God is Our Refuge

[0:00] Amen. Please be seated. And thanks to our tech people there for that little short notice.! Sorry Mandy.! We'll get to Isaiah 25 shortly.

[0:40] Life's full of tough things. Often tough things. We face tough things. The battle rages all around and we wonder sometimes where can we go to?

[0:51] Where can we get help? Which way will we take? And it's like the signpost here. There's crossroads where the signposts and where we need direction.

[1:03] It's right here in his word. Where do we turn? He tells us where to turn. There's a signpost that shows you the way to go. And it says in the Bible there's a sure refuge.

[1:16] A sure and certain refuge. And the Bible tells of this refuge. It's a recurring word. A refuge. What does the Bible tell us of this refuge?

[1:30] Firstly consider why do we need a refuge? You might say, I'm pretty right. I don't need a refuge. Well, the purpose of the refuge is a refuge from the storm.

[1:45] And whether you're going through a storm now or not, you surely will. It's almost, well it is guaranteed, isn't it?

[1:56] Because Job says life is full of trouble. It's full of it. And you might be plain sailing right now, but as sure as X, trouble's ahead. Trouble's ahead.

[2:08] And we don't mean to make light of that, because sometimes trouble is very troubling. But it will come. It'll come. It'll come looking for you if you don't have it right now.

[2:19] But we can meet it with Bible confidence and God's help. We can meet it. Yes, we will meet it from time to time. But when we meet it, we can have God's comfort to help us get through it.

[2:35] So when we have those times of distress, of hurts and disappointments, when there's hard times, the messes of life, when we feel like we're overwhelmed, we need a refuge.

[2:49] We do need one. And the good news is that there is a comfort for troubled hearts. And the Word of God gives us these words. In Isaiah 25, verse 4, it says that we do have a wonderful refuge.

[3:03] A wonderful refuge. It says this. As words of comfort for troubled hearts, it says, For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is a storm, as a storm against the wall.

[3:26] This is the promise of God, people, tonight. These are the promises of God. And it's yea and it's amen. There is strength to the poor. There is strength to the needy.

[3:38] To the needy in his distress. And there is a refuge. That's God's Word. Amen. That's what it says. There is a refuge. A refuge from the storm.

[3:49] And there is a shadow from the heat. In this hot season, I think, as I've referred to of late, of animals without shade, of plants without shade.

[4:04] They frizzle and fry, don't they? And we can too. But friends, there is a shadow from the heat. There is a refuge from the storm.

[4:16] And no matter what, your storm. Storms come in different shapes and sizes. Yes, even in, it says, in your storm.

[4:27] Right then and there. While the howling wind is raging and blasting all around you. While the blustering winds that are against you are howling all around.

[4:41] But that is where he is. And God's promise is there is a refuge. A refuge from the storm.

[4:51] A refuge. It means a place of safety. I think back to war times. They built refuges, didn't they? They built bomb shelters. And, you know, I might have a secret hiding shelter in my backyard.

[5:04] If I've got a dozer big enough, I could dig a shelter. But I wouldn't tell anyone because I want to keep a secret. And we want to have a shelter, don't we? When trouble comes, if war was to break out, we'd want to have a shelter we could run to.

[5:19] Wouldn't we? Friends, we need a shelter. But I'm not talking, honestly, about such things as... I don't have a shelter in my backyard. But there is that sense where we want to have a refuge from the storm.

[5:33] And, friends, I'm telling you there is one. There is one. He is a shelter in time of storm. Notice how to access this refuge. There's some conditions you must meet.

[5:45] You have to belong to him. It tells us in this next verse here. This refuge is not just for anyone. It is only for his children.

[5:57] The children of God. You have to be his child. Notice. The people promised refuge are God's children. Proverbs 14, verse 26.

[6:09] It says, In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence. And his children shall have a place of refuge. So there's a condition here. It says you must be a child of God.

[6:21] And it says, child of God, for you there is a refuge. Promises. The promises of God is for you. There is a place of refuge. And it says it's here.

[6:32] It's in the fear of the Lord. It says his children shall have a place of refuge. That's a comfort for you, child of God. If you're a son, a daughter of the living God, you have a place of refuge.

[6:45] It's his promise. You can be assured of that. His children shall have a place of refuge. Are you a child of God? If not, you can be.

