Looking Unto Jesus Pt. 4 - God is our Refuge - Joe Sweet

I'm gonna continue this morning in a series I began a few weeks ago it's called looking unto Jesus this is part 4 and it's from the scripture Isaiah 45 verse 22 God says look unto me and be saved all you ends of the earth for I am God and there is no other let's pray for a moment one more time Lord we pray that as we open your word please pray with me in your home Lord would you give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Lord would you open the eyes of our hearts open our ears Lord we pray that you'll make your word so alive and so real to us that the eyes of our heart will see and perceive what we've not seen before we ask it in the name of Jesus amen soon isaiah 45:22 god says look to me and be saved that's all he says to do look look to me all you ends of the earth I'm God there is no other now this principle of looking to the Lord is throughout the scripture in 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18 the Bible says all of us with unveiled faces are beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord and being changed into the same image so the Bible teaches that when we look at the Lord when we see him with the eyes of our heart transformation takes place we are changed into the same image by beholding him in numbers chapter 21 the Bible says that the Israelites in the desert begin to complain against Moses and against God God sent a judgment he sent fiery serpents to bite the people they started getting sick and dying and at that point they turned to Moses and said we've sinned Moses pray for us when Moses prayed God instructed him to take a pole and take a bronze serpent lift it up and he told all the people whoever looks at the serpent on the pole will be saved it would be healed Moses did that all they had to do is look now there's a reason why that's in the Bible they didn't have to like candles pray prayers fast they just had to look and when they looked they were healed they were forgiven of their sins they were healed of its consequences they didn't die now in John chapter 3 Jesus applied that serpent on the pole to himself he made us understand that that was a type in a shadow a picture of him Jesus told Nicodemus in the same way Moses lifted up the serpent on the pole the Son of Man must be lifted up whoever believes in him would not perish so there Jesus used the word believe so looking and believing are the same thing to look to the Lord means to look to him for our help look to him as the answer look to him as our strength look to him as a solution when we look to him for our salvation that's believing that's trusting that's why we're talking about looking unto Jesus Peter in his epistle said that we should set all of our hope first Peter chapter 1 verse 13 he said we should set all our hope on the grace that to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ in other words as the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of our heart and makes us really see who Jesus is grace manifest in 2nd Peter were told that grace and peace are multiplied to us through the knowledge experience or knowledge of the Lord so that's our prayer God open the eyes of our heart to see who the Lord really is when that happens everything changes peace floods our heart salvation takes place that's why in John chapter 17 jesus prayed in verse 26 he said father I've declared your name to the disciples and I will declare it here's why he said so that the love that you love me with will be in them and I will be in them so the name of God is his character his nature Jesus is saying that when God makes knowing who he is to our hearts the result is our heart becomes filled with love for God and the Spirit of God Christ lives in us here's another verse Psalm 34 verse 5 this is our introduction we're gonna take off today and go on from here it says they looked to him to the Lord and they were radiant and their faces were not ashamed radiant means to shine to glow when we look and the Holy Spirit illuminates our heart and our heart gets a fresh glimpse of the beauty of the Lord who he is we begin to glow with the presence of God so our greatest need is to know him how can we know him it takes God to know God jesus said the Holy Spirit will come and when he comes he won't glorify himself he said he will glorify me jesus said the Holy Spirit will take the things that are of mine and reveal them to you thank God for Holy Spirit he's in our life he will never leave us the Holy Spirit is with us and he's here for a number reasons to guide to comfort to teach but more than anything he's here to reveal who Jesus is to us that's why Paul prayed in Ephesians chapter 1 17 18 19 he prayed that God would give the church the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus and the eyes of our heart would be flooded with revelatory light that's the great need of every believer and so we can ask the Lord that's why prayed in the beginning God opened our eyes I want you to ask the Lord in your heart I want to know Jesus ask the Lord now Lord Holy Spirit opened my eyes let me know who the Lord really is knowing the less the first week we started in this series four weeks ago we saw Jesus as our righteousness our sanctification and our redemption if you missed that you can go back on YouTube or to our website and hear that message then the next week we saw Jesus as the Living Word of God God and His Word are inseparable when we receive God's Word we're receiving him when we love and treasure his word in our heart we're loving him that's what Jesus said he said in John chapter 14 verse 23 whoever keeps my word is the one that loves me my father and I will love him and come and make our abode our dwelling place then it's the same with human beings I'm gonna confess to one of my sins sometimes I'm in a hurry and I'm not a good listener to my wife just happened the other day I