Taking Refuge in the Lord

What is refuge? Something that provides a safe location or shelter. The condition of being safe or sheltered from danger, pursuit, or trouble.

How do we take refuge?

Crying Out to the Lord - v. 1-3

Our silent groans bring audible prayer - v. 1

Our God is sovereign, yet close - v. 2

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 ESV

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Our prayers should be intentional and expectant - v. 3

Our Need for Refuge - v. 4-6

We need refuge from others - v. 4-6

Psalm 1:1–2 ESV

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

v. 5-6

We need refuge from ourselves

Foundation of Our Refuge

v. 7

Nature of Our Refuge v. 8-12

He guides me

He removes any obstacle

Joyful Refuge - v. 11-12

So What?

Is my life bearing evidence that I am taking refuge in the presence of God?

Sermon

Taking Refuge in The Lord

Those who take refuge in the LORD cry to Him for protection

from the wicked and their own wickedness

GG Topic: Worship for the purpose of godliness.

Prayer: Hands of Hope - Mother’s Day - offering

5 To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

1 Give ear to my words, O Lord;

consider my groaning.

2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,

my King and my God,

for to you do I pray.

3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;

in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;

evil may not dwell with you.

5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;

you hate all evildoers.

6 You destroy those who speak lies;

the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,

will enter your house.

I will bow down toward your holy temple

in the fear of you.

8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness

because of my enemies;

make your way straight before me.

9 For there is no truth in their mouth;

their inmost self is destruction;

their throat is an open grave;

they flatter with their tongue.

10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;

let them fall by their own counsels;

because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,

for they have rebelled against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them ever sing for joy,

and spread your protection over them,

that those who love your name may exult in you.

12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;

you cover him with favor as with a shield.

The greatest gift you as a mother or as a parent can give your kids is that your home is a place of refuge.

If you do even when your kids are old they will find your home to be a place of safety and rest.

What is refuge?

Refuge: something that provides a Safe location or shelter. The condition of being safe or sheltered from danger, pursuit, or trouble.

The wicked = a place with no God

The godly = To live in the presence of our Sovereign God & Father

The reality of life often frustrates the desire of the godly.

A morning prayer in anticipation of the Lord’s presence

This psalm is full of encouragement but also there's an intensity to the prayer

The prayer (of ) is not only for protection from the wicked persons, but also a prayer for protection from becoming like them. (Boice quoting P.C. Craigie, p. 44)

This Psalm is designed to lead us:

Into God’s presence

To come to a deep realization of our God’s kingship over our situation

To comfort us with His disposition towards wickedness.

How do we take refuge?

Crying out to the Lord

Our Need for Refuge - others & ourselves

Foundation of Our Refuge - Cov. love of our Lord

Nature of Our Refuge- guide and obstacles being removed so we might enjoy Him

Joyful Refuge - God safety bring joyful worship! Both indiv & corporately

How do we take refuge?

Crying out to the Lord - v. 1-3

Our silent groans brings audible prayer - v. 1

1 Give ear to my words, O Lord;

consider my groaning.

“Sighing” inaudible groanings of expression of need

Audible prayer - is a cry of dependence of someone who is oppressed.

He cries out to someone who is a position to bring justice.

3 My heart became hot within me.

As I mused, the fire burned;

then I spoke with my tongue:

Words are not the essence but the garments of prayer - Spurgeon

Our God is Sovereign yet close - v. 2

2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,

my King and my God,

Why should God hear my cry? - - My King & my God

Ours by covenant, by promise, by blood - the blood of Jesus Christ

16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

God is the only object of worship

God is the only source of our need

Our prayers should be Intentional and expectant - v. 3

3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;

in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

A new day brings a fresh hope that God will respond

- in the morning - Why?

13 But I, O LORD, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.

“Prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night.”

Intentional Requests = my offerings = my case

“I will arrange/direct my prayer before the”. (Like arranging the wood and the sacrifice on the altar)

I will spread out my prayer like a victim on the altar. - intentionally - honesty urgency in prayer

Ex: prayer journal - write down your prayers

The necessity of forethought and humility in prayer

V.3b - in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

Expectant request - I will expect an answer - expectancy in prayer ( - Elijah & prophets of Baal.)

Prayer without passion is like hunting with a dead dog.

David comes to the Lord in dependant yet expectant prayer knowing:

Our Need for Refuge - v. 4-6

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;

evil may not dwell with you.

