Rock of Refuge

Introduction

Good morning. I see everyone was afraid because they heard Ken was preaching, so no one sat up front. I’ll give you a moment I’m speaking today. You can kind of move forward into the splash zone here. If you open your Bibles with me to Psalm chapter 18. We’re going to talk about worry this morning. Psalm chapter 18. Now, as you’re turning there, worry is a problem on all different fronts. We worry about things that do matter, even though we shouldn’t worry about those. We worry about things that don’t matter, and we definitely shouldn’t worry about those. And sometimes we get worried because of, get this, how worried we are. Sound silly? That’s life. Worry is not in a Christian’s vocabulary. But when we do worry, sometimes we realize that we can get ourselves worked up over nothing.

One young husband who was terrified of flying got called to business after being newly married. And taking his first flight, he looked outside, and the sky was a nice inviting gray and black and stormy. And right before he got on, as he was sitting in the terminal waiting for the flight, he saw a life insurance machine. For just three dollars in case of an untimely death, he could have 100,000 of coverage. And he said, Well, I’d be foolish not to buy that. He said, That way I can at least be at ease. So he spent the $3, got the policy. But he realized flying was no big deal as he was in the sky and he was having a good time with his first flight until he got a fortune cookie, and he opened it and said, Your recent investment will pay big dividends.

I kind of worried him just a touch. What do we do when we’re worried? What do we do with that concern? It’s easy to say, don’t worry. It’s difficult to say, all right, what do I do about it? And we know the answer is turn to God. Psalm chapter 18, verse 1. I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge. My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me, the cords of seal entangled me, the snares of death confronted me.

We read verse 2, we see how wonderful and powerful it is that God is our fortress, our rock, our shield, our refuge, and we say, that is our God. That’s what to do with our worry. And that is true. This morning I’d like to talk about our God, the rock of refuge. But rather than just saying, hey, don’t worry. Hey, don’t be concerned with life when people are mean to you when you are persecuted. Just know that God will take care of it in some mystical magical way. We want to understand what does the psalmist mean? God is my refuge. What does he mean? How does he access God as his shield? God as our fortress. We know the offer’s there. We know the invitation is on the table.

But what exactly does it look like in our world? Yes, when David’s fleeing from Saul and he’s hiding in caves and God’s providing for him, we see God is David’s refuge. But what about me? What about what I am facing? God is our, if you look at verse 1 and 2, he is our fortress. We love the Lord. We love, notice what verse 1 calls out. His strength. The first part of verse 2, the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. An interesting definition of fortress. We know a lot about shield. We know about refuge. We know about rocks. But fortress, if I said, imagine a fortress, you think of a giant, I know this is going to be a crazy play on words here.

Fort. Maybe lots of bricks, maybe a castle, something fortified. But really, a fortress is named such because it keeps you free from outside disturbance. If that sounds like a dictionary definition, it is. It keeps you free from outside disturbances. Think about why you would be in that rock fortress you imagine. It would protect you from outside invasion. It would keep what’s inside nice and clean and safe and hopefully peaceful. And what’s outside, the barbarians, those running to try to get in, trying to wage war on you or your city, they are stuck outside. You are protected inside. But if you notice in the Psalm, it’s not just that God is our rock and our fortress, but notice how he continues. If you pick up the reading with me in verse 18, Psalm chapter 18, verse 18.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place. He rescued me because he delighted in me. Again, if you’ll bear with me for these opening remarks, God is our fortress. We know that. But notice what does it mean? It looks like in verse 18 and 19. Part of being put in a fortress means God has designated the place of safety. And notice who does the quote unquote heavy lifting. God does. Now we’re going to examine in just a moment why and how, but we see one clue right away. Do you see at the end of verse 19? The why and the how. We see a little bit of that in 19. Because he delighted in me.

Now we understand as we look at any Psalm or any New Testament passage that God expects, if we are to be his children, that we act like his submissive children, that we do his will. That we, verse one, love the Lord, and we love his strength, and are willing to subvert our will to his showing that trust. God is our fortress. We’ll come back to that. Notice also in verse 2 that God is our shield. Again, this is all predicated upon verse 1. Our what? Our love for the Lord, his strength. His strength has manifested itself as a fortress. And now you see in the middle of verse 2, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Now this one’s a little bit easier to paint the picture of.

