A Tower That Won’t Fall
Proverbs 18:10 - 11
* It was a beautiful morning, a light breeze coming off the waters. The sun was on the rise and the soldiers were enjoying every minute of their military duty, thanking God and counting themselves lucky for where they had been stationed. Some were going off the night shift, some just getting up to head to church, work or to enjoy a lazy Sunday morning, and maybe some were sleeping off the hangover they received the night before, most of them for sure were asleep. Little did they know that within a matter of hours, their world would be turned upside down, many of them killed and practically a whole fleet of battleships sunk. On September 6th, 1941, Journalist Clarke Beach wrote this: “A Japanese attack on Hawaii is regarded as the most unlikely thing in the world, with one chance in a million of being successful. Besides having more powerful defenses than any other post under the American Flag, it is protected by distance.”
In 1941, that one chance in a million happened & again in 2001 it happened. (Video – Tribute to the Victims of September 11) (Prayer for the families) With a great deal of respect for and sympathy towards those who lost loved ones; if mankind, and more to the point, Americans, does not learn from our past, history is apt to repeat. This will only result in more casualties & deaths.
* The Twin Towers were said to be a symbol of the greatness of America. Economically, architecturally, and even in Construction, the two towers said to the world that “America is #1”. It would serve us well to remember that there is nothing mankind can build that is indestructible. If man can build it, it can & will be destroyed. If we are not safe in such grand structures, then where is safety found? The situation & solution is found in God’s Word (text)
1. The Situation – we face is written here in scripture. First, take a look at verse 11. The cultural truth in America is that our money has become our security, our shelter, and even our god. It is everything to us. For the last 20 years I have listened in amazement, disdain, and even unbelief to hear those who wear the name of Christ declare they were voting for the one who can take care of them ‘financially’, while the spiritual, moral, and ethical issues were kicked to the curb. Years ago I heard the Christian artist Carmen tells us that the ‘doctrine of the classroom in one generation becomes the ‘doctrine of culture in the next. Candidly, we seem to know more about the temporary performance of the stock market than the eternal plan of the Savior. When we put our trust in things of this world, just like the towers, we can be destroyed in seconds. Those twin towers took 10 years from inception to dedication. Ten years. And it took 102 minutes to bring those building down. The take away for us is this; mankind tends to build our lives on what Jesus called “the sand.” While we ‘think’ our money, our affluence, & all our things may provide protection, it can and, in all likelihood, will be taken in a moment.
a. Some of you are saying, “What kind of message is this?” Here it is; until our security blanket of this world’s good is decimated in our minds and our eyes, we will never seek the Lord with all of our hearts. We will never depend on Him with all our souls. We will never learn on Him with our understanding. And we will never love Him with all that we are. We need a dose of truth.
b. As bad as this may sound, the Bible goes on to further describe our situation. We know that Jesus said He would return and get His church. The days surrounding His return are called, “The Last Days.” We are living in “The Last Days.” The last days have a life all their own. Turn to 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and get the rest of the story. To read these words of the Apostle Paul is to know that things are not likely to get better. It says, “Difficult times!” Others translate this word as terrible, perilous, or days of trouble, but the Greek word means hard to do, hard to take, hard to bear, and ‘dangerous.’ To walk down this list of characteristics is like reading an evaluation of the American culture. (Review) Just as surely as the Twin Towers were taken down by terrorist, so will our life, if we run into a tower that is manmade.
c. If your life is ‘safe’ only within the tower of your own thinking, you are in danger. If your heart is ‘safe’ only within the tower of your own feeling, you are in danger. If your soul is ‘safe’ only within the tower of your own making, you are in danger. Before we can ever discover the protection of a tower that won’t fall, we must come face to face with the truth of the tower which will fall. In Jesus’ story, found in Matthew 7, we are told that one house was built on the rock and another house was built on the sand. The ‘rains fell, rivers rose, wind blew, and all this pounded both houses.’ The rains of secularism are falling, the waters of consumerism (as we demands the church adhere to our thinking & needs) are rising, the winds of humanism are blowing (telling us mankind has it all figured out), and our houses are being pounding. If we have built our house on the sands of human reasoning and ingenuity, our tower, which we believe to be so strong, will collapse. In fact, we are witnesses of lives which have collapsed or are collapsing because their tower was a tower of their own making. If we return to our Proverb, we’ll discover the tower which will never fall. (Proverbs 18:10)
2. The Solution – Solomon is said to be the wisest man who ever lived. This one verse certainly gives credence to that statement. For in this Proverbs, we find the solution for the uncertainty of this life. The solution for our dilemma is to reside in a tower that is designed for storms. Such a tower has the right architect, the right foundation, the right materials and the right builder. Only then, will your life be safe from whatever plane Satan sends to fly into you. Watch our masterfully and practically Solomon gives us the answers we need in only ONE Proverb. If you and I desire a secure place to live, walk, and thrive, then let’s dig into God’s word and learn all about the strong tower.
