52.859 We need to look at them basically because I can't 00:18:52.859 --> 00:18:57.160 remember how to get started to quote them. Philippians 00:18:57.160 --> 00:19:01.259 chapter 4, here we go, verse 6. Be anxious for 00:19:01.259 --> 00:19:07.480 nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:10.619 with thanksgiving, let your requests be made 00:19:10.619 --> 00:19:14.160 known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:17.279 all comprehension shall guard your hearts and 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:19.700 your minds in Christ Jesus." What will guard 00:19:19.700 --> 00:19:23.819 us? What will become the refuge for us? Well, 00:19:23.819 --> 00:19:27.279 the peace of God. How do we get into the refuge? 00:19:27.299 --> 00:19:31.000 By doing what he says. By prayer and supplication 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:34.420 and thanksgiving. Lifting our requests to God, 00:19:34.460 --> 00:19:39.000 letting him know what our concern is. How wonderful 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:41.279 that God has opened the way so we can do that. 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:44.559 I don't know what the thing is in your life that's 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:47.920 creating the temptation to worry tonight. I know 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:50.619 for some of you, some of you shared them on the 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:53.160 prayer request forums and some of us prayed for 00:19:53.160 --> 00:19:55.859 them earlier this evening. I understand why you're 00:19:55.859 --> 00:20:00.240 anxious or tempted to be anxious. Others of you 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:02.400 have things locked up in your heart and those 00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:07.940 things are creating worry inside. Hey. Tonight, 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:12.779 do what God tells us to do. Dare to release those 00:20:12.779 --> 00:20:17.079 things to God by petition. Dare to let go of 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:20.539 them by offering them up to God along with thanksgiving. 00:20:22.259 --> 00:20:25.000 And when you do that, God will be to you a very 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:28.140 present help in trouble. His peace will guard 00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:30.440 your heart and mind. He will become a refuge 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:34.500 for you and will guard you against worry. You 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:36.420 say, oh, but the temptation is still there to 00:20:36.420 --> 00:20:39.960 worry. Yes, it is. I wish it were possible to 00:20:39.960 --> 00:20:42.319 entirely eliminate the possibility of worry. 00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:45.720 We can't do that in this world. The temptation 00:20:45.720 --> 00:20:48.119 will still be there, but let's not succumb to 00:20:48.119 --> 00:20:51.660 it, but rather enjoy the refuge that God gives 00:20:51.660 --> 00:20:56.380 us from worry. Faith is the door that gets us 00:20:56.380 --> 00:21:01.289 into that refuge. And then just turn over a page 00:21:01.289 --> 00:21:04.269 or two to Psalm 48 as we see that the Lord is 00:21:04.269 --> 00:21:08.089 not only a refuge from worry, he is a refuge 00:21:08.089 --> 00:21:12.930 from warfare. Great is the Lord and greatly to 00:21:12.930 --> 00:21:17.390 be praised in the city of our God, his holy mountain. 00:21:18.630 --> 00:21:21.470 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole 00:21:21.470 --> 00:21:25.430 earth is Mount Zion in the far north, the city 00:21:25.430 --> 00:21:29.579 of the great king. God, in her palaces, has made 00:21:29.579 --> 00:21:34.940 himself known as a stronghold." Now the writer 00:21:34.940 --> 00:21:37.920 here is talking about Zion. Remember before we 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:41.160 said Zion was a stronghold, a fortress city. 00:21:43.339 --> 00:21:46.160 But he is saying that it's not Zion itself, it's 00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:52.700 God who is now in Zion who is the fortress, the 00:21:52.700 --> 00:21:56.609 stronghold. He says, for lo, the kings assembled 00:21:56.609 --> 00:22:01.049 themselves. They passed by together. They saw 00:22:01.049 --> 00:22:04.730 it. Then they were amazed. They were terrified. 