If I had a shield, luckily no one’s in the tomato throwing part portion of our fuse here. I had a shield I could hold it up and block against that onslaught. And so does the shield take damage, depending on what it’s made out of. But a shield stands between me and the enemy, or me and the enemy’s projectiles, we normally think of, or even a sword. So it is standing in the place of that attack. God is our shield. We see that also, see some of that psalmist language in verse 31. We’re not going to read this entire section, but if you look at me at verse 31, for who is Lord but the Lord? Who is a rock except our God? The God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.

Verse 34, he trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. Verse 35, you have given me the shield of salvation. And your right hand supported me. And your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. Verse 39, you equipped me with strength for the battle. You made those who rise against me seek under me. Verse 41, they cried for help, but there was none to save. They cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them. It’s interesting, you see that they called to the Lord, and as we look at our next word idea of refuge, go back to Psalm 1. And again, what did God give us in verse 1?

He gave us strength. We pray to God from the beginning in verse 1 of this Psalm, I love you, O Lord, my strength. But notice, what did he do? How did he access this fortress, shield and refuge? Verse 6. In my distress, I called upon the Lord. To my God I cried for help, and from his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. This is very important. You see, verse 6, my cry reached his ears. But what did we see about the enemies? There was no one there to save.

Of course not. And that’s going to play into our understanding of how do we access God as our fortress and our shield. But then as you come back to verse 2 on the basis of loving God and his strength, we see my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge. And this is a word we use a lot, perhaps without thinking about exactly what it means. You think about refugees or a refugee crisis. Really, a refugee or a refuge is a refuge is a place of safety. So a refugee is someone coming for a place or existence of safety. It doesn’t technically have to be a place, it doesn’t have to be four walls, although that’s an easy way to think of it. So God is not just our fortress, our stronghold.

He is also our refuge. And this sounds great. And if you’re hurting, I hope you take these words and you say, verse 2 is what I need. I love the Lord, verse 1. I love his strength, and I know that my God is my rock, that he is my fortress, my shield, and my refuge. And I hope that if we read that, that’s good enough. But I’m a person who has lots of questions and tries to understand things. And so a question that comes to my mind is, okay, I know God offers that. But what does that look like to me? I know it shocks you, but I’m not really good with a seek a shield and sword. In fact, I can’t even say shield without hesitating on it first.

So what does it look like in my life? What does it mean God is my shield for me as an American citizen in 2019? And no matter what it looks like, how do I access it? Because I see in verse 6, in my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard. And when I look at the refuge of verse 16 and 17, he sent God from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters. God answered that cry of distress, and yet, as we see in verse 40 through 42, others cried out to God, and he did not hear. He was not their refuge, he was not their fortress. And so, how do I access these wonderful blessings that my God clearly wants me to enjoy?

1. God Is Our Fortress: He Will Defend and Protect Me

We’re going to examine that by looking in the New Testament. What does that look like? What does it mean? First of all, if you’ll turn with me to Philippians chapter 4, as we think of God as a fortress, we’ll see that means God will defend and protect me. As we start to paint this picture, we see that God will defend and protect me. We see in Philippians chapter 4. Think about somebody who had a tough life. Yes, by his decisions, but also because of his path was Paul. As you read in 2 Corinthians, Paul basically faced any sort of trial you can have up to a crucifixion. In the first century Roman world, he was beaten, he was flogged. Like you think about him being shipwrecked.

I mean, if it could happen, his fault or an accident, it was Paul’s. It happened to him. And he experienced it. But as you look at Philippians chapter 4, notice this disposition in verse 8. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there’s any excellence, if there’s anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I’m speaking of being in need, for I’ve learned in whatever situation I am in to be content.

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Now, this is interesting because we see, we know verse 13, that doesn’t just mean I can take wings and fly over traffic. That would be wonderful. That’s not exactly what verse 13 means. That key is found at the end of verse 11. I have found in whatever situation I am in to be content. How can Paul be content when he acknowledges he’s faced severe hunger? How can he not be tempted by great riches? One of the Proverbs writers talks about not wanting to be rich or poor, because both bring separate temptations.

Paul says, I’ve been both. And in both circumstances, I’m content. How can Paul be at peace in meditating on good things, verse 8 and 9, and allow the peace of God to protect him, knowing that people are actively following him, trying to persecute him, throwing him in prison. How can he be content shipwrecked, being beaten? Not to mention that thorn in the flesh he prayed to be removed that was not three times. How was Paul able to do that? Well, we see two clues, both in eight and nine. First of all, it was what we’ll call Paul’s responsibility, and second of all, we’ll see God’s blessing. Paul’s responsibility in verse eight. What was he saying to focus on? To meditate on, to think about. How tough his life was.