5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;

you hate all evildoers.

6 You destroy those who speak lies;

the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

Crying out to God is born out of a deep sense of the sinfulness of sin and out of the conviction that the only one who can stem the tide of sin is the Almighty. (Boice quoting H.C. Leupold, p. 47)

The basis of our prayers is God’s character -V.4

David knows God’s character!

We need refuge from others - v. 4-6

The Psalmist has already declared his desire to not abide with the wicked

Now we see it is the wicked who see us as obstacle to their desires.

V.4 - The psalmist conviction and confidence of refuge is that God hates evil in any form and that no wicked person has present or future access into His presence.

The phrases “you are not a God who takes delights”, “you hate”, and “the Lord abhors” affirm three times God’s absolute hatred of evil. (Longman/Garland, pg. 116)

“Hate all evildoers”

Hold on! I thought God hates the sin not the sinner?

Sin is not outside of us it is in us...in our very nature.

If we struggle with God’s justice we must struggle at the cross.

God would not even spare his son, when he stood in the place of sinners, lest he might seem to spare sin. (Plumer, pg. 81)

If we think God hates the wicked then want that make us mean hateful Christians?

Who is David talking about here? Those who are pursuing him or is he talking about himself? Need refuge from yourself...

We need refuge from ourselves

Christ will not live in the parlour of our hearts if we entertain the devil in the cellar of our thoughts. (Spurgeon, pg 47)

V.6

6 You destroy those who speak lies;

the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

V. 9-10

9 For there is no truth in their mouth;

their inmost self is destruction;

their throat is an open grave;

they flatter with their tongue.

10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;

let them fall by their own counsels;

Sin took David to a place he thought he’d never go!

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you may be justified in your words

and blameless in your judgment.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

It was David who had committed adultery(rape), deceptively covered it up with murder.

David was at one time the blood-thirsty deceiver! And so were we!

My greatest desire is to dwell in God presence and my greatest barrier to my desire is my sin within me!

The wicked cannot continue to live as though their way is blessed of the LORD, as if he condones sin…

1 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?

The steadfast love of God endures all the day.

2 Your tongue plots destruction,

like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.

3 You love evil more than good,

and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah

4 You love all words that devour,

O deceitful tongue.

5 But God will break you down forever;

he will snatch and tear you from your tent;

he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

6 The righteous shall see and fear,

and shall laugh at him, saying,

7 “See the man who would not make

God his refuge,

but trusted in the abundance of his riches

and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

The Basis of our prayer is God’s character. That He hates sin and denies any sinfulness the ability to enter into his presence.

This lead to our crying for refuge in his presence but there’s a problem….. My sin

Foundation of Our Refuge

v. 7

7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,

will enter your house.

I will bow down toward your holy temple

in the fear of you.

“But I” = “But as for me” =

The conviction that God is our deliverer is privately prayer and publicly expressed

“Abundance of” = contrast: the unfailing love is for the godly and is contrasted with the abundance of sins of the “many”

“Your steadfast love”

He will come into God’s sanctuary as a child coming to his father not by his own merits but by God’s unfailing love

Posture of worship: Reverend

David’s confidence in his refuge is based on the reality that ‘his righteous standing and his right living comes from covenant love of God.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false

and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive blessing from the Lord

and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

What right do we to come to God for refuge?

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.

- It is the blood of Christ that gives us the ability to find refuge in the very presence of our Lord

Our great need is refuge - Our only place of refuge is in a Sovereign Fatherly God - Our greatest barrier for entering that refuge is Sin - Christ bore our Justice so we might come bold yet reverently into God’s presence.

Our foundation of refuge is Christ & this refuge looks like something:

Nature of our Refuge v. 8-12

Renewed prayer - two fold prayer:

He guides me - v. .8

8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness

because of my enemies;

make your way straight before me.

Ex: This is why faithfully & consistently gathering for worship together is critical to your growth in Christ. (Threefold = indiv. - corporately - small groups)

“Make straight” - lead God’s people directly into God’s presence

Lord’s presence that guides him

Hope: If God guides us we will be safe

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

4 Even 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.

What does refuge look like? - guidance - to righteous living - thru trials, thru temptations,

Looks like correction from sin in my life and protection from the sin in others.

Looks like God guidance towards Christ likeness.

Looks like a life!

He removes any obstacle (from our worship of him)

His prayer: For the Lord to remove the evil doer who is an obstacle for my worship.