was in a hurry going somewhere she told me something my pause for a moment I said okay and kept on going I didn't really value what she was saying you know she told me later no and I wish I could say that was the only time she's told me that but we're learning aren't we Russ and here's what she said and when she said I thought about the Lord she said when you don't listen to me I don't feel loved and I apologized to her but the Lord's the same way when we listened to his words we're loving him when we don't listen we don't love that's what John 14:23 says he said he that keeps my word is the one that loves me the next verse he said whoever doesn't love me does not keep my word so the way we love God is we pay attention to his word we read it we put it in our heart we value what he says if God's talking and we're not paying attention we're telling him I don't love you Lord and if we spend time in the word treasuring his word honoring his word putting it in our heart the Lord sees that as love for him that's how we love God that's what he said now so Jesus is the Living Word I don't want to reap reach that message but then we saw last week Jesus is the Lamb of God you know I I could take two or three or four weeks on that one topic it's so awesome but today we're gonna look at Jesus again by the way Jesus is the lamb on the throne the closer we get to having the lamb nature the closer we get to the throne the lamb is the light of the city of the bride the lamb is the light the lamb nature to be a living sacrifice that's the light that lights up the City of God the Bible says the lamb is the glory the glory of God is his love that's the glory of God it's a lamb nature we saw that today we're gonna look at another aspect of the Lord and this can go on and on the Lord is infinitely multi-dimensional but we want to pray Lord we want to see every facet like a facets of a diamond we want to see the beauty of the Lord because beholding him were changed they looked unto Him and their faces were radiant the more eyes of our heart can see Jesus the more will start glowing with his presence amen all right so today we're gonna look to the Lord we're gonna begin to psalm 46 and we're gonna look to the Lord as our are you ready he's our refuge he is our refuge what does the word refuge mean it means a shelter that protects us safe and secure from storms and trouble the Lord is our refuge he's our refuge we sang the song whom have I in heaven but you he's the only rock to go to so he's our refuge we're gonna meditate on that today we're gonna look at it stay with us because as we see the Lord as our refuge it's going to change us his light will fill us his peace will dominate our hearts let's read psalm 46 together god is our refuge he doesn't give us refuge he is our refuge and strength I did a study on this word refuge and you'll find over and over throughout the Bible the word refuge and strength go together God's our refuge in our strength our refuge in our strength meaning this that when we find him as our refuge we become strong when he's not our refuge were weak the Lord is our refuge so let's let's read it and then we're gonna expound on it let's try to unpack this right he I'm sorry psalm 46 verse 1 God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble now that means God is not far away wherever you are he's there very present therefore we will not fear we will not fear it doesn't say we won't fear because there's no trouble to worry us it doesn't say we won't fear because there's no plague we won't fear because my job is doing great we won't fear because the economy's doing well that's not what it says it says we will not fear even if the earth is removed even if the mountains are carried into the midst of the sea even if the waters roar and are troubled though the mountains shake with its swelling say law we will not fear so if everything is going well around us what's the need for a refuge but he's our refuge in the midst of trouble in the midst of storm he's very very present God makes a distinction between those who serve Him and those who don't God makes a distinction between those who trust him and those who don't God makes a distinction between those who love him and those who don't and because we love him and because we trust him does not mean no storms will come Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount he said after he gave the whole sermon on the mount which Mike Bickle calls the Constitution of the church I like that after he gave his Sermon on the Mount these are the standards of the kingdom by which were to live to go the Second Mile to turn the cheat other cheek to love our enemies to bless to do good to pray for this is the constitution of the kingdom and Jesus said whoever hears my words after he he finished the Sermon on the Mount he said whoever hears my words and does them is like a man a wise man who builds his house on a rock then he said when the storms come in the rains and the floods he mentioned all three of those the range test the top of the house the winds he said to test the side of the house and the floods test the foundation the rains the winds of flood when they come he said that house will stand but he said whoever hears my words and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and when the wind and the rain and the floods came his house collapsed and great was the ruin of that house so what the Lord said was if you hear my word and you act on my word you build your life on my word I'm not saying no storms will come he didn't say if you do it no storms will come he said the storms will come and go and you'll still be standing he God said I will be with you in trouble he's our refuge a refuge is a safe place a protection from war from storms from difficulties he's a very present help then he's can elaborate in verse 4 what that present help looks like he's going to talk about the crystal-clear River