Sermon – “Dwelling with Him”

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. 14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”

More in my message of vital dwelling with him welling with the Lord and then us and us and him a man with a bow welling with the Lord. Psalm ninety one verses one to sixteen for the Lord the wells in the secret place of the most high. So I’ll abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord He is my refuge and my forgers my God in Him I will trust Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence he shall cover you with his feathers and under his wings you shall take refuge his truth shall be your shield embarked or you shall not be afraid of the terror by night nor the arrow that flies by day nor the place. Pestilence that walks in darkness nor the destruction that lays waste at noonday a thousand may fall at your side in ten thousand at your right hand but it shall not come near you only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked because you have made the Lord who is my refuge even the most high your dwelling place. Why are all these things. Able to happen because you have made the Lord who is my refuge. Even the most high your dwelling place because you dwell with him. No evil shall be for you nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. Remember how when the plagues came against Egypt and the Israelites lived right there but the plagues had no effect on the Israelites. No plagues will come near your dwelling for he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways and in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion in the curb or the young lion and the Serpent you shall trample under foot because he is. Set his love upon me therefore I will deliver him I will set him on high because he is known my name he shall call upon thee and I will answer him I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him with long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. Amen I got out his blessing so the hearing and read of his holy word. What an amazing source of encouragement a source of strength a source of comfort that this passage gives to us whenever we can trust in him. If you notice how many times he or him his or his is used in the first part of this he is my refuge. Him I will trust he shall deliver you. He shall cover you with his feathers his wings his truth. It’s about him the Almighty God for those who dwell with him that those who dwell in his presence can enjoy this security this comfort. This piece you know there are so many key verses in this verse two says I will say of the Lord He is my refuge and my fortress my God in Him I will trust what is a refuge it is but a place of shelter a place of protection. So you know as you watch the news just even recently in the past month for the past year how many people have had to flee their homelands because of ISIS or another terrorist group that have come into their country and they have to flee their homes to go find a place of refuge a place where they can feel secure that they don’t feel like someone’s going to come in with a sword and take their head off. But they seek refuge. All they want. It is to live in a place where they can peacefully live live their lives without fear and trembling. The Lord is our safe place. He is our refuge and our fortress a fortress as a place of exceptional security you will find no greater security than in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our exceptional security. That’s what this entire chapter is about the exceptional security that we can have and we dwell in him when we dwell in his presence. When we choose the Lord choose to live in Him and He in us we should do our best to memorize a scripture maybe we ought to post it on our door post so we’ll see it every day or put it on our mirror so every morning while you’re there doing your hair. Takes me about three seconds while you’re getting your hair done and all this you know you can be reminded that the Lord is my dwelling place that I have that security he is our protector He is our defender if you will. I found a story about a man he needed to crosses a wide river that had frozen over but this man was so fearful that the ice may not be thick enough to support him. But he that he got down on his hands and knees and began to crawl across us forever as if he’d be lighter on his hands and knees right you know I mean two hundred pounds two hundred pounds rather you’re crawling or on your feet. It weighed dispersement I guess but anyway foolish as it was he proceeds on crawling across or inferior all the way that he might crash through that ice at any moment into the frigid water beneath. But just as he was getting close to the opposite side just exhausted and sweating from all of his fear. A man come gliding past him nonchalantly sitting on a sled loaded with pig iron. Now I’m going to give you a story in a story here. Because pig iron iron ore is heavy. It’s like a little marble size balls of steel and I have a co-worker that used to work down at Curtis Bay and that’s where they would load or unload coal and iron ore and he said this iron ore they were when they would go to load it. He said that they were using a huge payload and they told him you cannot get more than about a quarter of a bucket in that thing because if you do it’s going to go to the back and kick up in the air. So he said one night in the winter time and he’s out there and are loading the iron ore and he said it was frozen so it’s a cave in or it’s coming out like this so he takes the bucket to go up there and try to break it loose and when he did it came crashing into the bucket and filled the bucket full enough then went home the backend is way up here and he said he would know how the seat belt on it was smashed into the windshield and he said it took about a half an hour to get that the back end back on the ground. That’s how heavy pig iron is. So this other guy just goes sliding on by not fearful at all but you know some Christians seem to go through life in fear crawling on your hands and knees every step of the way you know they can look on the other side and say you know I’m headed for heaven. But they still go through this life fearful of everything. Trembling at every step. We