[6:59] Trust him. He will save. Are you a child of God? Then this word is for you. His children shall have a place of refuge. He shall be a place of refuge for your soul.

[7:12] And you can take part in that. Notice what this refuge is. He is a person. And not just any person. We read of this in Deuteronomy 33 verse 27.

[7:25] Who this refuge is. He is a person. The refuge of which we speak. He is the eternal God. That's who he is.

[7:36] And of him it says, Deuteronomy 33 verse 27. The eternal God is thy refuge. And underneath are the everlasting arms.

[7:47] And he shall thrust the enemy out from before thee. And shall say, destroy them. Take heart, child of God, tonight.

[7:57] It says, this God. This God. Who we can know. Personally know. He is eternal. The eternal God.

[8:08] And what's more, he is a personal God. Don't you love the King James as it says, What can he be? Thy refuge. Not your as in, you know.

[8:22] Well he is that too. But this makes it very personal, doesn't it? He is thy refuge. That's a blessing from God. That you can take this verse and say, He's talking about me here.

[8:36] You can say that, can't you? Child of God. You can say that. He is thy refuge. That means for you. Personally you. And he says, his arms uphold you.

[8:47] They're underneath you. His arms. When you think of a newborn baby. And I know there's one quite imminent baby tomorrow. There's a newborn baby.

[8:58] We think of that newborn baby. And underneath, maybe the father's arms or the mother's arms, that baby will be held safe and close.

[9:10] And that's the picture of God, isn't it? Underneath are his everlasting arms. And that's a comfort. And people of God here tonight, I say that God's arms are strong arms.

[9:25] Are they not? There's none stronger than God's arms. To hold you. To support you. To be underneath you. Upholding you. These arms of God. What's more?

[9:36] It says that these arms of God that are underneath you, they are everlasting. You can take heart in that. His promise is that he will deliver you from the enemy.

[9:50] We have an enemy. We have a defender who's far stronger than any enemy. And we have a mighty fortress.

[10:02] So then you may wonder, how can you then apply this? Are these words just some words in a book? Words for people from Bible days, from some big on era, or for some dispensation or time zone that doesn't apply to us?

[10:23] Or is it a promise that you can claim now, today, tonight? What matters is the one who uttered these words. Who is he?

[10:34] He is the eternal God. Indeed he is. He is eternal. And so is his word. His word is eternal. So yes, it's true tonight.

[10:48] And it will be true tomorrow and beyond. He is thy refuge. Underneath are thee everlasting arms.

[10:59] That's who he is. That's what he does. And so when? When can we find this refuge? When can we find such a refuge? You may say, preacher, I'm going through some heavy stuff.

[11:11] There's heartache and trouble in my soul. And I often do hear that. There's heartache. There's loss. There's a funeral tomorrow I'm going to.

[11:24] One of our number, her mother has passed away. There's hurt. There's loss. There's grief. There's sadness. And you might say, preacher, I've failed.

[11:35] I'm reaping what I've sowed. God is far, far away from me. My life is filled with trouble. God isn't with me. No. God says different.

[11:48] Here's what the eternal God says to you today. And he still is eternal. He says, Psalm 9 verse 9, he says this, The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed.

[11:59] A refuge when? In times of trouble. It's in the times of trouble he's even more so a refuge. It's even in times of when you're feeling oppressed.

[12:11] That the Lord is with you. If you will but trust him. You can realize that truth. That he is with you. And if you are in times of trouble, there is a refuge.

[12:24] It is the Lord. That's who it is. And you can trust him. It's in the times of trouble that he's right there. Right here and now. With you. For you.

[12:35] David said this, What time I am afraid. I will. Trust in thee. It's almost like when trouble happens, God is closer.

[12:51] It's actually a good thing. Sometimes. I'm not meaning to downplay tough things. But actually, he's the one we need to hang on to, isn't he?

[13:04] And not just at the tough times of life, but at all times. Really, it's at all times. But David says, What time I am afraid.

[13:15] I will trust in thee. You might say, It's hard for me to trust him right now. It's a difficult time for me. I'm afraid. Do what David did.

[13:26] What he says, I'm going to do. I will trust in thee. God will show up right on time. In the times of trouble. That's when God shows up.

[13:38] He's for you. He's with you. And it's all the more reason to trust him. And you might say, Preacher, I don't need this message tonight. Everything's plain sailing.