00:22:04.789 --> 00:22:08.549 They fled in alarm, panic, seized them there, 00:22:08.849 --> 00:22:14.390 anguish, as of a woman in childbirth. So he expresses 00:22:14.390 --> 00:22:16.890 what happened when the kings passed by. Which 00:22:16.890 --> 00:22:19.210 situation was this? Well, we don't really know. 00:22:20.029 --> 00:22:23.420 Maybe it was the Assyrians as they came. toward 00:22:23.420 --> 00:22:27.920 Jerusalem, and then God in a marvelous way destroyed 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:31.279 their army and delivered His people. We don't 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:34.460 know the exact situation, but the psalmist draws 00:22:34.460 --> 00:22:37.299 upon the fact that when the kings assembled themselves 00:22:37.299 --> 00:22:40.740 together, they looked and saw Zion and the God 00:22:40.740 --> 00:22:43.720 of Zion there, and they trembled and were afraid 00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:49.460 and fled in panic. We can see the same idea back 00:22:49.460 --> 00:22:53.839 in Psalm 46 again in verse 6. Where the psalmist 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:56.640 says the nations made an uproar the kingdoms 00:22:56.640 --> 00:23:00.599 tottered He raised his voice the earth melted 00:23:00.599 --> 00:23:04.619 The Lord of hosts is with us the God of Jacob 00:23:04.619 --> 00:23:11.640 is our fortress our stronghold our refuge I Would 00:23:11.640 --> 00:23:13.920 like to apply this to the reality that you and 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:19.220 I face of spiritual warfare For as most of us 00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:22.059 realize, we are involved in a struggle between 00:23:22.059 --> 00:23:28.140 good and evil, between light and darkness. We 00:23:28.140 --> 00:23:30.660 are involved in a warfare that is invisible. 00:23:31.599 --> 00:23:33.720 I think one of Donald Gray Barnhouse's books 00:23:33.720 --> 00:23:37.380 is called The Invisible War. If you've never 00:23:37.380 --> 00:23:39.119 seen that little paperback, it's not a little 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:42.619 paperback, it's a paperback. You ought to buy 00:23:42.619 --> 00:23:45.599 it and read it. The Invisible War. He talks about 00:23:45.599 --> 00:23:49.630 spiritual warfare. There is spiritual warfare 00:23:49.630 --> 00:23:55.829 going on around us constantly. And some of us 00:23:55.829 --> 00:23:58.150 realize it, some of us don't. If we don't realize 00:23:58.150 --> 00:24:02.029 it, we're at the disadvantage. We need to understand 00:24:02.029 --> 00:24:06.490 how serious the warfare is. What is at stake 00:24:06.490 --> 00:24:10.250 may not be our souls if we're the children of 00:24:10.250 --> 00:24:15.970 God, but it is our life that is at stake, our 00:24:15.970 --> 00:24:20.859 effectiveness, our usefulness to Jesus Christ, 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:24.180 for you see Satan's end in spiritual warfare 00:24:24.180 --> 00:24:32.539 is to cause you to be ineffective as God's servant. 00:24:33.500 --> 00:24:36.579 It is to wreck your life and mine in such a way 00:24:36.579 --> 00:24:39.779 that we will not any longer be able to be used 00:24:39.779 --> 00:24:43.920 by God, disqualified, set on the shelf. That's 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:48.319 his goal. If we don't understand that, then we 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:51.500 are greatly at a disadvantage and we're in trouble. 00:24:52.359 --> 00:24:56.400 Warfare rages around us. We need to understand 00:24:56.400 --> 00:24:59.759 that some of the circumstances we get into are 00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:01.920 not to be laid to the feet of the flesh and blood 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:05.640 that we see and that we blame, but rather Satan 00:25:05.640 --> 00:25:09.319 is using that flesh and blood. Ephesians 6, right? 00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:13.180 The principalities and powers, the rulers of 00:25:13.180 --> 00:25:16.519 the darkness of this world are using those people 00:25:16.519 --> 00:25:24.400 or those circumstances to get to us. Well, God 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:28.259 is our refuge. Though we're in the midst of warfare, 00:25:29.420 --> 00:25:33.200 we need not be terrified by it. We need to be 00:25:33.200 --> 00:25:36.259 armed, we need to be alert and vigilant, we need 00:25:36.259 --> 00:25:39.460 to stand against the enemy in this day of evil, 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:43.099 but we need not be terrified by the enemy. Because 00:25:43.099 --> 00:25:47.819 God is our refuge in warfare. Now what is it 00:25:47.819 --> 00:25:50.279 that gets us the victory? What is it that enables 00:25:50.279 --> 00:25:55.039 us to experience the refuge, the protection of 00:25:55.039 --> 00:25:57.839 God in the midst of the attacks of Satan against 00:25:57.839 --> 00:26:03.500 us? Well, the secret I think is found in Psalm 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:13.400 57. Verse 1. Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious 00:26:13.400 --> 00:26:19.559 to me. For my soul takes refuge in thee, and 00:26:19.559 --> 00:26:23.279 in the shadow of thy wings I will take refuge 00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:29.339 until destruction passes by." He says, I will 00:26:29.339 --> 00:26:33.079 cry to God most high, to God who accomplishes 00:26:33.079 --> 00:26:36.880 all things for me. He will send from heaven and 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:40.970 save me. He reproaches him who tramples upon 00:26:40.970 --> 00:26:45.490 me. God will send forth his loving kindness and 00:26:45.490 --> 00:26:51.509 his truth. What is the secret to knowing victory, 00:26:52.210 --> 00:26:56.549 to knowing the refuge in our warfare? It is going 00:26:56.549 --> 00:27:00.950 to the mercy seat, to the shadow of his wings. 00:27:01.150 --> 00:27:03.329 The picture here is, of course, to that mercy 00:27:03.329 --> 00:27:06.970 seat on the top of the ark where those cherubim 00:27:09.180 --> 00:27:12.380 were stretched out on the ends with their wings 00:27:12.380 --> 00:27:15.960 overshadowing the ark, looking down upon that 00:27:15.960 --> 00:27:18.720 mercy seat. That's the picture in the psalmist's 00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:21.539 mind. He says, I will go to the mercy seat of 00:27:21.539 --> 00:27:25.359 God, and there I will wait until destruction 00:27:25.359 --> 00:27:29.380 passes by. I will cry out to God. When I'm under 00:27:29.380 --> 00:27:31.539 attack, when you're under attack, when we sense 00:27:31.539 --> 00:27:37.799 Satan on the offensive in our lives, How do we 00:27:37.799 --> 00:27:42.460 find refuge? The answer is going to the mercy 00:27:42.460 --> 00:27:47.059 seat of God. Going there and taking refuge in 00:27:47.059 --> 00:27:52.039 His wings. And finding protection until destruction 00:27:52.039 --> 00:27:59.140 passes by. God is our refuge from worry. And 00:27:59.140 --> 00:28:01.859 God is our refuge from warfare. But in closing, 00:28:01.940 --> 00:28:05.119 let me suggest one other way in which He is our 00:28:05.119 --> 00:28:14.740 refuge. This is found in Psalm 71. Psalm 71 and, 00:28:16.019 --> 00:28:22.880 well, I'll begin in verse 5. For thou art my 00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:28.279 hope, O Lord God, thou art my confidence from 00:28:28.279 --> 00:28:32.900 my youth. By thee I have been sustained from 00:28:32.900 --> 00:28:36.599 my birth. Thou art he who took me from my mother's 00:28:36.599 --> 00:28:41.119 womb. My praise is continually of thee. I have 00:28:41.119 --> 00:28:45.000 become a marvel to many, for thou art my strong 00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:49.759 refuge. My mouth is filled with thy praise and 00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:54.819 with thy glory all day long. Do not cast me off 00:28:54.819 --> 00:28:59.839 in the time of old age. Do not forsake me when 00:28:59.839 --> 00:29:05.059 my strength fails. I want to suggest to you in 00:29:05.059 --> 00:29:08.900 closing tonight that God is a refuge from weakness. 00:29:10.259 --> 00:29:14.440 The psalmist here bases his claim that God is 00:29:14.440 --> 00:29:18.440 a refuge from weakness upon a lifetime of experience. 00:29:19.700 --> 00:29:27.019 He says, in my birth, you've sustained me. And 00:29:27.019 --> 00:29:31.880 in my youth, when I was young, you were my confidence. 00:29:32.839 --> 00:29:37.240 And then as he looks ahead to his old age, he 00:29:37.240 --> 00:29:40.819 knows that God will not cast him off nor forsake 00:29:40.819 --> 00:29:45.799 him, but will be his strength. The psalmist says 00:29:45.799 --> 00:29:49.759 that God is a refuge for him in the time of weakness. 00:29:50.339 --> 00:29:52.380 Now we can apply that to any kind of weakness 00:29:52.380 --> 00:29:56.000 that you and I have. It may be physical weakness 00:29:56.000 --> 00:30:01.079 that we experience, frustrating as it may be. 00:30:01.150 --> 00:30:06.829 God is a refuge. I never cease to be amazed at 00:30:06.829 --> 00:30:12.730 people like Johnny Erickson. To hear her share, 00:30:12.730 --> 00:30:17.869 as she does on her radio broadcast, with such 00:30:17.869 --> 00:30:23.069 confidence in God, such faith in God's sovereignty, 00:30:23.269 --> 00:30:29.970 God's goodness, and yet being quadriplegic, weakness 00:30:29.970 --> 00:30:35.319 physically, is her daily experience, and yet 00:30:35.319 --> 00:30:39.440 how God has become a refuge for her. She does 00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:43.140 not cry out and complain against God, but she 00:30:43.140 --> 00:30:47.039 finds God to be a refuge, a protection. God is 00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:50.839 her provision in the time, the experience of 00:30:50.839 --> 00:30:57.200 her weakness. And then emotional weakness? Times 00:30:57.200 --> 00:30:59.880 when we just feel drained, when we don't have 00:30:59.880 --> 00:31:03.519 any more response to give. God can be a refuge. 