you can read about it in the book of Revelation and Jesus talked about it in the Gospel of John he said out of your belly will flow rivers of living water whoever believes in Me and when we gather together in the home as believers they're together to worship God and to love God wherever believers gather together and worship God in spirit and in truth that River flows it flows it's flowing right here right now and it says there is a river whose streams will make glad the City of God you are the City of God the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High the Bible says we are that temple so when we he said when trouble is all around but the Saints are in the unity of the spirit loving God becoming his dwelling place that River flows and that river makes the City of God glad we're glad what does it say about the church gathered together where the rivers Floyd he says God is in the midst of her she shall not be moved God will help her just at the break of dawn what does that mean just at the break of dawn it's a picture for us it looks like the darkness is going to overtake it looks like it but it never does see David wrote in Psalm 23 we're all from here with it he said even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I'll fear no evil he didn't say walk through the valley of death death can't touch us when we're in Christ he said it's the shadow of death and that means it's close but it ain't touching me that's what the shadow means it may come close but I'm in the rest the Lord is my refuge I'm in him so God said when the mountains are moved when the Seas roar there's a river that makes the City of God of God glad not just surviving thriving amen then it says God will help her the nation's raged he's talking about the trouble the surrounding the nation's are raging the kingdoms were moved right now kingdoms all over the world are being shaken God under his voice in the earth melted the Lord of Hosts is with us the God of Jacob is our refuge that's what we're looking at today God is our refuge we're going to show Lord willing later how we can make him our refuge now he says come and behold the works of the Lord who's made desolations in the earth I looked up some of the commentators on this what they're most believed that he's talking about the desolations is the nation's that are raging the war that's being stirred up the turbulence that's being stirred up against the church God makes desolations out of them that's what it's saying it really makes sense in context because the next verse says he makes Wars to cease to the end of the earth what's he talking about he's talking about when troubles around us God is in the midst helping us he's making the war that comes against us he makes it desolate says he makes the Wars to cease he breaks the bow he cuts a spear in two he burns the chariot in the fire and God says to you to us be still and know I'm God there is no other I will be exalted among the nation's I will be exalted in the earth he's telling us the Lord of Hosts is with us the Lord of Hosts that's talking about battle he sent God who has innumerable warrior angels is with us he said God is with us the God of Jacob is our refuge so God is our refuge so we have to get in our understanding know this we're in the world and not of it jesus prayed in John chapter 17 father I do not pray that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one so God's plan is to have us surrounded there may be trouble around us but God can make a distinction he is our refuge in the midst of all of it amen in fact in John chapter 17 verse 11 jesus praying also he said Holy Father keep through you name remember the name of the Lord is the character in the nature of God who what's one of God's names our refuge keep through your name those whom you've given me that they may be one as we are one so while trouble shakes around God's saying come close to me I'm your refuge let's become one God wants us to become one with him keep through your name keep through your character the word keep is Tarell it's a greek word it means to tend to carefully to take care of in to guard so jesus praised the father to guard us he's our refuge and keep us amen how through his name the name of the Lord is he's our refuge that's one of his names the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous run to it and are safe looked up that word and agree in the Hebrew the word strong means mighty tower is lifted up above all the turmoil so no matter what's going on around us as we get our focus on Christ he lifts us up above the turmoil he becomes our strong tower our place of refuge Psalm 144 verse 2 my loving-kindness and my fortress that's what David called the Lord he called the Lord Lord you're my loving-kindness loving-kindness is also translated tender mercies God is our tender mercy and my fortress my high tower Psalm 144 verse 2 and my deliverer he's my shield and the one in whom I take refuge come on somebody gods my fortress gods your fortress God is your high tower God is your deliverer God is your shield God is the one in whom you take refuge god knows those who trust him Nahum 1:7 he's a stronghold in the day of trouble here's what Jesus saw what do we do how do we make the Lord our wrath we're gonna get into it a little more we look at Psalm 1 and Psalm 91 but we get his word into our heart we put his word into our heart Luke 4 verse 4 jesus answered him saying it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God another in Deuteronomy 8 he said every word that comes from the mouth of God one of the purposes God has in allowing you and me to go through trying times is to those times can expose the areas of our heart that are not filled with the word of God any part of my life that the Word of God is not dominating or ruling in my heart that part of my life will act act out in fear doubt unbelief so god when we recognize an anxiety in our heart we