[13:50] But maybe you'll need it tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe I'll need it. But sometimes you get those things when you say something and then God tests you on it. Wow. Okay, Lord. I'll trust you.

[14:02] I'll be like David. What time I am afraid. I will trust in thee. And at that time, when all seems lost, God shows up. He's for you. He shows up at those times.

[14:14] And it's all the more reason you can trust him. He is always with you. Always. Always. And it's in time of trouble, he doesn't leave you.

[14:24] He shows up. He's even more present, it seems. Because we want to reach out, don't we? And we can reach out. And he'll receive us.

[14:36] When trouble shows up, he is with you. Look back through history, through the Bible story. He shows up. When Moses faced the Red Sea, some have said, of this time, when Moses faced the Red Sea, that he, God, can make a freeway in the midst of your Red Sea.

[14:56] You know, that's what he did for Moses. When God met with Moses, when Moses met with trouble, God met with Moses, and God made a way. He shows up.

[15:06] He shows up when Daniel is in the lion's den. The Lord made those hungry lions to go on a fast. They wanted to eat him up, but God closed their mouths.

[15:18] God showed up. God shows up in the burning, fiery furnace with the three Hebrew children and he takes the heat for us. He's the one that you can look to today and say, as the psalmist says in Psalm 121, I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills.

[15:38] From whence cometh my help? Where does my help come from? My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. That's it.

[15:49] So how do we get this refuge then? You might say, well, I'm hearing all this, but how do I get this refuge? How do I get this? I want it. Claim his promises. The promises of God.

[16:01] It says in Psalm 62, verse 8, Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us.

[16:14] Selah, which means to kind of mull it over. Think on that one. Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him.

[16:25] God is a refuge for us. How can we find this refuge? Pour out your heart before him. The Bible says if you you shall find me when you shall search for me with all your heart.

[16:42] God wants our heart to just be opened and reaching out. He wants us to be pouring out our heart, to pour out our heart, to cry out to God.

[16:54] He wants your heart for you to go to him and he is a refuge for us. You might say, it's not a good time for me right now. Maybe some other time I'll get around to calling on him.

[17:09] Maybe some other time I'll reach out to God. Some other time I'll trust him. I'll put it off until a more convenient time. That's what someone said, isn't it?

[17:21] You almost persuade me, but I want a bit more time. Just a bit more time. The time to trust him is now. It's now. Tonight. At all times.

[17:35] Trust him. And he wants you to trust. It's hard when, as we endeavour to witness to someone and you just can't seem to get them over the point of trusting.

[17:50] They're just still holding back. It's got to take just a leap of faith, doesn't it?

[18:02] Yeah, I will trust him. I'll run into his arms. I'll jump into his arms. He wants you to trust.

[18:14] You may say, preacher, I'm weak. I'm weak. I don't know enough. I don't have training enough. Maybe God won't accept me. My faith isn't strong enough.

[18:25] I fail and fail again. I stumble and fall. God will not want so weak a person as me. I'm too far gone. I'm in trouble.

[18:35] I'm in trouble way over my head. I'm a goner. No, that's not true. It's not true. He wants you.

[18:47] He wants you. Yes, in all your weakness and lack so you can tap into his awesome power. It's then that he can give you his overcoming strength.

[18:58] He wants you to come to the end of yourself, to come to a place where you pour out your heart before him. We've got to come to that place where we pour out our heart before him.

[19:12] Let me emphasize it again. Where can we find refuge? There's many things that some would commend to us to trust in.

[19:24] You watch the adverts on all kinds of media. There's always something to draw your love and attention, something that's going to make your life more meaningful or help you and some gadget, some guru to turn to.

[19:43] there's many that would be offered to you as a kind of a refuge, as something to put your weight on and trust in.

[19:59] Where is the true refuge found? Where can this refuge be found? It's right then and there in your time of trouble. It's then that he will be your very present help.

[20:13] This is a lovely scripture, the whole psalm really, but Psalm 46 verse 1, and it's familiar words I'm sure to many. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

[20:28] It's God. He's our shelter. He's the one who's loved us before we were born. It says God is. And he is our strength.

[20:40] And we can have hope. Again, when we've been witnessing and come across people who believe, yeah, God is. It's almost like they, but I haven't trusted him myself.

