RECAP
Intro: What it Means to be
Blessed
-
God gives us
blessings, produces blessings, and promises blessings.
-
We as people
tend to focus on material blessings more than God does.
-
God has given
us blessings, but how much stuff we have is not the best way for us to measure
God’s blessing in our life.
-
The truth is
that we ARE blessed— blessed with every spiritual blessing.
-
We have access
to the blessing of God.
- However, we must walk in them in order to experience His blessings the way He intended for us.
Part 1: Delighting in God’s
Word
-
There is a
blessing when we delight in God’s Word.
-
Blessed is the
man who refuses to listen to the voice of the world.
-
Blessed is the
man who delights (values) God’s Word
-
Blessed is the
man who meditates on God’s Word
-
Blessed is the
man who obeys God’s Word
-
That person
will be blessed: stable, sustained, fruitful, enduring, and prosperous.
- Walking in God’s ways is the closest thing to heaven on this side of it.
Part 2: Walking in Integrity
-
Integrity
means wholeness—being the same person publicly and privately.
-
Integrity is
not perfection. When people of integrity fail, they admit it, repent, and make
it right.
-
Through
integrity, we are building the life we will live in tomorrow. Our words,
decisions, and actions eventually become our foundation.
-
God connects
integrity with His blessing: His favor, His vindication, and a generational
blessing upon our children.
- Never sacrifice what God has promised tomorrow for what compromise can give you today.
INTRODUCTION
[Display the photo of Mont-Saint-Michel Fortress]
I want you to look at this picture. This is Mont-Saint-Michel, a fortified abbey and village built upon a rocky island off the coast of France.
During the Hundred Years’ War, English armies conquered nearly all of Normandy. But Mont-Saint-Michel remained standing. When the tide was low, enemy soldiers could approach it. When the tide rose, the pathway disappeared beneath the water and the stronghold became an island again.
For nearly thirty years, the English surrounded it, blockaded it, and repeatedly attacked its walls. In 1434, they launched one of their greatest assaults, bringing powerful iron cannons to break through its defenses.
But the defenders held their ground. The English were forced to retreat, leaving two of their cannons behind. Those cannons can still be seen near the entrance today as reminders of an enemy who came against the stronghold but could not conquer it.
Mont-Saint-Michel was surrounded, but it was never possessed.
That is what a refuge is. A refuge is not a place where trouble never comes. It is the place you run to when trouble comes. Psalm 91 does not promise that the battle will never reach us. It promises that in the middle of the battle, we have somewhere to run to, God the Most High.
Although we are blessed, we still face trouble, difficulty, danger, etc. We find ourselves battling the difficulties of life. However, while there is still an abundance of evil and danger in the world we live in today, we have a promise of God’s divine protection in our life when we do one thing: Make God our refuge.
Remove photo of Mont-Saint-Michel Fortress…
When we find ourselves in a troubled situation, we just need to call out 9-1-1 (Psalm 91:1). We can begin to recite Psalm 91 to remind ourselves of the promise He has given us when we find our refuge in Him.
MEANING OF REFUGE
So with that said, what is a refuge?
Refuge = A place of safety that absorbs the force of an outside threat
A refuge does not always make the threat disappear. Instead, it stands between you and the threat. The walls of Mont-Saint-Michel did not remove army assault, they absorbed the force of its assault and protected those inside.
Machseh = Shelter from a storm; to run to and puts one’s trust in
A refuge is more than something you believe exists; it is something you must run to and enter. Its protection is experienced by the person who runs to it. Making God our refuge is to intentionally relocating our trust from your own resources into His presence and protection. We stop depending first on our strength, plans, money, relationships, or ability to control the outcome, and we run to God.
How do we make God our refuge?
Psalm 91:1-2 — Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
According to Psalm 91, we make God our refuge, the place we run to in times of trouble, by doing two things:
Dwell — “Whoever dwells in the shelter of
the Most High…” (v1)
•
To dwell means to
“inhabit.”
•
Meaning you are
not simply visiting, but establishing permanent residence.
•
It means to find
peace of mind within (no anxiety)
•
It means to build
your life there in commitment
Visitor:
- Treats God like an emergency room and leaves when
things get better.
- Wants the benefits of walking with God without the
commitment.
•
Dweller:
- Makes God’s presence their permanent residence
- Commits to daily fellowship with God through prayer
and God’s Word
• The only way to rest in God’s shadow is to be close to Him. In the same way the French were only able to experience protection from the enemy by entering the Mont-Saint Michel, we too only experience His divine protection when we are in close proximity with God.