only need to look at Isaiah two to realize that God is our salvation or Lord is our strength in our song by resting completely upon him and taking his word at face value. We can drive out all that paralyzing fear that hinders our affected miss for him. We need not fear. When we realize that he is our salvation we need to say I will trust and not be afraid. Anything that comes against us trust and I will not be afraid. God doesn’t want us to crawl out of this life on our hands and knees. He wants us to run the run that race is set before cbers twelve says Therefore we also since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus looking unto Jesus you know in the old days when the farmer used a horse and a plow they would look at something way out there in a distance they had to keep their eyes focused on that point up there or else they’re going to have mighty crooked roads we need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus. I don’t as long as we don’t take our eyes off of him we don’t need the fear. Look at Peter when every day when Jesus was walking to him on the water he said Lord if it should tell me to come he says a come it’s so he steps out of the boat and as long as he was looking to Jesus he was walking on the water too. But what happened when he took his eyes off of Jesus. He began to sink. What a lesson for us if we keep focused on him. We need not fear. You know if we had to rely on our own strength I’d say OK he might as well start shaking in your shoes if we have to rely on our own strength because we would have reason to fear if we had to rely on our own strength but we don’t have to say a twelve two through six says The whole God is my salvation I will trust and not be afraid for Yea the Lord is my strength and song. He also has become my salvation. Therefore with joy you will draw if you will draw water from the wells of salvation with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Take about his wells of salvation. It’s plentiful. What do you tell the woman at the well drink of the water that I give you will never thirst again. It is plentiful says and in that day you will say Praise the Lord. Call upon his name declares the among the peoples make mention that his name is exalted sing to the Lord for He has done excellent things. This is known in all the earth cry out and shout of the inhabitants of Zion for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst. Great is our God we need not fear. Now we all know that once a person becomes a believer in Jesus Christ that there will not be one single bad thing that happened that person right. Come on you didn’t know that the Gospel court of Iran is wrong. The rain falls on the just and the unjust does it not. It does. I know that you know there have been millions martyred for the cause of Christ so bad things can and do happen to God’s people. There are times when persecution will happen in order to further the spread of the gospel. Our Bible study in Acts Stephen was martyred and then great persecution was coming upon the church. And what did they do. They scattered they scattered and spread the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Second Timothy three twelve says yes and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. So is what I’m saying here contradiction to our passage today. No it’s not it’s not a contradiction because we can go through this persecution or suffering with the confidence that God is still with us that God will give us the strength that God will help us through it. I do believe that if. We have faith and if we trust in him that he will give us the strength he will give us the protection to carry out what he has called us to do to carry out his good purpose and his plans. There may be unknown perils along the way but if we remain in him if we trust in Him He will be our shield in our buckler he says that we shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The Hebrew word for Shadow is to sail. It means shade or defense shadow means shade or defense. Think about this for a second just pause and think about it. Who could prevail against God’s defense. Could you could you prevail against God. No one no one could remain. Think about it would you go fight against God. No I wouldn’t. Here’s how powerful the Lord’s protection is in Matthew sixteen eighteen through nineteen it says and I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My Church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. That is powerful the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. We need to walk in that confidence walk and that strength daily there is absolutely no one who can stand against God We can look at the back of the book if you like in Revelations twenty verses seven through nine it says now when the thousand years have expired as the Thousand Year millennium is a Satan will be released from his prison for a time and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth. God in Magaw to gather them together to battle whose number is that this is as the sand of the sea. So this is a great mighty army. Or numbers as the sand of the sea says they went up on the breadth of the the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. I tell you it’s really not even a battle. I mean they didn’t even get to load your weapons or Dollar Stores fire came down from heaven and devoured them. God’s defense whose side you want to be on came in God’s first four said his troops shall be your shield and buckler. The Hebrew word for Butler is. So Kyra maybe not pronounce it right but so Koran it means something surrounding a person it’s not just an ordinary shield but it are not just the breastplate it completely surrounds a person God can protect us completely on all sides. From anything that might come against us. There was a believer that was fleeing his enemies during a time of great persecution in North Africa and he was pursued through the hills through the woods and through many places and he just became exhausted and dove into a cave expecting that he would be caught any moment. But while he was awaiting his death he saw a spider begin to weave a web. Within minutes that spider had woven a beautiful web across the mouth of that little cave. The man’s pursuers arrived but on seeing the