Our Refuge and Strength

They were able to come with us on vacation. And I believe that when the five fold ministry is rested, and in use as it should be, that obedience from God causes powerful things to happen!

Text

2 Chronicles 32:7–8 KJV 1900

7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: 8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Psalm 46:1 KJV 1900

1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

I’m here to teach, but I’m also sent to encourage somebody today. God’s about to lift someone up.

I’m going to teach today about the promise that He is “Our Refuge and Strength.”

Lesson Connection

Ahaz and Hezekiah

I want to talk for a minute about two important people.

I wonder if there’s anyone here who know’s someone who had a child that turned out to be COMPLETELY different from them? I mean, two absolutely different people.

That’s exactly what the deal was with Ahaz and Hezekiah. Ahaz was father to Hezekiah. The best way to describe Ahaz is by using the word wicked.

(Show two pictures of Ahaz)

Allow me to read to you what Scripture says about him:

2 Chronicles 28:1–2 NKJV

1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord, as his father David had done. 2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molded images for the Baals.

So, we’re given three things that tell us a lot about King Ahaz, here:

Broadly, he did not do what was right in God’s eyes.

He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel.

He made molded images for worship.

But that’s only what this scripture says. There’s much more...

He worshipped the gods of surrounding nations (J. H. Osborne’s sermon, “The gods Around You”).

He offered children as burnt sacrifices.

If that wasn’t enough, here’s how you can really stoke the anger of the Lord:

2 Chronicles 28:24–25 NKJV

24 So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 And in every single city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers.

(Direct to picture of Ahaz throwing out articles of the house of God)

Now, you recall just how particular and specific God was in how His temple should be set up and ran. Here comes King Ahaz, and he deconstructs, tears apart, and tosses out God’s design.

Now, watch this...

When you read the book of Acts and the start of the Church, you read about tongues, prophecy, miracles, you get into Paul’s writing and you read of holiness and five-fold ministry and spiritual warfare… all of this was the Church as it was designed to be.

And you might wonder… how did so many drift away from this so soon after? How is it that the Catholic Church, which dated way, way back could differ from this so greatly?

I’m going to tell you. Listen to me, this is very important… men simply walked into the order that God had set up and began disassembling things.

Remember the thing I showed you the other day, asking Siri when the baptism formula was changed? And it told! Over time, things were changed… holiness… the oneness of God...

Put 2 Chronicles 28:24 up again...

2 Chronicles 28:24 NKJV

He “cut in pieces” the articles of the house of God.

(Take a piece of paper that says “ONE GOD” in bold letters, cut it into three which say “Father”, “Son”, “Holy Ghost”)

The term “trinity” was originated by Tertullian, a Roman Catholic Church Father, somewhere between the year 155 and 220. It’s a term found nowhere in your Bible, manufactured completely.

I don’t have time, but I could talk and expand on the other things Ahaz did: “shut up the doors of the house of the Lord” and “made for himself altars in every corner”.

And here is Hezekiah.

(Show pictures of Hezekiah)

And to show just how different he is, long before Ahaz died, Hezekiah had begun making plans for overturning all his father had been doing. Once Hezekiah came into power, he:

First reopened the Temple.

He than gathered priests and Levites and commanded them to consecrate themselves for service in the temple and get it in order for use.

As he was restoring correct worship, he also was eliminating false worship: he removed the altars from Jerusalem.

And to top all of that off, he held a two-week long celebration of Passover.

When that was over, he commanded that all the altars and high places be destroyed throughout Judah.

And then the Scriptures say this of Hezekiah:

2 Chronicles 31:20–21 NKJV

20 Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. 21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.

The response to the tearing up of the valuable things of God, to the destruction and straying away… was a restoration.

(Return to a page showing “ONE GOD”)

A restoration that is no longer based on made up terms and made up doctrines of how the Church should be - but what the Bible says WE MUST BE!

“Sola scriptura!” Say that with me!

I’m not speaking in tongues. It’s latin. Martin Luther famously said this. Sola scriptura simply means “scripture alone”. It means that all we need to understand salvation, Christian living, and everything else can be found in the Word!

Where do we find out how to be baptized?

Where do we find out if tongues are part of salvation?

Where do we find out how we ought to talk or dress?

Where do we find out what a holy marriage should look like?

Where do we find out about sin?!

Where do we find out about redemption?!!

Where do we find out about heaven?!!!

SOLA SCRIPTURA!!!

And it’s been a long time over many hundreds of years to get to where we are at this morning, but we have been hard at work repairing and putting back into place what God first set in order! And I don’t want to move anything out of place - I want it to be just as He intended it!!!

