Safety in a world of danger.

PSALM 46:1-11

Introduction:

Every one of us in this room probably locks all our doors every night before we go to bed. We get in a car and buckle our seat belts around us.

We choose to put most of our money into the bank rather than stuffing it under the mattress.

We do all these things out of a sense of safety. I feel if I do all these things it will be ok and I will be safe and I will feel safe.

Scripture tells a beliver that we should not live in fear and in today’s world there is much fear invoking chaos occuring, all under the influence and control of the enemy!

HEALTH SCARES- covid, monkey pox, pestilence of the week

CLIMATE CHANGE- increase intensity of storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, melting polar ice sheets

SCHOOL SHOOTINGS- just this past week in Texas- 19 children & 2 adults, According to Education Week there have been at least 27 shootings at schools or on school property in the first five months of 2022

INCREASE IN VIOLET CRIMES

INCREASE IN RACIAL DIVISIONS, FINANCIAL CLASS DIVISIONS, POLITICAL PARTY DIVISION, RELIGIOUS DIVISION

MINISTRY SEXUAL ABUSE COVER-UPS IN OUR SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION THIS MUST BE DISCUSSED AS A CHURCH AS MANY ARE ASKING QUESTIONS AND MUCH DARKNESS IS BEING BROUGHT TO LIGHT- THIS WILL AND SHOULD CAUSE A REACTION FROM EACH OF US WHO IDENTIFY AS SOUTHERN BAPTIST AND WHO SEND MONEY TO THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM UNDER THE BELIEF THAT ALL MONIES SENT ARE USED TO PROMOTE MISSIONS

YOU HAVE PROBABLE HEARD AND SEEN THIS IN THE NEWS- NOW FIRST OFF SBC IS NOT A DENOMINATION:

WE HAVE NO HIERARCHY WE ARE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCHES THAT ARE INDEPENDENT BAPTIST CHURCHES THAT CHOOSE TO COOPERATE TOGETHER FINANCIALLY TO PROMOTE THE FURTHERANCE OF THE GOSPEL- MISSION BOARDS, CP GIVING, STATE MISSION OFFERINGS, ETC… WE GIVE AND COOPERATE TO IN THEORY HELP SEND MISSIONARIES AND PROMOTE THE GOSPEL AROUND THE WORLD- THAT IS THE FOUNDATION AND THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM WHICH MAKES US A SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION OF CHURCHES

RECENTLY IN THE NEWS YOU WILL SEE WHERE THE SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HIRED A THIRD PARTY SECULAR COMPANY TO INVESTIGATE REPORTS OF SEXUAL ABUSE COVER-UPS WITHIN THE SBC OF CHURCHES.

THIS CAME AT A COST OF 1.7 MILLION DOLLARS OF COOPERATIVE PROGRAM FUNDS (FROM LOCAL CHURCHES) TO PAY THIS ORGANIZATION, GUIDE POST, TO CREATE A REPORT OF 288 PAGES THAT LISTS OVER 700 CASES OF SEXUAL ABUSE WITHIN CHURCHES THAT IDENTIFY AS SOUTHERN BAPTIST.

THIS ALSO CAME AT A COST OF ANOTHER 2 MILLION DOLLARS EARMARKED FOR LEGAL FEES AND EXPENSES

MANY STATE CONVENTIONS ARE ALSO GIVING MONEY THAT CAME FROM LOCAL CHURCHES THROUGH THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM- ALABAMA GIVING $200,000, OR $200 PER CHURCH FOR INDIVIDUAL CHURCHES TO SUBSCRIBE TO MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTIONS OF A THIRD PARTY TRAINING PROGRAM CALLED MINISTRY SAFE.

MUCH OF THE REPORT THAT HAS COST MILLIONS IN SB COOPERATIVE PROGRAM FUNDING HAS PROMOTED HEAR SAY, AND VERY LITTLE REAL EVIDENCE BUT HAS NAMED NUMEROUS LEADERS WITHIN THE SBC’S AND SHOWS AT LEAST SOME GUILT OF COVER UP ON THE PART OF UPPER LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE SBC.

