Being Still To Let The Lord Talk With Us - Ian Robson

the word on my heart this morning just particularly encouraged me and blessed me these past few weeks a word that we would do good to always have before us particularly in the days that we are living in in the days that we are approaching that psalm 46 psalm 46 this is a psalm of the sons of korah if you don't know the sons of korah you know quran datum and abhiram rose up in rebellion against god and against his servants when god was leading them through the wilderness and god was going to prove and endorse that he had called his servants moses and aaron and god said to them the night before through moses that in the morning he will demonstrate and prove who his servants were and on whom god had given grace and anointing in and we don't know what happened but at the last minute the sons of korra are pulled out and did not go along with their family they don't go along with their parents and uncles and aunts and all the rest 250 people who rebelled against gordon against moses and they wrote this this song or this psalm and experience just what we read there it's a wonderful thing that in the midst of all of life's trials and difficulties and whatever we may face in the office in the home and we go through tough times our faith grows somebody said amidst storms it's not when everything is easy and everything is going well and smooth but faith grows amidst storms and this was definitely a big storm for these sons of korah but they had made it says their god is our refuge and strength verse one god not our family not our job not anything that we may have on this earth it's god just right in the very beginning of creation in the beginning god that's how it is that's how life started on the earth that's how the darkness and the chaos cleared and god was able to bring beauty out of what was chaos sin and emptiness beauty came because in the beginning god god spoke and the spirit of god moved and that's how it's been through the centuries and that's how it is today god in the beginning i hope it is like that for all of us in the beginning god not just our quiet time in the beginning of the day not just when i get up in the morning we've heard that you know like the blind man reaching for his cane yeah we can follow that in the letter i don't reach for my mobile my cane i reach for god but is it a mere ritual is it something because that's what we've been reminded of in cfc don't reach for your mobile don't reach for your cup of coffee reach for god it's good if we really do that i do it and i think that it is a reality not a ritual god is our refuge and strength not just at the beginning of a day all through the day seven days a week 365 days god must be our refuge and strength i hope he is your refuge and strength and you can know that only in times of trouble it says there god is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble therefore we will not fear though the earth should although change earth blows up and that's exactly what the sons of korah experience the earth opening under their feet but they're being saved because god was their refuge and strength a very present help in trouble in the living bible it says a tested help in times of trouble i hope you all of us i don't think there's anyone of us here who has life you know just a bed of roses everything goes smooth and easy if it's like that for you i feel sorry because you'll never have faith in times of trouble faith grows amidst storms it's when we go through trouble that we test you know on whom who do we rely on that my refuge and my strength is god i hope he's yours my brothers and sisters i hope he has become yours and you've tested that in times of trouble abundantly if you have a margin this is abundantly available for help in tight places abundantly available for help in tight places therefore we need never fear fear is going to like it says in the bible cause the hearts of men to fail in the last days heart failure if you don't get heart failure you'll have spiritual heart failure but if god is your our refuge and strength and we have seen him abundantly available for help in times of trouble we need not fear if you fear god like we have on the plaque at the back you need fear nothing else as i ate if i fear god i need fear nothing else whatever it is whatever god allows into your life and mine i need not fear whatever god allowed for job and he allowed the devil to do all kinds of things he removed the hedges one by one but god job didn't give up he stood true he knew god has his refuge and strength he had no covenant no old covenant no new covenant he didn't have the bible he's the first man the first book of the bible is job not genesis i you have heard that in this church job lived much before moses and what did god have to say to man it was a man that he pointed out to satan have you considered my servant job he holds fast even though you've you've got permission to test him and do all kinds of things take away his children take away his property take away everything else and even his wife said curse god and die but yet he's remained true he says even though he's slay me yet will i trust him what faith that man had and he had nothing else of all that we have today we have the bible we have we have messages we have more than anything else we have jesus but job had none of this much much before jesus ever came so god is our refuge