WHERE
DO YOU LIVE?
A
familiar scene:
A little child falls down while playing outside and comes running to
their mother
or father for comfort. He/she picks up the child, puts their arms
around them and holds them
close while they soothe their pain. Then they tell them everything's
OK and they wipe their tears
away.
We
have all been that child
during the days of our childhood - when we lived at home with our parents.
We can remember those times when our little
troubles seemed really big.
But
now that we are adults,
when troubles come and we are hurting, do we ever wish, like the child
we once were, that we could feel those comforting arms around us that
hold us close and soothe
our pain - to hear that comforting voice tell us that everything's
going to be OK - and feel a
gentle hand wipe away the tears that we shed in secret?
We
can still do that - There is a place we can go for comfort:
Psm.
91:1-2 "He
who dwells in the secret place of
the Most High shall abide under
the
shadow of the Almighty.
(2) I will
say of the Lord, 'He is my
refuge
and
my fortress;
My God, in Him I will
trust.' "
Where
do you live? Is it where God's presence dwells?
Psm.
91:3-6 vs.
3
God is our Deliverer
- we can
go to Him as our Refuge
Jesus
taught the multitudes how to pray & Who to go to for help:
Mt.
6:13 "And
do not lead us into temptation, but
deliver us from the evil one. For
Yours is
the kingdom and power and the glory
forever. Amen."
David
recognized God as Israel's Deliverer from their enemies:
Psm.
124:1-ff
"Our help is in the name of the
Lord, Who made heaven &
earth.
Sometimes
our enemies come from among those who are nearest to us.
The
prophet Micah experienced this kind of trouble. Look where he went:
Micah
7:5-7 "Do
not trust in a friend; Do not put
your confidence in a companion;
Guard the doors of your mouth from
her who lies in your
bosom. (6) For
son dishonors father, daughter rises
against her mother, daughter-in-law
against her
mother-in-law; A man's
enemies are the men of his own
household. (7) Therefore I will look to
the Lord; I will
wait for the God of my
salvation; My God will hear me."
Psm.
91:4 "...Under
His wings you shall take
refuge."
"Refuge"
- "Shelter
or protection from danger, difficulty, etc. One that gives
shelter, help, or comfort. A place
of safety."
Psm.
17:6-9 "Keep
me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of
Your
wings."
Truth
is your shield:
Eph.
6:13-18 "Stand
therefore, having girded
your waist with truth..."
Truth
- God's word - is the source
of our faith
Rom.
10:17 "So
then faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God."
We
have the examples of those before us who overcame through faith:
Heb.
11:13-14 "These
all died in faith, not having
received the promises, but having
seen them afar off were assured of
them, embraced them and
confessed that they were strangers
and pilgrims on the
earth. (14) For
those who say such things declare
plainly
that they seek a homeland."
We
are REFUGEES,
pilgrims
in this world - like the faithful who precede us
A
"refugee"
is a foreigner who seeks shelter or protection in another country
during time of war or trouble.
Psm.
91:5-6 Trust
in God comforts us & removes
our fears:
Psm.
23:4 "Yea,
though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil;
For You
are with me; Your rod and
Your staff, they comfort
me."
Psm.
91:7-8 Don't
be distracted or afraid of the
storm that rages all around as
you
go into battle:
Notice
how many ways David describes the Lord as his protector:
Psm.
144:1-2 "Blessed
be the Lord my
Rock,
Who
trains my hands for war, and my
fingers for battle -
(2) My
lovingkindness
and my
fortress,
my
high tower
and my
deliverer,
my
shield
and the
One in whom I take
refuge,
Who subdues my people
under me."
Though
you are only one
- with God, you can overcome:
1
Jn. 4:4 "You
are of God, little children, and have
overcome them (false
prophets),
because
He who is in you is greater than he who is
in the
world."
Rom.
8:31-ff "...If
God is for us, who can be
against us?"
Example: Gideon's
army (Judg.
7)
reduced his army from 32,000 to 300 to
defeat the Midianites & Amalakites.
Judg.
7:12 "Now
the Midianites and Amalekites, all
the people of the East, were
lying in the
valley as numerous as locusts; and their
camels were without number, as the
sand by the seashore in
multitude."