Hezekiah did all of that and God richly blessed him for it. We’ve got to have a Hezekiah attitude! “I’m going to live in God’s order, not man’s tradition!”

...

So, this all brings us to where we are now. In the 14th year of Hezekiah’s reign, a terrible report came to him: the mighty Assyrians - and these were brutal empire builders - had invaded and were bent on destroying Jerusalem.

Now… how could this be? “God, I’m trying to do things your way. I’m restoring to you what was always yours! I’m living right, acting right, doing right. And you’ve been blessing me for it all this time… but what is this about all of a sudden?!”

Hezekiah was about to experience what he had always believed: that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

Assyria Invaded Judah

Now Ahaz had brought this situation to where it is. Because he had become subservient to the King of Assyria. He paid a yearly tribute and he formally recognized the Assyrian gods.

When Hezekiah became king… he rejected all of this. Check out what 2 Kings says about it...

2 Kings 18:7 NKJV

7 The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

In other words, “We’re not doing that in this home! We’re going to serve the Lord.” He took a stand. And rest assured, whenever you take a stand, the enemy rears its ugly head at you.

This Assyrian king, Sennacherib (sounds evil enough) would NOT tolerate rebellion. And so he marched on Judah, in a sense getting in Hezekiah’s face. He attacked and captured every city of Judah, and then set his sights on Jerusalem.

Hezekiah Fortified Jerusalem

And when it became clear that Jerusalem was the King’s next target, first, Hezekiah tried to avoid a devastating fight by telling Sennacherib he would pay him whatever he wanted if he would back off (2 Kings 18:14).

What did Sennacherib do? He demanded a number, received that number… and STILL didn’t back off.

Now, we know that Hezekiah was a man who trusted in God. He had so great a trust in the Lord, the Bible says:

2 Kings 18:5 NKJV

5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.

When it came to trusting God, he surpassed all others. But - listen to me, know - his deep trust didn’t mean, however, that he thought God would do all the work. And so… Hezekiah did what he could do, while trusting that God would do what Hezekiah could not do.

So first he tried to pay them to leave. When that didn’t work, he set out to undermine their ability to fight him. He cut off the water supply outside of the city, so there would be no water to drink if they attempted to fight. Then he starting fortifying the city itself.

What was he doing? He was doing everything he knew to do while trusting in God for success! He was preparing for battle while seeking and depending on the Lord!

He repaired the city wall where it was broken!

He built towers on the wall, where they could attack from!

And he added another entire wall while getting their weapons and shields built up.

Hezekiah Encouraged the People of Judah

He got done strengthening the walls… and then… Hezekiah started strengthening the spirit of the people.

And to do this, he didn’t focus on their abilities. He didn’t focus on their valor. He didn’t focus on all he had done or what they might do. He didn’t encourage them by urging them to rely on anything in the natural.

He encouraged them by focusing on God and the help He would give to those who would continually look to Him for deliverance!

Hezekiah cried out to the people:

2 Chronicles 32:7 NKJV

7 “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him.

And upon first reading that, it might sound like Hezekiah was stressing that they could trust in their numbers because there were more of them in Jerusalem than in the Assyrian army. But the “more” was not about how many were with them but WHO was with them!

2 Chronicles 32:8 NKJV

8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

The Words of Hezekiah Strengthened the People

All of a sudden courage started swelling in these people. His words took effect!

This was not just Hezekiah putting on a bold face in a desperate attempt to stir up some of the people to remain firm. They could see in his eyes and hear in his voice that he was certain of what he spoke!

The end of 2 Chronicles 32:8 says:

2 Chronicles 32:8 NKJV

8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Or, as the ESV puts it, “The people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”

They placed their confidence in the help from God that Hezekiah spoke!

We Can Find Strength in God’s Promises

Now when Hezekiah said that - talking about God being a refuge and fighting their battles - we’ve heard this sort of theme before in other parts of Scripture.

When God’s people were trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, they began to cry out to God. That was when Moses told them this...

Exodus 14:13–14 NKJV

13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

And there’s yet another place. When enemies came to make war against King Jehoshaphat and Judah in 2 Chronicles 20, he cried out to God, telling Him that they were too weak to stand against so many. That was when a man named Jahaziel prophesied and encouraged them:

2 Chronicles 20:15 NKJV

15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

These are scriptures that WE can find strength in! These are promises we ought to stand on!

God still fights for His people! He is still a saving refuge for us!

Now… inevitably, when you’re dealing with Old Testament scriptures, it’s often that someone will say, “That was only true for Old Testament believers! These are promises for them!” Or, “These principles are only for them!” Which… it’s funny… I sure am glad that Thou shalt not kill made it’s way into the New Testament and today. As a matter of fact, the 10 Commandments are part of the basis of law and order worldwide.