and strength i want to encourage all of us listening to this this morning you will need this in the days ahead i'll need this in the days ahead god is our refuge and strength abundantly available for help in tight places remember that a test should help in times of trouble he'll never fail you he'll never let you down he'll never let go of your hand therefore we will not fear though the earth should change though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea though its waters row and formed or the mountains quake at its selling swelling pride sila that word sila what does it mean you know apart from it being a psalm it's a song that they sang a song you know together with a song of ascents sila pause think about what you have just said or just read that's what it means it's a musical interlude you know the the choir sings the music all the instruments and then suddenly after a crescendo silence that's what selah means think about it pause and think about is god your refuge and strength is god my refuge and strength have i tried him in times of trouble and found it's true he'll not let me down even if the earth blows up it says in verse 4 there is a river whose streams make glad the city of god the holy dwelling places of the most high god is in the midst of her that's a wonderful thing god is in the midst of her she will not be moved and if i'm living in that city and if i'm drinking from that river god is in my midst god's in my home god's in my office god's in every trial and circumstance whatever it may happen sickness some problem i don't have to feel i can remain strong because god is in my midst i will not be moved god will help her when morning dawns every morning it'll be new mercies not calamities not new calamities new mercies every morning and at night i can praise him for his faithfulness is his faithfulness that is our god my brothers and sisters that's your god i hope he is and that's my god the nations verse 6 made an uproar the kingdom started he raised his voice the earth melted the lord of hosts is with us the god of jacob is our stronghold god of jacob now israel the holy spirit identifies this god as the god of jacob jacob who failed a supplanter deceiver crook so cunning he knew how to take care of himself till god met with him till one night he was alone and god met with him and broke him and the next morning when there was a dawn when the sun rose jacob was a different man the sun rose and jacob limped on his tie because he had wrestled with god and god he prevailed over him god broke him and that's what god does my brothers and sisters with every one of us if we are disciples of jesus he will wait for us to be alone to get us alone so that he can break us in our strong areas so that i have no one else to cling to jacob had nobody else to cling to nothing else tickling not even his staff it was only the angel the angel of god and that's jesus christ whom he wrestled with and prevailed he saw god's face and so when the sun rose the next morning is a different man and a different man from that day he became a prince with god he was israel no longer jacob the deceiver the chief the supplanter the businessman but a prince with god and god wants to make every one of us sitting here who are disciples of jesus in israel a prince with god not cunning shrewd businessmen knowing how to take care of ourselves but letting god have power over us and it says verse 8 come behold the works of the lord was wrought desolations in the earth he makes wars to cease to the end of the earth he breaks the bow and cuts the spear into he burns the chariots with fire this is what god does it's god who stops wars it's god who's in control of everything in all that we see around us even the present instability in our state government god is on the throne we were reminded this morning god is on the tone god is still on the throne and we pray we have a responsibility to pray that god will give us a good government we are not interested in which party but a good stable government because god is on the throne god this god is our refuge and strength and so this is the word i want us to take note of to underline be still cease striving and know that i am god cease striving be still know that i am god your god my god your father my father be still it's so difficult to learn to be still have you tried it it's one of the most difficult things for us to do in our christian life and that is to be still spiritually speaking we are creatures of constant activity always busy busy busy which one of us here is not busy and that is why we become so restless that is why we lack faith in times of trouble that is why this the god whom we believe in whom we profess we believe in the god whom we profess is our father we don't find him our refuge and strength in times of trouble why because we're so busy we have not learned to be still and we enjoy big mizzy in making ourselves busy or giving an impression that we are busy but actually we are restless that's the whole problem with us and that is why my brothers and sisters we never enter into rest we have to do things on this road we have a job you have a business you got to go to work you have to send the children to school and many things that we have to do each day but we don't have to get into unrest i can do all those things out of a place of rest and that's why it says in the message bible you know i like it there is a step out