have to come to the Lord pour out our heart to him and then fill our heart with his word until that anxiety is gone were to take his word and feed on it I mean this is a commandment Jesus said man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God's mouth here's what Jeremiah said in verse chapter 15 verse 16 your words Lord were found and I ate them and your word was to me the joy and the rejoicing of my heart for I'm called by your name Oh Lord God of hosts that's what Mary did when she heard the word of God you know the Christmas story the shepherds were out in the field and at night a host of angels appeared to them he said glory to God right peace on earth toward men of goodwill under this date said there's good news a savior is born the shepherds heard the word they ran into town they found Mary they found the Christ child and they repeated to Mary the word of the Lord that come directly from angels here's what Luke chapter 2 verse 19 says about Mary it says and Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart that's what it means to keep the word what Mary did when the angel appeared to Mary and told her you're gonna give birth to the Son of God she said how shall this be she wasn't in unbelief she was only questioning how now when angel appeared to Zechariah the father John the Baptist he stumbled for a moment in unbelief because he didn't say how is how are you gonna do this he said how do I know this is true see that's doubt Mary didn't doubt she believed the word she just said how are you gonna do it see because I don't know a man and God said this he said the Holy Spirit will overshadow you he'll come and rest upon you and that which was born in you shall be of God so she hears what she said now that was the word of the Lord she said be it done to me according to thy word when she did the literal word of God went into her womb the seed of the word of God went in and became flesh we do the same thing when we take his word meditate on and put it in our heart Christ is formed in us it's the same process so we're gonna not shake and we're not we're gonna have the Lord as our refuge we must invest the time of putting his word put psalm 46 into your heart put Psalm 91 into your heart put Psalm 27 into your heart God said this is supposed to be our food or to eat his word that's how he becomes our refuge here's what Psalm 1 says blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly nor stands in the path of sinners nor sits in the seat of scornful may I comment here for a moment it's far more dangerous than many people may realize if we choose the wrong associate the wrong people to hang out with some young believers it just grieves my heart to have seen over the last years people who are raised in church they were raised a certain way the right way and yet they'll go against what the Word of God teaches and begin to hang out with ungodly people the Bible says a bad company corrupts good character it says blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly when you hang out with ungodly people the only kind of counsel they have is ungodly counsel you hang out with people that smoke and drink and are immoral and they're smart alec and they're disrespectful it says blessed are you that do not walk in their counsel don't stand in their path don't sit in the seat of the scornful because that the demonic spirit that's on them and that's what the Bible says clearly it says the children of disobedience are ruled by the powers of the air I don't care how nice they are what a great personality they have if they're outside of Christ the Bible says they're ruled by the powers of the air so you start hanging around with ungodly people that demonic spirit that's ruling them starts getting on you I've seen it happen on believers then believers start becoming critical they be criticized the church now listen you don't have to have a degree to find fault with the church every Church including this one every preacher including this one has faults remember when I was a young in my early 20s the church I went to at a good pastor Don Johnson an anointed preacher it was a Baptist Church but I went there because the preaching was anointed and but they didn't have prayer meetings and I used to always go pastor why don't we have prayer meetings I used to get tired of it when I pull up in the parking lot they say here comes John the Baptist yeah the associate pastor used to mock me that way anyway one day I walked in I wanted to talk to him again I used to go and say and they saw me coming toward the church office and I said why don't we have prayer meetings anyway here's the counsel he gave me he said by the way they eventually did change and start having prayer meetings he said listen this is not a perfect Church and he said I'm gonna give you some counsel if you ever find a perfect Church don't join it because you'll ruin it he said there are no perfect churches any church that has people in it has flaws poor God were the best he has to work with aren't you glad he's patient aren't you glad he has more grace with us than we do with each other God's far more patient with us than we are but here's what it said blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly don't sit in the path of sinners don't sit in the seat of scornful but watch his delight is in the law of the Lord now when that was written the law of the Lord that meant the scriptures the Word of God so let's just say it and in his word he meditates day and night blessed is that man blessed is that woman now here's what meditating on the word does when we meditate on the word the word goes into our heart but when we hold it in our heart like Mary did and ponder it roots sink down when we hear it now please keep hearing the word on Sunday and Thursday this Thursday but when we don't hear at one time and walk away we're in danger of no roots going down meditation causes the roots to go down