00:31:04.839 --> 00:31:08.759 Mental fatigue is where a lot of us are tonight. 00:31:09.619 --> 00:31:14.099 God's a refuge. What about spiritual vulnerability? 00:31:14.779 --> 00:31:19.819 God's a refuge. When you and I are weak, the 00:31:19.819 --> 00:31:25.380 Lord is our refuge. The fact is that we cannot 00:31:25.380 --> 00:31:30.440 look to ourselves or to others to provide the 00:31:30.440 --> 00:31:34.220 refuge we need. Whether it be refuge from the 00:31:34.220 --> 00:31:41.279 wrath of God or refuge from worry, some people 00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:44.799 put their trust in others. And they don't worry 00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:47.619 because of what others can do, but the fact is 00:31:47.619 --> 00:31:49.859 that others can't always do what's necessary 00:31:49.859 --> 00:31:53.079 and sometimes others forget or others fail. We 00:31:53.079 --> 00:31:55.140 can't look to others as a refuge from worry. 00:31:55.819 --> 00:32:00.319 God's the only refuge. A refuge from warfare? 00:32:00.680 --> 00:32:04.839 Only God. He is our refuge in weakness? Only 00:32:04.839 --> 00:32:08.759 the Lord, not others. Others may encourage us, 00:32:08.759 --> 00:32:15.319 yes, but God's our refuge. One final text in 00:32:15.319 --> 00:32:21.599 Psalm 142. At a time in my life when I was probably 00:32:21.599 --> 00:32:26.960 at the lowest I've ever been, before we moved 00:32:26.960 --> 00:32:31.200 to Minneapolis St. Paul, at a time of ministry 00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:38.119 that was extremely difficult, Psalm 142 became 00:32:38.119 --> 00:32:46.480 for me bread. that my soul fed on. Maybe tonight 00:32:46.480 --> 00:32:53.200 if you are pressed with despair, if you feel 00:32:53.200 --> 00:32:58.400 weak, if you feel there's no strength left, look 00:32:58.400 --> 00:33:01.880 at this. I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord. 00:33:02.220 --> 00:33:05.599 I make supplication with my voice to the Lord. 00:33:06.220 --> 00:33:09.700 I pour out my complaint before Him. I declare 00:33:09.700 --> 00:33:14.980 my trouble before Him. When my spirit was overwhelmed 00:33:14.980 --> 00:33:20.200 within me, thou didst know my path." Are you 00:33:20.200 --> 00:33:23.059 overwhelmed tonight by what you're passing through? 00:33:23.779 --> 00:33:26.880 Isn't it great to know when our spirit is overwhelmed, 00:33:27.359 --> 00:33:31.640 God knows our path. He hasn't left us. In the 00:33:31.640 --> 00:33:34.200 way where I walk, they have hidden a trap for 00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:39.039 me. Look to the right and see, there is no one 00:33:39.039 --> 00:33:43.180 who regards me. There is no escape for me, no 00:33:43.180 --> 00:33:48.619 one cares for my soul. I cried out to thee, O 00:33:48.619 --> 00:33:54.019 Lord, I said, Thou art my refuge, my portion 00:33:54.019 --> 00:34:00.480 in the land of the living." To paraphrase something 00:34:00.480 --> 00:34:04.400 that M .R .D. Hahn said a number of years ago, 00:34:05.140 --> 00:34:11.510 I look to others and I'm disillusioned. I look 00:34:11.510 --> 00:34:17.650 to myself and I'm disgusted. I look to the Lord 00:34:17.650 --> 00:34:24.050 and I'm delivered. I'm talking to some people 00:34:24.050 --> 00:34:29.349 tonight who need to know to enter into, that 00:34:29.349 --> 00:34:32.769 is, the truth that the Lord is your refuge. Let 00:34:32.769 --> 00:34:42.699 him be that for you tonight. Let's pray. If that's 00:34:42.699 --> 00:34:49.159 you, if you are tonight overwhelmed, overwhelmed 00:34:49.159 --> 00:34:58.179 with worry, overwhelmed with warfare, overwhelmed 00:34:58.179 --> 00:35:05.199 with weakness, will you say to the Lord, Thou 00:35:05.199 --> 00:35:14.530 art my refuge? He cares, my friend. Others may 00:35:14.530 --> 00:35:19.030 fail you, even if they don't want to. You can't 00:35:19.030 --> 00:35:24.449 trust your own self, but you can trust Him. Tell 00:35:24.449 --> 00:35:30.650 Him so right now. Lord, encourage us, each one 00:35:30.650 --> 00:35:35.130 of us, I pray, with this truth. May our hearts 00:35:35.130 --> 00:35:41.010 respond to the refuge you provide. with great 00:35:41.010 --> 00:35:51.030 joy, deep appreciation, and warm devotion. Thank 00:35:51.030 --> 00:35:56.409 you that you are to us our protection, our petition, 00:35:57.630 --> 00:36:01.630 our provision, that you are all that we need. 00:36:02.030 --> 00:36:11.159 Thank you. In Jesus' name, Amen. May the Lord 00:36:11.159 --> 00:36:15.519 bless you. May you live in the refuge that is 00:36:15.519 --> 00:36:17.659 the Lord this week. We're dismissed.