[20:55] I'm still getting to grips with that. But we don't have to know the whole theology of God and all the machinations of doctrine that we'll spend a lifetime researching and still not come to a settled opinion on every matter.

[21:15] But, friends, it's simply this. God is. God is. He is our strength. He is our refuge. He is our hope.

[21:26] He is the one we can trust. Even though we're right in the midst of trouble and hurt, life is full of complications and mysteries and tangled messes.

[21:41] And even though it seems like all hope is lost, God is our refuge. We can trust in that. God is. God is a help, a very present help.

[21:52] He is ever present. You might feel sometimes like God is far, far away. There's turmoil, there's trouble, but actually it's when he's with you. He is with you.

[22:03] He is not far away. He's actually close to you. And he is the very closest. Sometimes it's in those toughest of times. As the, you could reflect perhaps an atheist in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean that, who else do you turn to?

[22:23] He's the one that is always there. And we can have an assurance of divine help. And it says he's a very present help. Very present. This is the one of whom we speak tonight.

[22:36] He's the Lord of glory. He's the King of kings. He is the Almighty. And he knows what he is doing. He sees the end from the beginning. He sees the present turmoil, but he sees that he's working out his solution.

[22:53] And he has done everything to save you. That's what matters. Your salvation. And he extends his wide open hand of mercy with every good and perfect gift. And yet, do we stop and thank him?

[23:08] Anything good we have is from him. Every good and perfect gift. I urge you tonight to trust in God's pouring out of his providence for you and his care.

[23:21] Of the wonder of Calvary's cross. He's made every provision and the ultimate provision for your eternal life. And the Bible says God never fails.

[23:34] He will never fail. Our Lord's promised that. He says, behold, he says, Lord, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

[23:46] Amen. He won't ever stop being there for you. Even if you have doubts, even if you struggle with your faith, even if you slip and slide here and there, he won't ever stop loving you.

[24:06] And he says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Will you believe? Believe that he is. We need a refuge.

[24:18] Who will you go to as your refuge? There are other refuges that are offered. people run to them, but they fail. The Bible speaks about refuges that fail.

[24:30] The refuge of faulty men who can offer a refuge that is not true. Some will take refuge in their possessions, in things, in money, in religion, in philosophies.

[24:45] Some will turn to positive thinking, in earthly gurus, refuge. But such things will fail. They're a faulty refuge. They won't stand the test.

[24:56] It says a son they trust in lies and falsehood. It says in Isaiah 28, 15, a son they've made lies for their refuge. Have you ever been lied to?

[25:09] I won't talk about used car salesman. There's times people lie, don't they? They make something look better than it is.

[25:21] And they're con artists. When the testing times come, some will be seen for what they are, refuges that will not stand. They're lies. You can't hide under lies.

[25:33] You can't hide under the faulty refuges of men, of philosophies of religion, of wisdom of men. The Bible speaks, Isaiah 28, in the context it speaks of judgment.

[25:47] It speaks of a plumb line. It talks about the crooked and the false and it talks about the true. That's the plumber, sorry, the builder uses a plumb line to get the up and down, straight up and down.

[26:01] And friends, there is a refuge of lies and it will fail you, says that Isaiah 28 verse 17. So don't go to men. When you're looking for a refuge, make sure it's the right one.

[26:13] That's the point. Human refuge will fail you. Don't turn to some religion or some experience or some philosophy or teachings of people.

[26:25] Go straight to the one who is the refuge. David found that human refuge would fail him. He talked about in Psalm 124, 142 rather, he talked about, I'll look on my right hand but there was no man that would know me.

[26:38] Refuge failed me. No man cared for my soul. But then it says David turned unto the Lord. He says I cried unto thee O Lord. I said thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.

[26:51] What did David do? He cried unto the Lord. David found out many times. He was one, a living example of God's grace, wasn't he?

[27:04] And it says that David cried out. You might say, I need a refuge. I know things are testing in my life but what matters most is that heaven is your home and that's the refuge that we have in Christ to know that we shelter from God's wrath because he's paid that penalty for us.

[27:38] Friends, it says here David cried out. He says, people failed me, no one would know me, nobody cared about my soul. I cried unto thee, O Lord, thou art my refuge.

[27:56] Faith cries out, he is mine, my refuge, thou art my refuge. Faith made the refuge, mine for David.