unbroken web assumed it impossible for him to have entered the cave. Later that believer explained where God is a spider’s web is like a wall where God is not a wall is like a spider’s web. I man a man God is our defender. God is our defender a few things are for the security to believers. More than an awareness that God will use. Is overcoming power to protect us. Amen verse five said that you shall not be afraid of the terror by night. You know there’s a lot of terror out there and any more it’s not just at night it’s even in the daytime. Very dangerous places in this world but we can know that we did not have to go alone to God will be with us when we dwell with the Lord when we remain in him. When we continue in him we need not fear that terror. We need not fear the pestilence which may come against us or the plague that may come against us. Verse ten said no evil shall be for you nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. This is a promise of protection divine protection for his angels to watch over you every day. This protection is for those who have made the Lord their refuge their shelter their hope for those who have made the Lord. Well in place you know there are so many examples of God’s protection found in the Scriptures. Does anybody remember how as to children how about Daniel remember Daniel what did they do with then you’ll never hear that story and about what they do with Daniel threw him in the lion’s den. What happened they were in the lion’s den that Emmeline is devouring who protected me. God did and man God protect and he closed the mouth of the lions that they did him no harm. How about his friends drag me shakin Abednego. We know that God protected them I want to read this just a short bit of that passage. Daniel Chapter Three begin verse eight. So I was there for at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews they said they spoke and said the King that we can as are so KING LIVE FOREVER you a king have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn the flute the harp the layered solitary in symphony with simple symphony I don’t say sympathy with all kinds of music shall fall down and worship the golden age the gold image in here directed ninety feet tall and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon Acme shakin Abednego these men Oking have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the god image which you have set up. Then you can as or in rage and furie gave the command to bring Shadrach Meshach and Abednego So they brought these men before the king and that became as or spoke to them saying Is it true Shah drag me shakin Abednego that you do not serve my gods or worship the goat image which I have set up now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn the flute the heart the air in a solitary and symphony with all kinds of music and you fall down and worship the image which I have made good but if you do not worship you shall be cast immediately into the midst of the burning fiery furnace and who is the God who will deliver you from my hands will shout Drac me shakin Abednego answered and said to the king if you can as are we have no need to answer you in this matter. But you’re going to anyway. If that is the case our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us from your hand Oking he will deliver us Amen. But if not let it be known to you again that we do not serve your guard. Nor your gods nor will we worship the goat image which you have set up some may think that the victory came whenever they were thrown into the fire furnace in the Lord appeared with them in the fire had no power over them all that was burned the ropes all problem but the victory actually came when they said God will deliver us. When they declared in your heart our God will protect us our God is able but even if the fire does burn us up we still will not worship your golden image. That’s when the victory came when they decided in your heart that I will trust in the Lord no matter what happens I will trust in the Lord because they were looking to their eternal salvation rather than looking at the present problem. They had their eyes focused on that reward on heaven and God delivered them. We must be look beyond this natural light and realize that this guarantee of protection is for our souls. We may suffer some things in this body but that guarantee is for our souls. Revelations twenty verse four says and I saw thrones and they sat on them and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the Word of God who had not worshiped the beast or is image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Amen that was the victory they were willing to be beheaded for Christ. I think of Stephen who we just with study and acts and Bible study. He was stoned for his witness for Christ. Yet God allowed him to look up in the heaven and see Jesus at the right hand of God. In our day and age it’s happening today. But they’re willing to say I will trust in the Lord. I will dwell in him. There are the promises for those who dwell in him he will deliver those who dwell in him he will set him on high he will be with us in our time of trouble. He will bless us with a long life. You’re saying well what if we’re beheaded age fifty he’s going to bless us with a long life eternal life Amen. But just a couple more passages I want to read. First revelations three twenty. Jesus says Behold I stand at the door and knock if anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me. He stand at the door knocking. He wants to come in and fellowship dine with us in US with him and then in John Chapter fourteen verse twenty three. So John fourteen twenty three Jesus answered and said to him If anyone loves me he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him. Amen. He will come and make his home with us. If we love him I encourage you today. Just declare every day every morning when you wake up say Lord I will trust you today I will trust and not fear God that you will. Help me through this day that you will give me the strength that you will encourage me no matter what may come against me I will trust in you that you have the strength to say Lord I will not bow down to these false gods these false images but I will trust in you. Amen amen our closing him is.