So, you can’t go painting with a broad brush and deleting Old Testament principles. Walking into God’s house and dismantling them, throwing them out, making something you like better.

The principles of God never change. His methods and the way He asks us to obey over history has, but HIs promises… if there’s a promise to be heard from God, it’s a promise to be had by us!

The Old Testament IS important! Paul said this:

Romans 15:4 NKJV

4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

1 Corinthians 10:11 NKJV

11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

And if it was promised that God would fight our battles - we can claim that promise!

God Will Help Us Fight Our Battles

God Is an Ever-Present Help in Trouble

We read the Psalmist say something about it earlier:

Psalm 46:1 NKJV

1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

Now, it’s important to notice something about trouble in this verse: we will, unfortunately, have it. God does not promise to always be with us to keep us from trouble. He promises to always be with us in our trouble. Because trouble will inevitably come our way, as we live in a fallen world. As righteous as Hezekiah lived, seeking God and doing right, he encountered trouble.

God Is in the Midst of His People

But with the trouble, there are multiple places we can read that God is right in the midst of His people.

In Psalm 46:4-5, the psalmist talked of Good being in the midst of the “city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.” And because “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved.”

Why will she not be moved? Because “God shall help her, and that right early,” or as the NKJV puts it, “just at the break of dawn.”

Be Still and Know That I Am God

Talking about fighting for His people, there was something else God said through the Psalmist:

Psalm 46:10 NKJV

10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Yes, we are to do what we can to be ready for the troubles and battles that will come. Hezekiah did what he could, remember? But having done his best to prepare, he stopped his work and looked to God, who was in the midst of them, for the real victory!

And I’ve got a little more encouragement for you today. Don’t think that Hezekiah’s mind never struggled or faith never wavered. He definitely had a strong foundation of faith. He was acting on it. But the threats of the enemy were so cruel and terrifying, that Hezekiah’s faith wavered for a moment.

It was just a short moment of doubt about his and the people’s fate - he sent some of his men dressed in sackcloth to the prophet Isaiah. And through them, Hezekiah expressed a concern for their lack of strength to win. They told the prophet, “Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives” (2 Kings 19:4 NIV).

And in response, God gave a word to Isaiah for them:

2 Kings 19:6–7 KJV 1900

6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

Basically, God was saying again, “Be STILL, and know that I AM GOD!”

“Hezekiah, you need to quiet down. Stop fretting. Remember your faith! You don’t have to depend on yourself! I’VE GOT THIS!

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And God was true to His word. He sent an angel to “cut off all the mighty men of valour” and when the king of Assyria cam into the house of his god, he was killed by those closest to him (2 Chronicles 32:21).

There are times when even those with the most faith will fall into moments of doubt, almost giving up. But in those moments, we have to let the psalmist be for us what Isaiah was for Hezekiah: a calming voice. A faith-inspiring voice, saying: Be still and know that He is God and that He is for you and ready to enter the battle to deliver you!

I Will Look to God as My Refuge and Strength

To drive this home and let us know that God is a warrior for us when we trust Him, the psalmist ended Psalm 46 by saying:

Psalm 46:11 NKJV

11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

At least four times in Psalm 46, the psalmist said that God is present with us.

Three times, he said God is a refuge for us.

Those are facts!!!

The Lord of armies is with us - and that means me and you! Let’s take God at His Word and look to Him to be our refuge and strength, our very present help in trouble.

Internalizing the Message

Now, we face all sorts of troubles and enemies in life. Both human and demonic. God is there with us for all of it.

But for us to see this as a reality, we have to go beyond just being glad for these facts and approving of them. We have to act on them when we see enemies on the horizon, coming our way.

You’re probably not likely to see an army coming your way…

But what if someone on the job attacks you, criticizes your work, sows seeds of doubt about your integrity, or undermines your boss’s opinion of you and your chances of promotion? I could tell you some stories.

Or what if you’re trying to start a new ministry at church, and someone doesn’t think you have what it takes to do it and tries to sow doubt about you to your pastor and discourages others from getting involved and supporting it?

What if a bully at school is making your child’s life miserable?

Or what if you feel under a spiritual assault from Satan, and feelings of fear or temptation are thrown at you?

I could give many more examples. But what do you do?

Regardless of what the enemy is, be still and know that He is God. Claim this promise: “God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble!” Be like Hezekiah! Do what you can reasonably do to clarify things with your boss, to assure your pastor, to speak to a teacher to help your child deal with that bully, and shrink Satan’s opportunities to tempt you or attack you.

By all means, take action. But as yo do what you can do, fix your eyes on Him. Confess God’s promises! That He’s going to fight your battles! and then stand still and watch as He does it!

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