STAND & READ - Psalm 91:1-2
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. [2] I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!"
"The Christian?s PANIC Room!"
PRAYER...
Recently there has been a movie released by Hollywood that was entitled, "The Panic Room".
Though I have not seen this movie...it does depict to the viewer a new item that is available to the public at this point in our history; which does show us just how bad things have gotten in our world.
-A place that can be established within our homes, called a "panic room"!
There are actual means available to us today to have a room within our own home that would serve as a "Panic Room" or as some call it, Safe Rooms...
-Such companies can convert bathrooms, closets, and appropriate rooms into these "panic" rooms for you...all so that you can ensure the safety of your family.
-Providing for you a safe place to remain until a rescue team or the police can come to help you; in the event of a break-in, attack in your home, or a tornado/hurricane (natural disaster).
These rooms are fitted with bulletproof doors, with pickproof and shockproof locks.
The walls, floor and ceiling of the existing room can be filled with plywood and other various materials to help keep them up and in tact, if they were tried to break through.
-You can even get a material placed in them to make them bulletproof too!
Not only that, but any existing window can have a window glaze applied to it that would make the window bulletproof as well.
Even, 24-hour battery packs are installed if the power is cut off too!
People have gone to great lengths to provide this safety feature for your homes.
AND people have endured the great expense of such rooms for the safety of their families.
-Upwards of $16,000 for just the bulletproof door, doorframe, electronics package, and installation!!!
Now, this is mind boggling to most of us...to think of placing one of these into our homes.
Even worse, is knowing that we would NEED one of these types of rooms for the safety of our family.
-And then paying that bill would be murderous!!!
However, what presents itself as more disappointing is this, it is that...
-Christians fail to invest as much of their time...their money...and their effort into their "Panic Room" that the Lord has called us each to have and maintain within our homes.
-It is called the "Prayer Closet"!!!
Matthew 6:6
"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room (prayer closet), and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you."
God has a BETTER place for you to run when you are in times of panic!
He has a stronger place for your refuge when there is an attack!
God has provided for you a room in which you are about to have peace and rest, in the middle of troubles and adversity!
-This place is called the PRAYER CLOSET!!!
-And it is in this prayer closet that the Lord
has promised to reward you when you come into
it!
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Now...
There are going to be troubles that we will face within our lives.
This is something that we know is for certain.
BUT, thanks be to God that we have One to whom we can run in these times of trouble...our help is in the Lord!!!
Psalm 30:2
"O Lord my God, I cried to Thee for help, and Thou didst heal me."
Psalm 33:20
"Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield."
Psalm 46:1
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
-Better than any metal or steel...better than any glaze on a window...or even better than any safe room...
-It is GOD WHO IS OUR REFUGE AND OUR STRENGTH!!!
Friends, there is one thing that we can be sure of...and that thing is this...
POINT ONE: THERE IS A SECURE PLACE!
Again...Psalm 91:1-2
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. [2] I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!"
As we are encouraged in this passage that we are to DWELL in the shelter of the Most High.
What does this mean to us? How do we do this?
-We are to simply trust in the Lord. We are to live according to His Word...we should seek the face of God...and have a desire to grow in the ways of the Lord.
-Because when we do this, when we dwell in His shelter, we will abide under the shadow of the Almighty!!!
When there is a shadow of something, it means that there is something there with which a shadow is made!
-And when it is the shadow of the Almighty...you know that the Almighty IS THERE with you and is there for your benefit always!!!
-Can you say thank you Jesus? And Praise the Lord for that!!!
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I do know that there are those who are "dwelling in the shelter", but I also know that those same people are also enduring some very deeply troubling things...
-Things that they endure are accidents,
illnesses, misfortune, and the like?
We hear that we can have protection in the Lord for Psalm 91, and many other passages like it, but yet...there are still TROUBLES!!!
And we have to ask ourselves, "Where is our immunity from danger? And, what happened to our insulation from adversity?"
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It is this very passage that the devil used against our Lord Jesus...
-When he tempted Jesus, in Matthew 4:5-7, to jump from the pinnacle of a temple, and he said that there would be no harm that would come upon Him?all because the verses 11 & 12 say that??He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands??
-Also, when Jesus was being taken, when He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane?He refused to invoke the protection of the angels once again? (Matt. 26:53)
-Even when Jesus was crucified on the Cross, He was taunted by the words of those around when they said, ?He trusts in God. So let God rescue Him!??look at verse 14! (Matt. 27:43)
-And yet?Jesus refused the protection guaranteed?
You have heard it said,?If it is good enough for Jesus, then it is good enough for me.????
-If Jesus endured, then so can, and must, we?
-But yet?is there something deeper that God is promising to protect and preserve??? Let?s see???
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Well, when our experience with troubles don?t always line up with the Word given here?what do we do???
-Is the SECURE PLACE missing in this world then?
-Does God no longer exist???
-Is God not holding true to His promise any longer???