THIS LARGE SUM OF MONEY DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD THESE GRIEVOUS ABUSES DONE AGAINST THEM. THE VICTIMS ARE BEING MOSTLY POLITICIZED AND USED TO PUSH AGENDAS WITHIN THE CONVENTION AS WELL AS NATIONALLY

YOU HEAR LEADERS SPEAKING AND THEY SAY THIS IS A TIME FOR US TO LAMENT, MOURN AND GRIEVE WITH THE VICTIMS THEN THEY START SAYING WHAT ALL THEY HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS AND ALL THE RESOURCES THEY OFFER- NONE OF WHICH ARE BAD BUT ALL REQUIRE FUNDING AND USE CP MONIES THAT WERE SENT BY CHURCHES TO PROMOTE THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL

MULTIPLE OTHER CASES OF MISMANAGEMENT FROM THE MISSION BOARDS AS WELL AS MILLIONS SUCH AS THE 100 MILLION DOSSARS TO CONSTRUCT FURNISH AND OCCUPY THE HEADQUARTERS FOR LIFEWAY (PART OF SBC) AND THEN VACATED AND SOLD LESS THAN 5 YEARS LATER- SOLD MANY OF ITS CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE CENTERS AND CLOSED ALL 170 STORES- LIFEWAY IS A BRANCH OF THE SBC.

NAMB- MILLIONS SPENT ON PROPERTIES ETC… ONCE CASE OF 15 MILLION SPENT IN A SMALL TOWN IN GEORGIA WITH A POPULATION OF JUST 13,00O PEOPLE.

IMB- MISMANAGEMENT AND HAS CUT OVER 800 SEMINARIES OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS.

THIS IS ALL THE ENEMIES WAY OF BREAKING APART AND DESTROYING THE SBC AS WELL AND CREATING MORE DOUBT ABOUT CHRISTIANS AND KINDLING MORE HATRED TOWARD CHRISTIANS AND JESUS CHRIST.

YOU BETTER BELIEVE THAT THE MEDIA AS WELL AS POLITICIANS WILL USE THIS AS AMMUNITION IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THE ENEMY IS AT WORK AND SEEMS TO BE WINNING

WE HAVE SEEN THE DESTRUCTION AND DISMANTLE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OVER HOMOSEXUALITY

WE HAVE SEEN THE SBC AS WELL AS MANY PROTESTANT DENOMINATION EMBRACE WOKE THEOLOGY SUCH AS CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND PUSH AGENDAS THAT ARE OF THE DEVIL- HOMOSEXUALITY, RACE DISCRIMINATION ETC..

FOUR EXAMPLE OUR CURRENT SBC PRESIDENT, ED LITTON, A PASTOR FROM ALABAMA WILL NOT SEEK RE ELECTION SO THAT HE CAN FOCUS ON RACIAL RECONCILIATION INSTEAD IN THE YEARS AHEAD. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST SBC PRESIDENT IN OVER 40 YEARS NOT TO SEEK REELECTION AFTER HIS FIRST ONE YEAR TERM.

ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE GRIEVOUS AND ALL ARE ISSUES THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED, LET US AS A CHURCH PRAY HOW TO RESPOND BIBLICALLY, AND LET US MAKE EVEN A GREATER EFFORT TO SHOW THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST AND CARRY THE GOSPEL TO A DARK AND DYING WORLD. THAT IS THE ONLY ANSWER- JESUS CHRIST.

LET US WHOLEHEARTEDLY AND UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SEEK HOW TO RETURN TO THE CHURCH FOUNDED, CREATED, GUIDED, AND LED, BY JESUS CHRIST. NOT THE TRADITIONS OF MEN, THE TRUE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH AS OUTLINED IN SCRIPTURE WHICH TODAY’S MODERN CHURCH BEARS LITTLE RESEMBLANCE TO.