Example: When
the Syrians surrounded Jerusalem and Elisha's servant
feared, notice what happened:
2
Kgs. 6:15-17 "And
when the servant of the man of
God arose early and went out,
there
was an army, surrounding the city
with horses and
chariots. And his
servant said to him, 'Alas, my
master!
What shall we do?' (16) So
he answered, 'Do
not fear, for those
who are with us are more than
those who are with them.'
(17)
And Elisha prayed, and said
'Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he
may see.' Then the Lord opened
the eyes of the young man,
and he
saw. And behold the mountain was
full of horses
and chariots of fire all
around Elisha."
Psm.
91:9-13 "Because
you have made the
Lord...your dwelling place, No
evil
shall befall you..."
Notice
- Satan quoted vss. 11-12 when tempting Jesus. But he was using
them as a means of trying to get Jesus to test God's
faithfulness & thus glorify Himself.
Mt.
4:5-7 "Then
the devil took Him up into the holy
city, set Him on the pinnacle
of the
temple, (6) and said to Him, 'If You are
the Son of
God, throw Yourself down. For
it is written: 'He
shall give His angels
charge over you.'
and, 'In
their hands they
shall bear you up, lest you dash your
foot
against a stone.' ''
(7) Jesus said to him,
'It is written again, 'You
shall not tempt
the Lord your God.'
' "
The
lesson
- We don't throw ourselves in harms way to test
God's faithfulness.
Rather, we trust
in God's faithfulness to protect when
we find ourselves in need.
Notice
- The condition
is based on our faithfulness to Him - to dwell in Him
Jas.
4:7-10 "Therefore
submit
to God.
Resist the
devil and he will flee from you.
(8)
Draw
near to God
and He will draw
near to you. Cleanse your hands, you
sinners; and purify your hearts, you
double-minded. (9)
Lament and mourn
and weep! Let your laughter be turned
to
mourning and your joy to gloom.
(10) Humble
yourselves
in the sight of
the Lord, and He will lift you up."
Listen,
young people:
1
Pet. 5:5-7 "Likewise
you younger people, submit
yourselves to your elders.
Yes, all of
you be submissive to one another, and
be
clothed with humility, for 'God
resists the proud, but gives grace to
the humble.'
(6) Therefore humble
yourselves under the mighty hand of
God,
that He may exalt you in due
time, (7) casting all your
cares upon
Him, for He cares for you."
Now
the psalmist writes as God is speaking to him:
Psm.
91:14-ff "Because
(notice
the condition) he
has set his love upon Me,
therefore
I will deliver him."
But
not everyone chooses to seek the Lord as their refuge, not realizing their
need. The Jews did not know that they needed Jesus:
Mt.
23:37-39 "O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who
kills the prophets and stones
those
who are sent to her! How
often I
wanted to gather your children
together, as a hen gathers her chicks
under her wings, but you
were not
willing! (38)
See! Your house is left to
you desolate; (39)
for I say to you,
you shall see Me no more till you say,
'Blessed is
He who comes in the
name of the Lord.' "
INVITATION
Illustration
- A fire broke out in a hen house. Afterward, a mother hen was
found dead, but under her wings her chicks were alive.
WHERE
DO YOU LIVE? In Christ?
Eph.
1:3, 7 "Blessed
be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us
with every spiritual blessing in
the
heavenly places in Christ." (7)
"In
Him
we have redemption through His blood,
the
forgiveness of
sins,
according to the
riches of His grace."
How
do we get "into" Christ?
Gal.
3:26-27 "For
you are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For as
many
of you as were baptized
into
Christ
have put on Christ."
Mt.
11:28-ff "Come
unto Me, all you who labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give
you
rest. (29) Take My yoke upon you and
learn from Me,
for I am gentle and
lowly in heart, and you will find rest
for
your souls. (30) For My yoke is easy
and My burden is
light."
Do
you wish you could be a child again and feel the that embrace, and
hear that voice
whisper in your ears, "it's going to be OK", and feel that
gentle hand brush away
your secret tears? You can:
Rev.
21:3-4 "And
I heard a loud voice from heaven
saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of
God
is with men, and He will dwell with
them, and they shall be His
people.
God Himself will be with them and be
their God.
(4) And God will wipe away
every tear from their eyes;
there shall
be no more death, nor sorrow, nor
crying.
There shall be no more pain, for
the former things have
passed away."