of the traffic that word there cease striving verse 10 step out of the traffic you don't i don't have to get you to use your imagination you know how it is in bangalore and if somebody's speaking to you you need to step out of the traffic get to the side of the road go to a quiet place where you can you can be still it says step out of the traffic take a long loving look at me your high god above politics above everything that's the message bible take a long loving look at me your high god how we need to do that my brothers and sisters get out of our busyness learn to be still to be quiet even if it's a few moments you try it i try to do it so many times but i will not give up trying to come to a place where i'm at total rest you know in the center of the storm they say there is a stillness in the center of that wheel that goes round and round the center of that wheel that goes round there's perfect stillness i'm not a good science student but some of you would understand that that's the place you and i have to find get off this you know going round and round and get to the center where god is where god becomes my refuge and strength that nothing is going to disturb me because i'm in the center the storm may be around me but i can be in the center like the disciples in the boat the storm reached then they felt that jesus didn't care you were sleeping would they perish they shout lord we are perishing and jesus got up and just rebuked the wind and the waves and there was perfect calm and they reached the other side in another incident when they were straining at the oars when he told them get in the boat and go to the other side and he went up to the mountain to pray and then he came and he saw them from a distance they were straining at the oars it says because the winds were contrary to them there was a storm the devil kicked up there he thought he'll drown all those disciples and they thought they would drown and jesus came to them walking on the sea and they were afraid and he says take courage it's high don't be afraid i hope we hear that when the storms are raging all around and we think we're going to sink we're going to drown i hope we hear that take courage take courage it's i i'm in control don't be afraid and he got into the board and he rebuked the wind and the waves and there was perfect calm in it and then the next verse it says they reached the other side my dear brother and sister if we are following jesus we will not drown we'll reach the other side no matter how severe the storm may be we'll reach the other side but i can be at peace in the midst of that storm and that's what i should should seek to come to to step out of the traffic to come to a place where i'm still i see striving take a long loving look into my father's face you're not going to let me drown you won't leave let my let go of my hand you'll take me to the other side that's why jesus invited like we were reminded earlier brother john are you tired worn out that's matthew 11 28 tired worn out on religion burned out on religion come to me come to me get away with me and you'll recover your life oh how we need to take that to heart not like the way it's put beautifully but to experience it come to me you get burned out burned out just listening to messages and messages coming to meetings and reading the bible and praying but we will not come to him jesus said that to some religious people he says you search the scriptures you have your head in your bibles it's it's these that testify of me and you're not willing to come to me that you may have life you listen to messages you come to meetings after meetings and meetings and it's these that testify what you're hearing about is about me and you're not willing to come to me that you may have life that you can find rest and that's what it says in the message bible in matthew 11 28 i'll show you how to take a real rest walk with me and work with me watch how i do it learn the unforced rhythms of grace the unforced rhythms of grace it doesn't force anything upon us i won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly that is what jesus wants to give us my brothers and sisters whatever it is you're going through whatever it is you the future holds for you jesus come to me come to me get away and you'll recover your life you'll recover from your restlessness i'll show you how to take a real rest i'll give you rest and it says in hebrews chapter four turn there for a moment in hebrews chapter four this is something that we must all seek to come to hebrews chapter 4 it says there remains verse 9 hebrews 4 9 the remains therefore for the people of god a sabbath rest hebrews chapter 4 verses 9 to 11. it says if before that in verse seven he again fixes a certain day listen to this he again fixes a certain date today saying through david after so long a time just has been said before today today not tomorrow not yesterday today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts for if joshua had given them rest he would not have spoken of another day after that so there remains a sabbath rest for the people of god this is the sabbath rest that god wants you and i to enter in and to enter in quickly and to be diligent like it says there in verse 10 the one who has entered his rest what is this sabbath rest here it is verse 10 the one who has entered his rest has himself also rested from his works as god did from his that is the sabbath