and fruit to come forward remember Jesus talked about the seed thrown on the soil and there was four different kinds one on the rocky soil the birds of the air the demons took it one fell among the thorns the cares of the world choked it out one fell on shallow soil and Jesus said it had no root no red so when the trials came it fell away from God now this verse tells us how we get the word to take root in our heart it says if we meditate on the word we will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in its season whose leaf shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper what that means is a tree planted by the river though roots go down in the ground and they'll tap into the water that's underground and that tree will bring forth fruit so he said meditating on the word regularly developing cultivating meditate on psalm 46 meditate on Psalm 91 meditate on Psalm 27 read him at home reading with your kids memorize them drive down the road sing them under the Lord and it'll take root in your heart and the roots will go deep in will become part of who you are because Jesus became the Word made flesh and his plan is that we become the Word made flesh so meditating on the word but the ungodly are not so they are like the chaff which the wind drives away when the storms come the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment sinners will not stand in the congregation of the righteous for the Lord knows the way of the righteous but the way they are ungodly Shall Perish Psalm 62 78 in God is my salvation and my glory the rock of my strength my refuge is in God trust in him at all times you people pour out your heart before him God is a refuge for us now one of the ways to get rid of our anxiety is stop and take the time to pour your heart out Philippians chapter 4 says we're not to be anxious for anything but in everything with prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God with Thanksgiving and the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus so when we have anxieties sometimes we need to excuse ourselves we need to go in our room and shut the door we need to lay on the floor before God and be just stark naked honest with him tell him Lord I'm struggling I have anxiety I'm upset I have fear I know it's not right I don't want this and pour your heart out and then after you there's something that happens when you pour your heart out that's what it says or out your heart before him Psalm 62 verse 8 pour it out get it out of your system lay it at the feet of the Lord and then then read the scripture read the song pray it do like Mary say Lord let your word be unto me as you've spoken then it says in Ephesians I'm sorry Philippians 4 then by faith thank the Lord thank him say Lord I thank you i know you hear my prayer it'll happen you'll walk out of the room a different person the peace of God will be in your heart and then when you get around people you won't be cranky you'll have peace if you don't get rid of your anxieties you'll become cranky I know from experience Psalm 91 shall we read it come on God is our refuge God is our refuge Psalm 91 verse 1 let's read it he or she who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty now by the time we get through this there's four steps in this Psalm that are very clear that shows us every one of us can do it step one two three and four and we it's simple it's not hard if we do it we can have all the benefits of Psalm 91 are you ready he that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty here's one of the first steps I will say of the Lord he is my refuge in my fortress my god in him will I trust that's the first thing we have to do is is open our mouth and say what God says that's what the word confession means when we're told in the New Testament hold fast your confession of faith confessions made up of two Greek words homo logia it means to say the same thing that God says so here's what he said I will say with my mouth I will say of the Lord God you're my refuge you're my fortress I trust in you now don't just think it say it out loud say it with your family say it in the car say it when you drive say God I will not fear you are my refuge that glorifies God when we tell him God I don't care what's going on I trust you you're my refuge that glorifies God and when we say it we possess it he said surely the Lord he shall deliver you from the snare of the Fowler and from the perilous pestilence he will cover you with his feathers under his wings you shall take refuge so God is saying with your mouth God is my refuge no pestilence is coming near my house his truth will be your shield and buckler you should not be afraid of the terror by night nor the arrow that flies by day nor the pestilence it walks in darkness nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday now if we're not gonna be around when this stuff's going on there's no need for this Psalm right see Jesus said father I don't pray that you take him out of the world but keep them from the evil one now watch this a thousand may fall at your side ten thousand at your right hand but it shall not come near you only with your eyes you shall look and see the reward of the wicked because you've made the Lord who is my refuge even the most high your dwelling place no evil shall be so how do we make them our dwelling place the first first step is with our let our lips God we just say it Jesus you're my hat you're my refuge you're my refuge in you I trust no plague will come near me death and life are in the power of the tongue no evil will befall you nor will any plague come near your dwelling we have to say it we have to say it no plague will come near my dwelling they've heard me say this a lot of time but I'll say it again because we might have people watching online who haven't heard it before Hebrews 13 verse 5 and 6 the writer of Hebrews quotes the Psalms here's what he said for God has