How much he was beaten, how miserable it was to be shipwrecked, how hungry he was. I know that’s mean. It’s almost 12 o’clock. No, he focuses on whatever is true. Whatever is honorable. These things that are worthy of our meditation. And then verse 9, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. When I am worrying about cares and concerns of this life. What it means for God to be a fortress is that there is something protecting me from the outside. That does not mean that I won’t suffer. Paul suffered, Peter suffered. The apostles died. Jesus was crucified. So it can’t mean that God stops all physical harm from coming my way. Paul also tells us in Philippians chapter 4, he faced hunger.

And not these sermons going long kind of hunger, but true need. He juxtaposes that with abundance. So it doesn’t mean my physical wants are always full and justified. So how then is God protecting me and defending me from the concerns of this life? Well, we see what he’s focused on. And verse 8, if there is any excellence, do you see this at the end? It’s about halfway through. If there’s anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Then what did he do? In verse 10, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that you revived your concern for me. He focuses on the blessings of God. Because where was Paul’s mindset? The same place it was when he was in hunger and when he had abundance. It was doing the work of God.

You think about a fortress, we often think about what a fortress keeps out, but to understand the secret of what God wants us to do, to access him as a fortress, we have to think about what’s inside those brick walls. And what is inside the walls of God’s kingdom is peace. We’re going to talk about that more in a moment. It’s security. It’s an understanding that I am safe here. Remember, Jesus said, don’t fear the one who can harm the body. Fear the one who can harm the body and the soul. It doesn’t matter, this is Paul’s example and our lesson this morning. It doesn’t matter what the world can do to us. Because God is defending me where it counts, where it matters. I am safe behind the walls.

That doesn’t mean Satan’s not going to try to drag me out. But you know what’s interesting? As long as we stick with God behind those walls, nothing can touch your soul. Unless we let it. Only by walking out of the security God offers, will we be vulnerable? Look at me in Romans chapter 8. You see that. It is our choice. It was Paul who meditated on good things. It was Paul who lived an example worth saying in verse 10, practice these things you’ve learned from me. But in Romans chapter 8, picking up in verse 31, we read, as long as we focus on God and his protection, we stay safe and secure where it matters with our spiritual lives. In Romans chapter 8 and verse 31, what then shall we say to these things?

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is it to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that who was raised, who’s at the right hand of God, who is interceding for us. Where is the focus of Paul? On the soul. He’s focused on who can condemn? Well, nobody, because Jesus defeated the one who has the power of death. That is the devil, Hebrews chapter 2. Who is the one who justifies? Verse 33. God. What matters is our spiritual life. Now we’re going to address some of these concerns in a moment, but realize inside the fortress is what matters, is what’s lasting.

And in verse 35, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall have tribulation or distress or persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword? Verse 37 No, know in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor death, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul says, nothing can separate you from God. Why? Because he is our fortress. Case in point application question. When Paul was beaten, but he was in prison for the sake of the gospel. Had God deserted his post as fortress?

Had Paul deserted God? Was he getting his just deserts for sinning? No. Neither of those are true. Because Paul realized in Philippians 1 verse 21, the secret of being in God’s fortress, for me to live is Christ. And to die is gained. The only way Paul, the only way I will be vulnerable is if I walk out the doors of that fortress. And you know what I do sometimes? I walk out those doors. I stand by myself. I get hit by the enemy, and then I turn back to God and go, Why didn’t you protect me? What kind of fortress are you? But I’m the reason I’m vulnerable. Because I’m too caught up in what’s outside the fortress instead of focusing on God, who I can dwell with in it.

2. God Is Our Shield: He Can Shield Me From Worry

So we look secondly. God is also our shield. What does that look like? Well, it means he can shield me from worry. In Philippians chapter 4 again, we’ll look at verses 4 through 6. Verses 4 through 6, rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. You see this in verse 4. Again, what is our mindset? Rejoice in the Lord. You remember Psalm 18, verse 1? I love the Lord his strength. It is the cornerstone for Psalm 2. God is my rock. I love the Lord. I love his strength. God is my fortress.

I love the Lord. I love his strength. God is my shield. I love the Lord. I love his strength. The Lord is my refuge. I rejoice in the Lord greatly. Again I say rejoice. But also, verse 6, do not be anxious about anything. We see in verse 7, and we’re going to highlight this again. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Talking about a shield here. How does God shield us from worry? Keep in mind, every answer is going to be similar to the fortress. We’re not talking about what goes on outside the walls, but inside God’s protection, on the other side of the shield. While worry darts at us. Right? You have the man worried about the flight going down.