rest i stop striving i stop trying i enter into god's rest i cease from my own works that's what it means it's very clear there and that is the sabbath that we have to live not just one day a week and not just you know four days in a month or 52 days in the year but 24.7 every day 365 days god's will for you and for me is that we enter into this rest that remains therefore a sabbath rest for the people of god my brothers and sisters are we seeking to enter there if you have not entered already it doesn't take long to enter how long does it take to enter into the sabbath for adam and god created him the very next day it was a holiday it was a sabbath got rested and adam rested that's what god wants for you and me god rest from his work and he wants you and me to rest from all our striving and struggling and trying to please him and trying to live a godly life and just abandoned ourselves to him and to his holy spirit let us see what it says there therefore verse 11 let us be diligent to enter that dress so that no one will fall through following the same example of disobedience no one should fall short of that let us be diligent and i pray to god that all of us would take it seriously my brothers and sisters to get to that place where i would cease striving to get to that place where i will be still whatever happens even the earth blows up god is my refuge and strength that i cease from my own works it's a lovely i don't know if you noticed it in ezekiel in ezekiel's vision when ezekiel was 30 years old he had this vision by the river cheba you know when they were being deported to babylon and ezekiel saw the heavens opened we don't have time to read it read everything there but this vision that ezekiel had as a young man among the exiles there they were being taken as captives to babylon ezekiel 1 24-25 he says i also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of abundant waters ezekiel 1 i'm reading verse 24. as they went like the voice of the almighty a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp whenever they stood still they dropped their wings and there came a voice from heaven there came a voice from above the expanse that was over their heads whenever they stood still they dropped their wings and i was reading this it blessed my heart what is this letting down of the wings how do in the right hours how do we get to know the voice of the lord how can i let god speak to me you know these creatures they stood still they didn't just stand still they dropped their wings and the picture he likens you know have you seen a bird i've seen it it's these sparrows sometimes so even a raven or crow or a bird you see them they're standing still where their wings are still fluttering you've seen that they're standing on the on the ground but the wings are still fluttering and that's how it can be with you and me we think we're standing still we're standing still we're kneeling and we are trying to pray oh re meditate on god's word but there's still this flutter there's flutter in our heart we're thinking of something somebody said we're thinking of something that happened yesterday we're thinking of something the doctor said this flutter why it should not be like that we never hear god's voice it says when they stood still they dropped their wings no fluttering my dear brothers and sisters let's learn to drop our wings whatever it might be that causes that flutter that i can drop my wings and be silent and be still and let god speak in the midst of all the tumult around me you know you try that even for one minute try that the more that one minute i'm not going to let any other thought come into my mind i just want to focus on god and his love and how much he cares for me you can't do it for a few seconds and you're thinking of something you have to do with oh you know all those thoughts will come there oh i forgot to do this and that once you're off your knees or of standing still and you're going about doing what you have to do we are such restless creatures there remains a rest a sabbath rest for the people of god let us be diligent my brothers and sisters to enter that rest in these days we need to enter that rest quickly as we approach the end times and you know he says how much energy is wasted how much time is lost by not letting down the wings of our spirit and getting very quiet before him how much energy we waste everything we have we prayed i prayed i had my quiet time i read the bible and now i can face my day but something happens i'm in unrest what happened what happened to the quiet time what happened to what i thought i began my day well i need to enter into the sabbath rest of the people of god i need to learn to stand still to stop striving a word in job chapter 4 we see the same thing there job chapter 4 verse 16. this is elephants who's speaking to joan to job but we can see what he says he says there was silence verse 16 and i heard a still voice if you have a margin there then a spirit part in the verse 60 is a spirit passed by my face the hair of my flesh bristled up it stood still but i could not discern its appearance a form was before my eyes there was silence then i heard a voice and amy simpson commenced somebody had given him a book called true peace this is an old medieval message that had but one thought that god was waiting in the depths of my being to talk to me if i would only get still enough to hear his voice god