Confess — “I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress…” (v2)
•
I will “say”,
means to declare, command, or decree; state as an absolute truth.
•
It is being
intentionally vocal about the truth about your position in Him.
•
It is a
declaration of who you belong to
- Confession gives voice to faith (not fear)
Faith speaks the size of your God
Not “I will say of the trouble” or “I will say of the bad news”
It says, I will say of the Lord!”
- Confessions Activates God’s Word
Its not just that “God is a fortress…”
It is, “He is MY fortress, and MY God…”
- Confessions Turn God’s Truth to Personal Ownership
Notice how the language of the psalmist goes from talking about God in verse 1
to personal personal declaration of who God was in his life.
v2 — “He is my
refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
The Blessings of God as our Refuge
1.
The
Blessing of God’s Protection
• Deliverance from Hidden Traps
v3 — “He will save you from the fowler’s snare…”
Fowler is a bird hunter who does so in the shadows. He sets a trap for the bird
in a deceptive way. When the bird doesn’t expect it, the trap closes in on it.
Our enemy is hunting us in the shadows, but God promises to protect us from the
traps that we don’t even know about and we don’t even see! He will guard you
and keep you from the enemy’s tactics.
• Personal Covering
v4 — “He will cover you
with His wings, and under his wings you will find refuge”
When we draw near to God, we are close enough to be covered by His wings. We
are covered by and protected like one that protects its own. When we make Him
our refuge, we will find safety under His wings.
• Freedom from Fear & Unseen Danger
v5-6 — “You will not fear
the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness…”
No matter the terrors, dangers,
worries, concerns, God is bigger than all of them. Because he is our fortress,
we do not need to fear the attack of the enemy. He tries to distract us or to
dishearten us, yet God’s protection keeps us safe in His presence.
• Household Protection
v9-10 — “If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the
Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will
come near your tent.”
When you make God “MY refuge, and the place you dwell, you are safe in your
dwelling place. Your “tent” is your dwelling place. It is your home. God will
watch over you and guard you from physical and spiritual dangers.
2.
The
Blessing of God’s Personnel
• Angelic Protection and Intervention
v11-12 — “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all
your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not
strike your foot against a stone.”
God has angels on assignment. I don’t know how many angels are at the service
of God, but it is apparent that you and I have angels who are tasked with
watching over you and I. When we dwell in the resting place of God and make Him
our refuge, He will command His angels to watch over you. They will do their
part and protect you from spiritual enemies. They will also intervene as verse
12 says so that you will not be harmed.
3.
The
Blessing of God’s Presence
• Personal Help
v14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I
will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.”
God promises to be there with you and rescue you in times of trouble. When we
choose God, not just in an emergency, but when we are in fellowship with Him,
He promises to protect you with His presence.
• His Presence in Trouble
v15 — “He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in
trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”
He promises to answer you prayers when you call on Him. Because you and I are
with Him as out refuge, He will be there to keep us from being overtaken by
trouble. He promises to deliver you from your crisis.
• Promise of Long Life — (v16)
v16 — “With long life I will satisfy Him and show him my salvation.”
God promises to bless you and satisfy you with long life. He will keep you from
your life being cut short. He will save you when you are in trouble.
TAKEAWAYS
I.
Run
to God first
• When trouble comes, do not make God your last resort.
• Before you panic and run to someone else, run to God.
• Let prayer become your first response.
• Bring your fears and burdens into His presence.
• Trust God before trusting your own understanding.
II.
Make
God your daily dwelling
• Do not treat God like an emergency room that you visit
only when something is wrong.
• Build your life in daily His presence.
• Spend time with Him through prayer and His Word.
• Remain close to Him when life is good.
• Make fellowship with God your daily way of life.
III.
Speak
faith over fear
• Do not allow the enemy to have the loudest voice in
your life.
• Declare who God is and where you have placed your
trust.
•
“The Lord is my refuge.”
•
“The Lord is my fortress.”
•
“He is my God, and I trust in Him.”
IV.
Rest
in the Blessings of His refuge
• When you have made God your refuge, live with the
peace and confidence that come from being under His watch.
• Rest in the blessing of His protection.
• Trust that His angels are working on your behalf.
• Remember that His presence is with you in every
situation.
• Refuse to live controlled by fear.