THE GOVERNMENT AND WORLD SYSTEMS SEEM TO HAVE AN ANSWER- MORE LAWS, CUT BACK ON FREEDOMS, ETC… BUT NONE IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM AND NONE OFFER THE ONLY SOLUTION

PROBLEMS- SIN

SOLUTION IS JESUS CHRIST

FRIGHTENING TIMES THAT WE ARE IN AND MUCH TO INVOKE FEAR BUT WE NEED FEAR NOT- AT LEAST THOSE WHO ARE IN THE LORD- LET US PRAY AND THEN TURN TO SCRIPTURE FOR GUIDANCE FROM THE TRUTH!

Read Scriptures: Psalm 46:1-11

I. To feel safe I MUST FOCUS ON God AND NOT the things of this world.

VS 1-3 God is our refuge and strength and ever-present help in trouble…

Our safety in this world is not holding tightly to our spouse, or our children, or our parents or our money or our possessions but holding on to Jesus.

The Psalmist tells us that even the three most stable things in all the world such as the ground we stand on, the mountains we can see, and the water staying within its banks, all three are really unstable.

If these three things are unstable how much more unstable in this life is everything else that we attempt to rely upon.

If that is true then how often do we shake our world upside down because we rested our safety on something that is unstable instead of resting our safety upon God?

THERE IS ONLY ONE SURE SOURCE OF SAFETY- FAITH IN GOD ALMIGHTY, AND THE AWARENESS OF HIS PRESENCE ENABLES US TO DEAL WITH THE CRISES OF LIFE.

THIS PSALM HOLDS OUT THE PROMISE THAT THERE IS COMING A TIME WHEN THERE WILL BE NO MORE WARS, DEVASTATION, FOR THE LORD WILL REIGN OVER ALL THE EARTH WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS AND POWER. BUT IN THE MEANTIME PEOPLE MUST PUT HEIR TRUST IN HIM ALONE WHO CAN GIVE THEM THE SENSE OF SECURITY AND SAFETY FOR WHICH THEY LONG.

GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH

REFUGE- HEBREW- ANY SHELTER ONE MIGHT USE FOR PROTECTION IN A STORM OR IN WAR., BUT IS USED FIGURATIVELY FOR GOD- HE IS COMPARED TO A REFUGE, MEANING HE IS THE ONE WHO CAN PROVIDE THE PROTECTION FROM THE TROUBLES OF LIFE!

THE HEBREW VERB TO TAKE REFUGE IS SIMPLY TRANSLATED AS TO TRUST IN GOD!

HB STRENGTH TRANSLATES AS THE ENABLEMENT THAT GOD GIVES TO THE RIGHTEOUS.

GOD IS OUR VERY PRESENT HELP IN TROUBLES- GOD WILL DO FOR HIS PEOPLE WHAT THEY CANNOT DO FOR THEMSELVES.

GOD HIMSELF IS OUR REFUGE, GOD HIMSELF IS OUR STRENGTH! GOD AND GOD ALONE, NOT GOD PLUS SOMETHING (GOVERNMENT, RELIGION, FAMILY, MONEY, MEDICINE, ETC…)

GOD IS OUR STRENGTH, OUR SOURCE OF HELP OUR HIDING PLACE LET US TRUST IN HIM AND FEAR NOT!

WE CANNOT FOR A MOMENT TRUST IN THIS WORLD OR THE THINGS IN IT- FOCUS AND TRUST MUST BE SECURELY UPON JESUS CHRIST AND HIS COMPLETED WORK

II. To feel safe I MUST BELIEVE AND TRUST THAT GOD IS WITH ME AT ALL TIMES

VS 1- God is our refuge and strength an ever-present help in trouble.

VS 7- The Lord Almighty is with us the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Usually when I am overwhelmed by a life situation, I have a feeling that God is nowhere to be found. It seems like He has left me at the wrong time. Here I am in a midst of a problem and I must face it alone.

The Psalmist reminds me if even I don’t sense His presence, He is right there with me.

The Psalmist says that He is an ever-present help. And then the psalmist says that He is with us.

What I must do is exercise my faith to believe that God is with me during the difficult time. If I am to be safe during the tough times I need to know God is with me. NO WHERE OUT OF THE REACH OF JESUS CHRIST, HE IS OUR EVER PRESENT HELP IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, GOD WITHIN US THE HOLY SPIRIT IS WITH US AT ALL TIMES AND IN ALL PLACES!