is waiting in the depths of your being in my being for me to get still enough to be quiet to be silent so that he can he can talk to me that i can hear his voice why is it we cannot be still we have the answers in what we read in psalm 46 we may convince ourselves god is our refuge and strength but he really isn't we have not stepped out of the traffic we have not ceased striving we have not learned to be still and that's why we are restless in a crisis who do i go to i can try to convince myself god is there he's my refuge and strength but it doesn't seem to work i know the textbook i know everything i know the message i recall this and recall that and it doesn't work what's wrong people today instead of going to god go to google hey google that's the answer hey google what's the weather like today hey google and you can answer any question then you get on get the answer you can ask questions about god also give you the answer you know that what a world we live in if we can only stop and get still my brothers and sisters and say oh father that's what god has had had to teach me a father jesus was in that situation john 12. so my soul is deeply grieved even to the point of death what shall i pray jesus what shall i pray what do i pray in this situation my soul is so heavy i'm so distressed because of something i heard or something that i was told what am i going to pray father save me from the song father glorify your name glorify your name that's how jesus prayed the father was his refuge and strength long back he had stopped striving from a little boy when he began to distinguish between right and wrong when he's eating curds and honey you read it then i say it i think it is he was at rest at 12 years old he is at rest all the religious leaders were in unrest that's how he grew in a world full of turmoil in a city out of which no good thing came nazareth that's how he grew as a tender shoot to show us the way my brothers and sisters into the father's heart so that i can not just go there for occasional visits that i could live there so i can live there i could learn to be at rest and the wonderful thing in closing i want you to remind you you know what we read there the secret of god being our refugee in strength verse 4 of psalm 46 there is a river there is a river whose streams may glide the city of god the holy dwelling places of the most high god is in the midst of her she will not be moved god will help her when every morning dawns each new morning will be new mercies because i drink from that river when we stop drinking from that river my brothers and sisters we get into unrest god is not our refuge and strength so i want to encourage us like jesus cried on that day the last day of the feast he stood up there and cried in john 7 38 39. he says if any man is thirsty if any man he cried out it says with a loud voice if any man is thirsty any woman is thirsty let him come to me and drink. he who believes in me he who believes in me that is important out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water so if i come and drink from this river which is jesus the the spirit of grace that he wants to pour upon me out of my being will throw rivers of living water also so that others can quench that thirst that is god's will he who believes in me as a scripture says out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water and one last word in hebrews 4 2 so important that i see that i believe not imagine that i believe there are many like i said unbelieving believers today in believing christendom sadly i'm not talking about nominal christianity i'm talking about believers believing christendom in the church there are unbelieving believers why but hebrews 4 2 it says therefore let us fear while our promise remains of entering his rest any one of you seem to have come short of it for indeed we have had good news preached to us just as they also but the word listen to this my brothers and sisters i speak to my own heart and i'm not preaching to you the word they heard did not profit them because here's the reason all the messages i listen to all the cfc maybe thousands of messages and all that i read in god's word and all the meetings i come to it does not profit me why because it was not united by faith in those or with those who heard in this gathering here there are a few who like joshua and caleb have faith i must unite myself with them if i am to enter into rest i unite myself with the unbelieving believers in cfc you will be perpetually in unrest and you will be outside but if i unite myself with those who have faith who want to press on into this life into this life of rest i will be saved for we who have believed it says verse 3 enter that rest we who have believed enter that rest my brothers and sisters if all that i've heard in this church has not benefited me profited me it's only one reason don't blame the elders don't blame the church don't blame the meetings the length of the meetings i don't have faith not mixed with faith in my heart i hope it will drive us to him who is the author and finisher of this faith lord i've missed something here please help me to come to that place to step out of the traffic and take a long loving deep look into my father's face my god was my refuge and strength amen you

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Length: 40min 26sec (2426 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 16 2021