His Prayer: For the Lord to remove my sin which is an obstacle for worship.

Hope: If the Lord removes the wicked/my sin I can go straight to my Father.

To love & protect you God must remove any obstacle that robs him of his glory & you of your joy

He must destroy sin! - Inside and out

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

7 Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

8 It will be healing to your flesh

and refreshment to your bones.

What does refuge look like? - Biblical guidance & removing anything that stops us from bringing glory and honor to our God.

This is where the protection is and this is where the Joy is.

Joyful Refuge - v. 11-12

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them ever sing for joy,

and spread your protection over them,

that those who love your name may exult (Rejoice) in you.

12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;

you cover him with favor as with a shield.

The reality of life often frustrates the full joy of the godly.

Israel’s Iron Dome

Refuge in God’s presence brings real joy.

Every good thing the righteous receive is of God’s mere grace, and sovereign mercy. It is of favor, not of debt. The righteous deserve no good thing. (Plumer, pg. 88)

We love - We delight - We rejoice because of our proximity to our Lord

Refuge bring joy in our worship

Refuge provides us the ability To love the name! This is the distinction between the godly & ungodly- those who love the name!

Liberation of France - 1944 - Allies marched into France to liberate the people.

What was required?

What had to be done to give the French this joyful refuge?

It was the total removal of evil. Evil cannot be negotiated with it must be destroyed.

Am I negotiating with sin?

Even as the celebrated snipers begin to take pot shots at the crowd in celebration. Only until the evil was totally removed could they experience this joy-filled refuge.

This is our life now. The evil one often takes pot shots, our own flesh deceives us. We long for a day with no more sin!

Until then Let us rejoice in this promise!

2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the Lord surrounds his people,

from this time forth and forevermore

So What?

Is my life bearing evidence that I am taking refuge in the presence of God?

10 Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord

and take refuge in him!

Let all the upright in heart exult!

Evidence 1 = The priority of our worship

Is Worship an all consuming priority in my life? In each other life?

Three fold: Indiv. - Corporate - small group

As a parent how much do you long for worship to be a passion in your kids life?

Is it a priority in your life?

Do I prioritize killing sin in my life? - each others? - present every person complete in Christ is our mission!

Do you long for me to be protected from sin in my life? - how if were not in each other life are we going to help each other remove obstacles that diminish God’s glory and our joy.

Evidence 2 - how we offer refuge to others

To abide with the Lord mean we will begin Love what God loves

If I love babies should I not hate that which kills babies?

If I’m pro life should I not desire to protect all life?

What is refuge?

Refuge is the condition of being safe or sheltered from danger, pursuit, or trouble.

If God by his grace has moved towards us in his love who was in danger and has enraptured us in His love, shouldn’t we move towards those who have no place of refuge and enrapture them with our love.

In not talking about how we vote, but how we live, how we steward what God says is his.

How will they know? - The Sovereignly safe love of our Lord if we do not show it to them.

This mothers day we have an opportunity to love those who need a place of refuge, we have a opportunity to help other who are offering that refuge.

10 Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord

and take refuge in him!

Let all the upright in heart exult!

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In 1939, MARGARETE Sanger initiated what she called “The Negro Project” — a collaborative effort between her Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau and the American Birth Control League — which persuaded a few highly influential black ministers to join in her birth control movement. Though abortion was illegal at the time, Sanger’s goal was to reduce the birthrate among poor black Americans, whom she regarded as a burden on society. (Weeds!)

She strategically sought to reduce the black population if not exterminate them by putting her clinics in the poorest areas and getting black pastors to back her.

She called her organization Planned parenthood

When abortion was legalized the stage was set for the wholesale genocide of the poorest and most vulnerable in our country.

This is exactly what evil does.

It seeks to destroy what the Lord has called us to protect.

God hates the blood-thirsty who prays on the weak for profit.

It is God’s blood bought church who is called to give refuge like we have been given.

If God by his grace has moved towards us in his love who was in danger and has enraptured us in His love, shouldn’t we move towards those who have no place of refuge and enrapture them with our love.

In not talking about how we vote, but how we live, how we steward what God says is his.

How will they know? - The Sovereignly safe love of our Lord if we do not show it to them.

This mothers day we have an opportunity to love those who need a place of refuge, we have a opportunity to help other who are offering that refuge.

https://youtu.be/GfFVKqHWJU0