The answer to all of these is and HUGE NO!!!
We must remember God, and His promises, in light of the Whole Counsel of the Word of God.
Romans 8:31-39
?What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? [32] He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? [33] Who will bring a charge against God?s elect? God is the one who justifies; [34] who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] Just as it is written, ?For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.? [37] But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. [38] For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.?
The passage in Psalm 91 deals with our preservation in the light of a PHYSICAL protection in this life?
But yet, Romans focuses on another, and more important element of our lives?the SPIRITUAL part of man?
-Psalms says that, ?nothing will hurt you.?
-Romans says, ?nothing will separate you from God!?
Which would you rather have? What is more important to you???
Well, does that mean that Psalm 91 is lying to us?
No! We do have physical protection in the Lord.
-And many have given a testimony to that very fact.
-Plus, there are countless times of protection that we have received, and yet never knew of it! IE?Alex and Abbey?s miracle births, and never knowing the dangers!
But again, the most important thing to protect and maintain in tact is your Spirit man! That is a Great Promise!
(Not to mention that many times in the Scriptures, there are physical things described, which give us a clearer understanding of a Spiritual provision; that we would not otherwise understand.)
-The Holy Spirit?described as a wind?
-God being described as with wings of protection?like a chicken protects her chicks?
So friends, I do believe that the Lord does protect and provide safety?
BOTH, in the Physical, and in the Spiritual sense of the terms?
So, we can worry about receiving either type of protection or the other?but we have got to remember that NEITHER come unless we have chosen to live for Him and in Him.
-So let me ask you?have you found God to be your SECURE PLACE in this world???
-Do you find yourself running to your ?panic room? in times of need? Running to your Prayer Closet!
There is no doubt that we have a SECURE PLACE in the Lord, and thank God for that! Because we certainly need that in this?
POINT TWO: INSECURE WORLD
You can talk to about anyone in this world today, and they can assure you of the unrest, and the insecurity that we really have without the Lord.
On a Worldwide level, there is nation rising against nation?wars and rumors of wars?famine and pestilence. The Middle East there is complete unrest?
-When we think of the future, we quite honestly are not assured of one because of the INSECURE WORLD that we live in.
Here at home, in the Good Old USA, there is also a lack of security?
-We can put all the people we want to into ?active duty? to beef up Home Land Security, and yet, there is still and insecurity.
-Our own enemies live, work, and play among us!
-Business, and job security is something that is not heard of any longer either.
-Hey?we even fear driving through certain parts of our own city?and fear our own neighborhood!
And personally?we battle with these old mortal bodies.
-We hear of more and more YOUNG people who are coming down with sicknesses, cancers, and other ailments?and wonder if our own days are numbered.
-Some ARE sick, and you wonder where the Lord is in the midst of it all???
-And our prayer lists are full of those who are in dire need of miracles.
So what is a Christian to do when it is so easy to panic? We can run to our ?panic room??the Prayer Closet!!!
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No doubt, we could count the numbers of danger that we are all potentials for?
And a verse 3-6, of Psalm 91, does just that for us?
-Drive by shootings?contagious viruses?drunken drivers?domestic violence?heart disease?and stubbed toes?
-There are definitely a variety of troubles that can come to us in this INSECURE WORLD.
And for the variety of dangers?there are a variety of protections that we have to our avail?
-From the Wings of God to cover us as a mother hen?to the shields of defense?to the ramparts or thick walls behind which we can find safety from all that is shot our way.
The point is this?for the variety of dangers that may come our way?
God says that He has a variety of protection for you and I today from all these things!
-And God may deliver you in a different way, than He delivers me from the same thing.
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And from God?s protection, we can also know and experience an immunity that He provides.
Verses 7-10, of Psalm 91 tell us that, ?A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not approach you. [8] You will only look on with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked. [9] For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. [10] No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.?
ILLUSTRATION:
Most of the children today take an immunization shot for a simple disease?Chicken Pox. (I wish they had it when I was a kid.) And while many people around the kids with this shot may have Chicken Pox, they are yet not susceptible to this sickness. Why? Because they have taken the immunization shot and cannot get this sickness.
And what is your antidote? Have you been dwelling in the secret place? Have you been to you ?panic room? Christian?
ILLUSTRATION:
Tell of the time I was almost shot while hunting?
And the bullet just skimmed by my head!
The Bible says that these things will not come near you!
It says to me that these troubles will not just barely miss us, or they will skim by us?
But they will come NOWHERE near us!!! Praise the Lord!!!
But again you say?Pastor Tony?the Bible says that we will be protected from bodily harm?and yet?
-John the Baptist was beheaded?
-Stephen the preacher was stoned to death?
-James was killed with the sword?
-Missionaries are dying around the world for their faith in Jesus?
-And there are untold thousands upon thousand who have been martyred for their faith in Jesus too!
They were not protected in their bodies?they died!
I take two thoughts into consideration.