a. The Source – of life and a strong tower is none other than the Mighty Name of our Lord! Think about the name of the Lord and ask yourself, “What’s in a name?” Today, we don’t give much spiritual thought to a name, but there is meaning in a name. (I.E. Jacob-supplanter, Joshua-Jehovah saves, David-beloved, etc) The name of our Lord is no different. Every different name of God means something. In Genesis 1:1-2:4, only the name Elohim is used. This means ‘creator God’. El-Shaddai means “God Almighty”. Adonai mean Lord. From the Hebrew, Jehovah is always translated (KJV) as LORD and is the foundation for name which speak to His many qualities. Jehovah is (generally) followed by a descriptive term which unveils Him in a new way. Jehovah-Jireh=the Lord will provide. Jehovah-Shammah=the Lord is there. Jehovah-shalom=the Lord is our peace. Jehovah-rophe=the Lord is our healer. And the list goes on. However, the name which I would like to put on your tongue and your heart is Jesus. Jesus means God will help. It is at the name of Jesus that demons run and devils flee. It is the name of Jesus that the sick are healed and the dead are raised. It is the name of Jesus that addictions are broken and marriages are restored. It is at the name of Jesus that the insecurities of this world are replaced by the security for eternity. And it is at the name of Jesus, one day, that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the Glory of God the Father. It is only in the name of Jesus that we can find a source, a resource, and a foundation for that tower will not fall and will stand for eternity. To build your life on the things of this world (I.E. finances, popularity, prestige, etc) is to set yourself up for a devastating fall. In Jesus we find not only the source,
b. The Strength – The name of Jesus gives us not only the source of our security, but also gives us the “Strong Tower” which can withstand any attack of the enemy. If you reside in an earthly tower, you WILL FALL victim to Satan’s attack. Ten years ago we saw the worse of mankind fly airplanes into the best of man’s achievements. It took 102 seconds to wreck the building. If we place our trust in the achievements, the intellect, and the philosophies of man, we will find ourselves weak and susceptible to the enemy and the enemy will fly his spiritual plane into our tower and it will fall. I submit that even in the aftermath of all the terrorist’s attacks against (I.E. Oklahoma City, 1993 Twin Towers, USS Cole, 9/11, etc), Americans still have neither heard nor heeded the warnings, but continue to trust in the weak things of this world. And we do this amidst a society which is daily disintegrating. Read the paper, watch the news and then try to make a case that there is strength in this culture. The strength we need, the strong tower we desire comes only in the name of the Lord. This brings us to
c. The Salvation – is discovered when we ‘run into it.’ At the point we run to Jesus, we become ‘righteous’ & are covered by His power & His protection.
* The text says, “The righteous run to it.” It is true that people who have an authentic daily walk with Christ run to HIM in the midst of every struggle and be safe. But you know what else is true, before a person will run to HIM, that person must realize his own personal need for Jesus. (We do this only through the promptings of God’s Spirit in our lives) For the Bible teaches us that we are dead in our trespasses and sin. A dead person needs something supernatural to happen to them so they can respond. So the spirit of God pricks their heart. Here’s how it works: The Bible says, “There is none righteous, no not one” and ‘for all have sinned and fallen short of God’. The Bible goes on to tell us that the wages for sin is death. This speaks to physical and spiritual death. This death is eternal existence in a place called hell. The person in this condition is unrighteous and, left to his own, will not run to the Lord. In fact, he has no hope. He is building his life on the sand. At some point he hears the gospel of God which says, “Jesus died in your place for your sin so that you will not have to spend an eternity in hell.” It’s that simple. The Spirit of God takes the seed of that truth and using it like a scalpel, cuts that lost, cold, and dark heart- just like in Acts 2. It is at this point that you are faced with a decision. Pride says, “You’re doing just fine, don’t listen to such stuff.” Jesus says, “You can be raised from spiritual death to spiritual life, if you’ll believe in me.” Today, some in this room have heard these words and KNOW the Holy Spirit is working on your heart. What will you do? If you say ‘no’ to Him, you may never get another opportunity like this. Today is the day of salvation. Don’t miss your appointment. If you say, “Yes” to Him, Your life will change. You will be given a ‘heart transplant’, you will begin a journey of getting to know Christ intimately, and you will be born into the family of God. You will learn what it means to be “IN CHRIST” and in the STRONG TOWER. When the storm comes, He will be your salvation. But not only will He be your salvation, but He will be Your;
d. The Security – Our text says that inside this strong tower of Jesus, you will be protected, safe, or saved. Security is found only in “Jesus Christ as Personal Lord and Savior.” The word ‘protected’ in the Hebrew literally means to be so high that you are inaccessible. Practically speaking, we know that, as believers, we are not out of reach for every hurts. Don’t miss the best part; even though the world can take their pop-shots and fly their planes at you – your course is charted, your eternity secured, and your life is ordered. Yep, evil will always be attacking and Jehovah-Jireh will always provide. Jehovah-shammah will always be there. Jehovah-rophe will always heal. Jehovah-shalom will bring peace in the midst of your worse struggles. And you will find yourself in a ‘tower’ that will NEVER fall!