said and he quotes the Psalms I will never leave you or forsake you that's the word of God and then the next verse verse 6 he the writer of Hebrews says so that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper I will not fear what can man do to me now put those two together the reason God gave promises in the Bible is so that we can boldly say them because when we believe and say it manifests that's what Jesus talked it's what Jesus taught he said whatsoever things you desire when you pray believe that you receive him and whoever will say to the mountain be thou removed be thou cast into the sea and not doubt what he says he shall have whatever he says so the writer of Psalm 91 tells us the first thing we do is we say with our mouth the Lord is my refuge I will not fear plague will not come near my dwelling and when you when you speak at faithful rise in your heart now watch this hears you said no evil shall befall you nor Cellini plague come near dwelling verse 11 he will give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways isn't that an awesome promise I've been praying that I've been praying this over my family every day for 27 years says I know how long it was because when my son was 5 years old and he got bit by a dog that was the straw that broke the camel's back for me I said I'm not gonna allow any more harm to come to my family if I can help it you know so every day I prayed for angelic protection every day over my family he the Angels will keep you in all your ways in their hands they'll bury you up lest you dash your foot against a stone you shall tread upon the lion and the Cobra the young lion the serpent you shall trample underfoot now here's the last four verses what's very important because he has set or she has set her love upon me therefore I will deliver him or her okay let's talk about that how do we set our love upon the Lord it's what we said earlier John 14:23 Jesus said the one that keeps my word is the one that loves me when God speaks and we listen to him is showing him that we love him if he speaks and we don't listen is showing that we don't love him it's the same with my wife same with your spouse same with people around you we don't listen they don't feel like we love them but when we listen that's loving God so when it says please hear this because he or she has sent their love on me I will deliver them alright now put it with John 14:23 the person that keeps my word loves me so what we do is we say Lord I value your word I'm gonna take time and meditate and put your word into my heart I'm gonna read Psalm 91 I'm gonna read it to my family I'm gonna read Psalm 27 I'm gonna read psalm 46 God said when we do that we're setting our love upon the law that's what it means or whatever your word is I'm gonna do my best to keep it now when you set your love upon the Lord here's what God says I will deliver you I will set you on high because you know my name is through the word that we know his name he shall call upon me I will answer him when when God sees listen we don't have to be perfect for God to answer our prayers I know this by experience as long as God sees that we're in the process of doing the best we can to love him by putting his word in our heart wherever we're at we could be a new baby you could be immature any or we could be more mature anywhere along the line it doesn't matter that what matters is wherever we're at were wholehearted about wanting to put his word in our heart and love him when God sees that God said I'm gonna deliver you I will he's not gonna set us on high because we're so matured we've gotten all sin out of our life and we're doing everything right no he's gonna do it because our love is set upon him so we can love him in our weakness in our imperfection we're still not mature but we're loving him he said I'll deliver you I'll set you on high you'll call on my name I'll answer you I'll be with you in trouble I'll deliver you watch this I will honor you I will satisfy you I'll show you my salvation come on that's a good word so how do we make the Lord our refuge we we put his word in our heart and we say it we seek to walk in the light of his word we seek to spend time in his word God said that's putting our love on him God says if you do that you'll know my name if you do that when you call I'll answer if you do that I'll be with you isn't that a great word I will be with you that means his manifested presence that means no matter what's going on you know what's in his presence Psalm 16 verse 11 says in his presence is joy the fullness of joy God said I'll be with you when he's with us we feel joy we feel peace I'll deliver you that means trouble won't trouble you all honor you that means people all around you will see the hand of God on your life God will honor you I'll satisfy you with long life I'll show you my salvation so what does that tell us about this time right now the time we have right now is a gift it's a gift from God to put his word in our heart to pray with our loved ones to worship together it's a gift God is able to bless us when troubles happening all around us I told you earlier Melinda and I went through our own I've been through the Great Depression I wasn't born back then but I had my own ten year season and it was the sovereign hand of God that brought me through that through that God taught us over and over to trust him to live by faith to speak his word well I thank God for my wife she would so good at speaking his word I don't care how tight things got she would never talk lack never she would always say and I did too always I did it for my own life and for this church I don't care what wasn't in my bank account what came out of my mouth is God always meets my needs and he always does we learned to live by faith to give by faith to have joy to have peace and to not let circumstances change us I remember hearing a story of Paul Cain as a boy you know the