1) Hebrews 9:27, ?And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment??
Philip. 1:21, ?For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.?
-We know that we are going to die?so what greater cause to die for, than to die for the cause of Christ?!
2) James 1:2, ?Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials??
2 Cor. 12:10, ?Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ?s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.?
-We are assured of a couple things in life?
-They tell us that only death and taxes are a sure thing?but for the Christian, we can add another?and that is persecution. It is going to come so we must see to it that we are able to endure with Christ as our example?
-And they may kill the body, but they cannot kill the Spirit!
And this is what we are told we are assured of in Romans 8:31-39 again!!!
Yes, these people died, but nothing was able to destroy their relationship with the Lord! And that is the deep immunity that you can know in Jesus Christ!
They may kill the body, but the Soul or Spirit, is SECURE in the Lord, in this INSECURE WORLD. A world that we abide in for a very short time.
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So where is the divine intervention that is given to us as described in this chapter???
Well?
Jesus didn?t use the verses in this chapter to suit His own needs when He was tempted by the devil?
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, and an angel came to tend to Jesus? needs, He didn?t ask to be rescued, but rather He endured the plans of what God?s GREATER PLAN was?
As Jesus hung on the ?Old Rugged Cross??angels stood by and watched?and yet Jesus never asked for them to help Him?
What was going on???
-God had a greater rescue plan! A plan the He would be raised from the dead in a few short days?
-And that ?rescue plan? involved thoughts of you and me!!! Thank God that we are RESCUED from the wages of our sin!!! Praise God!!!
And though we may not know the victory right now? Won?t Jesus soon give us the victory too? It may not be in the way that we would prefer, but?
Will we not soon trample the enemy under our own feet?
Compare these two verses?
Psalm 91:13
?You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down.?
Romans 16:20
?And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.?
My friends?we may not have things go just the way we have always hoped for?
But we do know that we have victory in Jesus and that we will be able to one day?FINALLY?place satan under our feet! Praise the Lord for that! Amen?!
And yes?even in this INSECURE WORLD?because we have a SECURE PLACE in the Lord!!!
IN CONCLUSION:
Psalm 91:14-16, "Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. [15] "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and honor him. [16] "With a long life I will satisfy him, and let him behold My salvation."
When we have times of trouble?and ?THE thief? is attempting to break in and steal from you?
I encourage you; rather, I exhort you in the name of Jesus to run to the ?panic? room for Christians?that is your prayer closet!!!
Why do I send you there?
Because it is a cozy place to feel better about yourself? No! Because it will call your fears and help you to focus? Yeah, but not really?
But, it is because God said that IT IS HE who does dwell in the ?secret place? with Him, whom He will deliver!!!
And the precious fact of this deliverance is this?
God does not deliver us because He then requires something from you?although, that would be nice...
God doesn?t deliver you so that He can mount a list of help from you to loom over your head?
-But rather, the Scriptures say that He will deliver you because HE LOVES YOU!!!
Take a moment to let that sink in?and soak that thought up.
He loves you and wants to help you!
Think of how dear your children are to you, and how that you will help them?even to a fault.
And THAT is how much your heavenly Father loves you, and cares for you too! And better yet, even much more.
Matthew 7:11
?If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!?
-He loves you so much more!!!
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Verse 16 says an interesting thing; that we often interpret within the context by which we know?within the frame of this earth.
It says that we will have a long life?it is with a long life that God will satisfy us.
Well, when we consider the eternity that we will have with Jesus; we then really can begin to understand the ?long life? that we will have in Jesus for eternity.
-Our final benefits of our salvation will be a resurrected body, eternal life, no more pain or troubles!
-How glorious that will be!!!
Like it is said in Romans 8:18, ?For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.?
-This world offers only MOMNETARY setback, terrible trials, and even death?but the single trait that is similar and true about them all is that they ARE MOMENTARY!!!
-They last only a moment!!!
As it was with the death of Christ?
As horrible and terrible as it was, and is?it was a momentary trouble?
But one that brought to each of us?and still brings?a beautiful future, hope and trust!
-And it will be known for all eternity!!! Praise be to God!!!
My friends, as we close this time?
May we be ever thoughtful of the fact that we have a Great Savior in whom we can run when we are in trouble.
Rather than running to the devices of man that are created in your walk-in closet, and seeking shelter in something made with human frailty?
Run to the Closet that was constructed in Prayer?your PRAYER CLOSET that is constructed within a relationship that is found in Jesus Christ.
-It is in THAT Closet that you can find a sure refuge, impenetrable, and secure in this insecure world?
My friend?do you need to go there now?
It the PRAYER CLOSET the place you have longed for all along?
You can come to Him now! Come to these altars and seek refuge in the Lord!
ALTAR CALL:
Salvation?
You need to build a new habit?a habit of going to the closet of PRAYER?the Christian?s PANIC Room.
God wants to be your SECURE place in this INSECURE world!
SONG:
In The Secret