He worried. And so he bought a life insurance policy. We worry about where our next job will be, where our next paycheck will come from. If we can pay the bills, if we have enough food, if we have what we need to take care of our families. We worry. Not only does Jesus say, don’t worry, not only is Paul right, being anxious in nothing. We need to figure out how does God shield us from them. And it’s not just by saying, don’t worry. Say a prayer. It’s important to pray. It’s important to not worry because God said so. But it’s important to know why God says so. It’s important to understand how he acts as a shield. And we have that answer in Matthew chapter 6.

Turn there with me. Matthew chapter 6. As you look at verse 31, you see that this worry is a faith problem. Part of what takes us from behind the shield is a lack of faith. And Jesus identifies this. In verse 25, he said, Don’t be anxious about your life. But notice in verse 31. He says, Do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? What shall we drink, or what shall we wear? The Gentiles seek after all these things. Jesus says, Stop for a moment and realize if you are worried, are you worrying about the right things? To continue with our analogy, are you worrying outside or inside of the fortress? Outside it shouldn’t be. The Gentiles do that. The ungodly people do that. My people worry about me, pleasing me, being with me.

But then verse 33. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. What things? Well, we just saw in 31. What we eat, drink, and wear. This sounds like Paul, remember, he said, rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice. He says, be anxious in nothing, but with everything, by prayers and supplications, with thanksgiving, let your reasonableness be made known to everyone, and your thanksgiving be known to God. It was Paul who said, Let the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. It was Paul who said, I have faced hunger, but I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He gets the secret Jesus’ teaching.

Why don’t I worry? How is he a shield? He’s a shield because he teaches me one, nothing out here is worth worrying about. That’s an uncomfortable truth. Can we emphasize that again? Nothing out here in this life is worth worrying about. In fact, if you look at verse 30 and 31, you see that he would consider these people struggling with this worry as to be of little faith. The other reason I don’t worry is even if these things are of concern, what I eat, what I drink, what I wear, these are basic life necessities. But verse 33 says, You seek first the kingdom of his God and his righteousness. You focus on inside the fortress, and what will God do? All these things will be added to you.

He shields us because there’s nothing to worry about on the outside, and he’s our fortress because everything we need is already provided on the inside. You see, God’s doing all the heavy lifting here.

3. God Is Our Refuge: Our Place of Safety

God’s doing the work. The question is, do I trust him enough to lay down my sword and shield and to take up his? Do I think my little shabby home protects me better than God’s fortress? Because that’s what we do. When we walk out and become vulnerable, sometimes we think, well, I’ll take care of myself and let God fill in the gaps. No. You are with God or you are not. And so we don’t worry. Because we’re shielded. We don’t need to worry because God takes care of us. And as we see, that peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The idea of being a refuge to God is perhaps the most abstract. The idea that He is our place of safety and security.

It’s only made understandable by thinking about our life for about 10 seconds. Do you consider this life the best it will ever get? I sure hope not. There are so many blessings here. There are so many wonderful things about this life. But we have to see how unstable. How wicked, how corrupt, how vile this world is. How in just a moment a hurricane can come and take away everything. A tornado can drop down and wipe out your life’s work and memories. How a phone call can teach you that you have a disease that will end your life, or you realize that a friend or loved ones has themselves. Life is imperfect here. Life is imperfect now. But God gives us peace that doesn’t just exist in a happy fairy land or in the courtyards of a pristine castle.

He gives us peace that does what? Philippians 4 verse 7. Guards our hearts and minds. We are safe because something God gave us protects us. Isn’t that amazing? God has granted his children peace. And he says, this peace I give you will guard you. It’s pretty astounding. If you look at John 14, 15 and 16, Jesus promises when his time on this earth is done, he is going to send the Spirit a helper to the apostles. And we think about the apostles, we’re like, wow, how great a promise is that when Jesus is gone, you’re going to be guarded. You’re going to know just what to say. But you know, if you’re the apostles, or at least if I’m one of the apostles, you’re like, all right, what does that look like?

When will I know it? What will it tell me? Not how it works. But wasn’t it sufficient for what they needed? Yes, a million times yes. When God says you can have peace that will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, we know God is faithful. We can take that to the bank. I don’t have to worry because I realize I need to worry about me and being right with God, not these things on the outside. I don’t have to worry because I know these things on the outside will be blocked by my God who stands in the way and takes care of me. He adds these things to me as I seek first the kingdom. But also I know even those things in life that are so hard and difficult aren’t worth it because what is worth it is being with God.