III. To feel safe I MUST REMEMBER MY PLACE IN THIS WORLD.

VS 4-there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells, God is within her, she will not fall.

Whatever problem I may be experiencing it is only temporary. Sometimes my problems overwhelm me because I cannot see any end in sight and so my feeling safe is shattered.

I need to remember that there is a place GOD HAS PREPARED and in that place there are no problems. THAT IS MY TRUE CITIZENSHIP, THAT IS MY TRUE HOME, NOT THIS EVIL DARK FLEETING WORLD BUT IN THE PRESENCE OF JESUS CHRIST FOREVERMORE.

But the Psalmist reminds us that while we are here there will be problems.

IV. To fell safe WE MUST SEE what God is doing AND HAS DONE.

VS 8-Come and see the works of the Lord the desolations he has brought to the earth.

THIS EARTH IS PASSING AWAY, IT IS LIKE A VAPOR, THE MOUNTAINS WILL BE CAST DOWN INTO THE MIDST OF THE SEA, THE EARTH WILL BE REMOVED, IT WATERS WILL BE TROUBLED AND THE MOUNTAINS WILL SHAKE BUT THERE IS A RIVER OF LIFE A RIVER OF PEACE- JESUS CHRIST, OUR EVER PRESENT HELP IN TIMES OF TROUBLE!

THE NATIONS WILL CRUMBLE AND AT HIS VOICE THE EARTH WILL MELT AWAY- NONE OF THESE THINGS CAN WE TRUST IN BUT JESUS CHRIST AND CHRIST ALONE

HE HAS WON THE VICTORY, HE CREATED AND IS THE SUSTAINER OF ALL, HE IS THE ONE THAT THROUGH HIS CROSS AND REDEMPTION HAS PURCHASED ME WITH A PRICE, HE HAS TRAMPLED UPON THE FORCES OF DARKNESS UNDER FOOT AND MAKE A MOCKERY OF THEM, LET US NOT FEAR, LET US JUST FOCUS, TRUST AND KEEP OUR EYES UPON JESUS CHRIST.

I need to look around and see all that God is doing in my life, in people around me and in the world.

If I can see that God is not in the distance but is active all about me I can feel safe no matter what comes against me.

To live the Christian life and not see what God is doing all around you would be miserable.

V. To fell safe, I need to BE STILL and let God work.

VS-10 be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.

Sometimes I am my own biggest problem. I want to fix my own problems and most of the time I create an even bigger mess.

God is telling us that sometimes we need to sit back and let Him work.

WE NEED TO TURN OFF THE TV’S AND MEDIA, AND ELECTRONICS, WE NEED TO GET HIS LIVING WORD OF TRUST AND SIT DOWN AND PRAYERFULLY SEEK THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO TAKE CARE OF US AND WHATEVER THE SITUATION MAY BE, WE MUST MEMORIZE HIS WORLD AND WRITE IT UPON OUR HEARTS SO THAT IN OUR TIME OF NEED THE LIVING WORLD IS ON OUR MINDS AND HEARTS AND SO THAT BELIEF AND FAITH CAN BE MADE MANIFEST.

VS 11-The Lord Almighty is with us: the God of Jacob is our fortress.

God took care of Jacob after he stole the birthright from Esau. And Jacob was concerned about his safety.

He feared that Esau would take his life, but the Lord had taken care of that for Jacob.

EVERY SINGLE INSTANCE OF FEARFUL SITUATIONS IN THE BIBLE WAS MET WITH GOD’S PRESENCE AND HELP IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, HE IS FAITHFUL AND TRUE AND IS EVER PRESENT AND NEVER SLUMBERS, HE IS AWARE, HE SEES ALL, HE KNOWS ALL AND IS ABOVE ALL WE MUST TRUST AND BELIEVE IN HIM

WHY DO WE DOUBT AND FEAR?

OUR FOCUS GETS UPON THE WORLD AND THE PROBLEMS AND OFF OF JESUS CHRIST, IT TRULY IS VERY SIMPLE