Sermon Transcript Tone Analysis

Pulling up there, there we go.

If you would take your Bible, if you have them or your mobile app, whatever you would like to use, there's a few Bible there if you if you need one turn to the 16th psalm.

Psalm 16 written by David.

So I'm 16 is it a mixed time of David?

It's called We're not exactly sure what the word miktam means.

If you have a footnote in your Bible, it might say that it's a little literary or a musical term.

So it might have been a a song that David song, we're not quite sure, but I'm only going to read the first two verses of that song and it says this

Does keep me safe.

Oh God.

for, in you I take refuge

I said to the Lord, you are my Lord.

Apart from you, I have no good thing.

Let's pray again.

that God would open up our first, what he wants to have us here this morning.

Heavenly father again as we come before you.

pray God, that you would open up our hearts, this morning to what your scripture, you what you want to have us here from from your word this morning.

I I pray God that it would not be me speaking.

But that it will be you speaking through me.

And that all of us here, myself included that our hearts will be prepared to hear from you.

But our ears will be unblocked.

And our minds will be open and the Lord that you would speak to us.

That is our prayer in Jesus name, amen.

now, as I was preparing for this morning, I been reflecting on this these verses For quite a while actually.

So I've kind of had this sermon idea message notes in my mind.

So to be able to share them this morning is again, as I said a privilege and really, what brings me to talk on these versus this morning at as the covid-19 pandemic was unfolding at the beginning of 2020, I found myself coming back to these two versus quite often and I'll get to a little bit of reason why in a few minutes but Especially reflecting on.

First one said, keep me safe.

Which said keep me safe.

Oh, God.

And as the coronavirus as we know, it was first identified during an outbreak in Wuhan China.

In December of 2019, coming up to three years ago in this message.

Is not about covid 2. It don't think that it's going to be about that.

but, As it was starting to unfold in December of 2019 and then in March of 11th of 2020.

We had the World Health Organization, declared the covid.

Pandemic we saw, what happened in response to that governments around the world.

We're pretty much choosing to close down society-at-large.

Non-essential shopping and shops and services were shuttered.

And resulted in a lot of things like Panic.

Buying is people rush for supplies.

You remember that?

The rush for toilet paper?

I know it makes everybody laugh kind of now, but I remember that quite well people rushing to the shops to buy essential supplies and people were being forced to stay at home from their workplaces.

Everyone was working from home, worldwide travel was brought to a standstill.

Major airlines, canceling flights around the world.

Major sporting leagues, brought to a halt.

Competition with stopped.

And yeah, you see some photos there.

Empty store aisles warning signs on overhead signs.

On the highway is to stay at home.

We were encouraged at that for the most part.

All of us to to stay home or worship Services were we're encouraged to go online which we did.

We really only were supposed to go outside if you wanted to get some exercise or go to the grocery store, to get those goods that we needed or pharmacies, We were encouraged by our governments to stay home.

Stay safe, keep safe.

In other words, I think really what was being said, was that try not to get covid and not to pass it on to other people, which I can understand because we didn't want our Healthcare System be overloaded which, which, which made complete sense but As I was thinking on that over the last number of years and this constant encouragement from our governments and from our leaders to stay home, stay safe.

Keep you and your family safe.

I wondered how safe where we really anyway?

Yes, I think for the most part at the at least in those early days the the the healthcare system was able to at least Coke in the at the beginning of the pandemic, which is what I think with them about the real goal was but in the SD ependyma continue to evolve and I don't really think it mattered all that much because I think most of us ended up getting he'll eventually over time as the as the virus, he fall.

But again as I said, it caused me to reflect and say how safe.

Where we really anyway?

And what is this?

Issue with safety when we really need to be safe.

Where do we go?

And as a believer in Jesus Christ as a Christian I believe that that answer to that question is is that we go to God.

He is our place of Refuge.

And scripture makes it abundantly clear and particular in the Psalms are a lots of cases.

Lots of examples where we are told to go to God for strength for each and every day and Security in life.

Psalm 7 verse 1 and this is just a small sample said, oh, Lord my God, I take refuge in you.

Again refuge in God, Psalm 11 verse 1.

I in the Lord, I take refuge Psalm 18 verse to.

The Lord is my rock, my Fortress, and my deliverer, my God Is My Rock in whom I take refuge.

Psalm 27 verse 1.

The Lord is the stronghold.

Of my life.

And that verse goes on to say, in Whom, Shall I be afraid?

Psalm 31 verse 1 in you.

Oh Lord, I have taken Refuge.

Psalm 46 verse 10, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.

Psalm 57 verse 1, I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings

Psalm 118 Verse 8, it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust.

In man.

So here is just a small number of of Psalms, and there are many other scriptures that you could refer, to throughout the whole Bible where God is given as our place of Refuge, our place of strength.

So is it any wonder why David here, as he was making this reflection and usually when we see in the Psalms in a lot of cases, David before he gives his his song, there's some kind of Contacts for which he has given that.

That's awesome.

But in this case, there isn't any It's just his declaration that he is praying to God to keep him safe.

For it is in God that he has taken and will take his Refuge.

There's a story told.

By a man named John Gibson patent.

For those of you who don't know, there's a little history lesson about John Patton.

John Patton was a Scottish missionary and he lived in the 1800s.

He was born in 1824 and at a young age, he felt the call of God.

To become a missionary particularly overseas.

And this call on John Patton would lead him to head to the new Hebrides islands where he landed in the year 1858.

Now for those of you who aren't aware of what, or where the new hybrid is islands, are there in the South Pacific?

Next slide there are you can see it kind of on the north northeastern side of of the continent of Australia.

So, John Patton and his wife headed to the new Hebrides islands in the mid-1800s to become missionaries.

And the inhabitants of these islands.

They were not very receptive to Outsiders.

Actually, they were steeped in the vilest of paganism.

They had superstitious beliefs belief systems, and they also practiced cannibalism.

and meetings with the native inhabitants of these Island often ended in violence,

In fact, before John Patton and his wife landed there to earlier missionaries to the islands by the name of John Williams, and James Harris who are from the London missionary Society.