4. Only God Can Give Us These Deliverances

And while I’m here and apart from him, I am guarded by my wonderful God who knows just what I need. That is amazing. And so we understand a better picture of perhaps what it looks like in our society, but the question is how do I access it? Perhaps a more easy answer. First of all, as we look at a different Psalm, Psalm chapter 91, and this will be our primary passage to conclude the lesson this morning, Psalm chapter 91, we realize that God is the only one who can give us these deliverances. As we think about the deliverance of worry, the deliverance of persecution from our enemies. As we think about what peace is, we have to know only God can provide it. In Psalm 91, verse 1, he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, my refuge in my fortress, my God in whom I trust. Notice in verse 7 a thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place, the Most High who is my refuge, no evil shall be allowed to befall you. No plague come near to your tent. Only knowing that God alone provides these deliverances can we access them. There is no God handling most of it. I’ve got a small part of it. There’s no, I’ve got some of it, God’s got some of it. There’s no even I’m doing most of it.

God just needs to do a little bit. There is, you are with God in his protection, or you are exposed, vulnerable, and the enemy’s coming for you, and he will succeed. Remember, Romans 8, nothing can separate us from the love of God. If you are with God, you are protected. Don’t trust yourself. Don’t trust others. Don’t trust your family. Trust what God has said. Trust what God has promised. When he says he’s a fortress, he means it. When he says he’ll be your shield and your refuge, know that he means it if we trust in him and deliver him. If we think about what it means to give our life over him, to deliver myself to his feet, it means I have crucified myself, as Paul would say in Galatians chapter 2.

5. I Have to Be Willing to Talk to God

It is Christ who lives now in me. Am I willing to give up myself? I have to know only God can provide those types of peace and blessings that I need. Second thing is I have to be willing to talk to God. We saw it in Psalm chapter 18, I called out to the Lord in my distress, and he heard me. Psalm chapter 91 and verse 2, I will say to the Lord. Psalm chapter 28, Psalm chapter 3, we can go on a numerous number of Psalms, including chapter 46. I called the Lord. I said to the Lord, My Lord is my rock, my Lord is my shelter, my Lord is my fortress, he is my shield. You look at so many Psalms, you’ll find all these descriptions of God as our protection.

I have to be willing to talk to him. By the way, God knows he’s great. He knows he’s our shelter. And yet the psalmists say it anyway. For two reasons. One, God deserves it, and two, they want to benefit from it. They have a relationship with God to call on. But I don’t, I need to not only talk to God myself, I need to be willing to talk to God with others. We pray together. Because we are collectively coming before our God and his throne. We are collectively in need every day of his blessings, every day of his protection and his shield and the peace that will guard us. We need that and we need it together. And part of God’s plan for protecting his people is that we stand together and we don’t stand alone.

6. Willing to Subvert My Will to His

And that means I have to be vulnerable. That means I have to talk about it. And most importantly, it means I have to have a relationship with God and with others who likewise value God too. That might mean sacrifices. It might mean sacrificing my pride, my ego, and it certainly will mean sacrificing my time. I have to talk to God. And finally, I have to be willing to subvert my will to his. In Psalm 91, if you’ll please read the last three verses of this Psalm, because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him. I will protect him because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and honor him.

Conclusion

With long life, I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. How do we access these necessary, wonderful blessings? Subverting my will to God’s, humbling myself before him, and calling out to the God who has said he will be our fortress, our shield, and our refuge. Psalm 18, verse 1. I love the Lord our God. He is my strength. Are you willing to subvert your will to God’s? This morning, if you’ve never become a Christian, recognize all of those blessings, as we would say proverbally, inside the fortress, come with trusting God. And the Bible shows us how to access the blessings of salvation, to have iniquity wiped from you, sin washed away. All the stains we brought upon ourselves, if you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

If you’re willing to confess Him as Lord and risen Savior in Christ, if you repent of your sins and are baptized, you can share in His death, burial, and resurrection. Have your sins washed away. Take advantage of the blessings that God wants for you and to be called a child this morning. Or maybe you have been a Christian. And you’ve tried to take on that worry, that world, that concern on your own. Trust in God. Start today. He wants to be your refuge, your shield, your fortress. We’ll pray with you. We’ll pray for you. We are together. We need God, but He alone can bless us. He alone can make us right. If you want to answer that call to be made right, come forward now as we stand and sing the invitation psalm.