Prophet Paul Cain is now with the Lord his grandmother was a seer prophet as so was his mother he said as a teenage boy I think he said around age 14 13 or 14 he said his grandmother would at times have open visions and when she did she would call Paul and she said Paul come here she said he would she would put her hand on Paul's shoulder but when she did he wouldn't go into open vision come on I'd like to have a grandma like that and she said I remember whatever year it was he was a teenager on the front porch and my grandma was in the chair on the front porch worshiping and praying and she went into open vision and she started seeing World War two she saw the planes he saw rationing she saw all kinds she called Paul come here she put her hand on Paul and Paul saw the envision was in partner she saw the World War two she saw rashing he saw it he saw it all so because he saw it all he saw that they were going to be rationing rubber I remember they rationed sugar the rationed coffee they rationed that's why it during World War Two they made steel pennies they rationed copper you better remember the steel pennies used to seem once in a while when I was a boy he said he came out of that vision and he said I know what I'm gonna do he went to it now when I was a even when I was a teenager you could go to gas stations anywhere and they would give you their old tires for free because most people back when I was a teenager got their tires changed at a gas station then how we did it you go to the gas station and buy a set of tires and all the old ones would just be sitting out in the back hardly nobody bought a used tire except people like us when we were teenagers and didn't have much money we would buy one tire when we needed it we go the gas station buy one use tire to get us through how many did that we used to do that so anyway but back in the day you could get all you could go to a gas station and say can I have your used tire they'd be glad for you to get him off their hands so Paul Caine as a boy saw they were rationing rubber they had a huge barn in their back yard he went to all the gas stations in his town and picked up all the used tires brought him home and stacked him up in his barn and his dad was a nominal believer it was frustrated with him like what's going on with my crazy son he said dad they're gonna be rationing rubber in world what World War two just watch listen he filled his barn up with rubber the war broke out he said they sold used fires all through the war season in support of their family see God's able to prosper us no matter what's going on around us if we love the Lord and set our love upon him he's gonna take care of us and whatever you're going through right now I don't know if you're out of work I don't know if the checkbooks empty right now all I know is this you love God God knows where you are God has a way to meet your needs and he's gonna do it you're not gonna sink God is our refuge amen God didn't want to bring his people when he brought him out of Egypt he did not want to bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey until he first brought him through the desert and they could learn how to live by faith now his intention was to bring them to a land he said I'll bring you a land where milk and honey are flowing they'll be vineyard you didn't plant the grapes were biggest baseball's he said to be house you didn't build out of the hills of dig brass and gold he said I'm gonna give that to you but he doesn't want to give that to us yet he first wants us to learn how to walk when everything looks wrong how to walk by faith when everything around us looks the opposite of the promise of God he wants us to learn that he is our refuge and he wants us to not be shaken when the mountains shake when the Seas roar there's a river that makes glad the City of God that's the Holy Spirit in our midst amen so hope it doesn't mean that I see nothing negative on the horizon hope means God is with me no matter what comes all glory to God Isaiah 43 verse 1 through 3 God says fear not I have redeemed you I've called you by your name I'm talking to somebody right now you are mine when you pass through the waters I will be with you and even though the rivers through the rivers they shall not overflow you when you walk through the fire you will not be burned nor shall the flame scorch you for I in the Lord your God so we're gonna learn God loves us and he's with us in the mountains he's with us in the valleys he's with us God's plan is not for us to be peaceful only now I'm the same way I don't want to see trouble on the horizon I'm like anybody else but God doesn't wants to be peaceful only when we can't see trouble coming he wants to be peaceful no matter what comes let's say well the Lord is my rock so we're gonna set our love upon him put his word in our heart and when we do when we call he said I'll answer we're gonna say with our mouth the Lord is my refuge we're gonna keep his word in our heart and God says to this is our promise to us I will answer your prayers I will be with you I'll deliver you I'll honor you I'll satisfy you and I'll show you my salvation God is our refuge amen so let's not finish let's say it together say the Lord is my refuge I will say of the Lord he's my refuge he's my rock I will not fear he's a very present help he's the glory and the lifter of my head because I've set my love upon him he'll deliver me not because I got it all together not because I'm sinless not because I've never made a mistake but just because I'm setting my heart upon him that pleases him he'll deliver me he'll answer my prayers he'll honor me they'll satisfy me he's my strength in Jesus name Amen [Music] [Music]

Channel: ShekinahWorshipTV

Views: 4,251

Rating: 4.6028371 out of 5

Keywords: Joe Sweet, Shekinah Worship Center

Id: zX4pQSTMZJ8

Length: 52min 29sec (3149 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 29 2020