[28:10] He says, my refuge, my portion, my God. He wants to be your personal God. This God of whom we speak is not some impersonal, out of reach God.

[28:29] He's a very personal, intervening God. and he intervenes in your personal life, in your personal circumstance. And you can say, he is mine, my God.

[28:41] It matters who we turn to. So as we wrap this up here, my plea is this, take refuge.

[28:53] Take refuge. refuge. When the warning sirens go off down on the beachfront in Japan, they know the tsunami's coming.

[29:08] And the warning sign is to flee to the refuge. Take refuge. One time David was hiding from Saul and he cried out for God's refuge.

[29:24] In Psalm 57. And he cried, Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in thee.

[29:35] Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge until these calamities be overpassed. He was a hunted man, like an animal, hunted, at risk of death.

[29:51] God's anointed king. He had to take refuge at this time.

[30:02] Friends, David found his soul's trust in God's salvation. And it's the same for you and me. Each one, each one of us has to decide, who am I going to trust?

[30:16] Who am I going to take refuge in? It's not enough to know about the refuge. You can know these verses and you can know the Bible and yet not know him.

[30:27] You can know about God but not know God. You must decide to take refuge, to flee to the refuge, to cry unto the Lord.

[30:38] And it's not enough just to know about God, you must flee unto him. Draw near to God, it says, take refuge in God. Now the wonderful truth is that of this one we speak of, it was said of him as a kind of throw away line to kind of criticize him.

[30:59] Of Jesus, this man receiveth sinners. Oh, it's terrible. He actually receives sinners, he associates with them, he mixes with them, he actually goes to their house and eats with them.

[31:17] he sits down with the prostitutes and the tax collectors and the lepers and he mixes with the riffraff. Thank God, it's true still, this man receives sinners.

[31:32] Isn't that good news? It's still true and you don't have to be good enough, you have to be a sinner to get saved. That's counts me.

[31:44] You have to see your need of salvation to see you need a saviour, you need a refuge, you need to flee to him. There is a place you can find safety and it's under the shadow of his wings.

[31:59] You can abide there under the shadow of his wings. You can rest there in a sense of abide. It's got a sense we don't just pay God a visit, we don't just visit God, pay him occasional visits when we think we need God, but we actually abide, we stay, we dwell there, we reside there, we rest there.

[32:25] And it says of him, he will envelop you, he will overshadow you with his spreading wings, he will cover you with his feathers. You may ask, is this refuge going to be reliable? Yes, my brother, my sister, this refuge is a strong refuge.

[32:40] That's what it's called in Psalm 71 verse 7. This refuge will not fail you, this refuge is a strong refuge. This is no flimsy shelter that will blow away with the strong blast and with the icy wind and the hail and the storms.

[32:57] This refuge is a strong refuge. Thou art my strong refuge. That can be your declaration of faith tonight, that God is a strong refuge, a sure refuge.

[33:09] He's a sure saviour. He's not a saviour. He's a kind of flimsy saviour, a fickle saviour, a failing saviour. He saves and then he loses and he saves again.

[33:20] No, this saviour, if he saves you, he saves you surely, assuredly, eternally. You might ask, preacher, I'm in trouble. Things aren't working out.

[33:30] I tell you, there's a refuge for you. There's a refuge for you. And it's in that very day of your trouble. It's all and more reason to pray, isn't it? It's all and more reason to hang on to God.

[33:42] It's all and more reason to cry out unto Him, to take refuge today. And as many scriptures as we've referred tonight, just as some, but as many references, you look through your concordance, the word refuge, it's just heaps and heaps of references to that.

[33:58] I urge you today, take refuge. And when you take refuge, you'll sing His praises. You'll think, what God has saved me from? He saved me from myself. He saved me in the day of my trouble.

[34:11] He has been my defense, my refuge. I will sing of thy power, the psalmist says here. I will sing of thy mercy, for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of trouble.

[34:25] when we look back. It's actually the day of trouble is a day that, it's a day of testimony, isn't it? It's a day of God's enabling.

[34:36] As we look back, those days of trouble were the days that were the making of us. And God intervening, take refuge tonight.

[34:48] Come into the shelter. You know, the alarm's going off, the warning. Time is short. The tsunami is coming. Got to flee to higher ground, flee to the refuge.

[34:59] There's shelter here that you can find. It says in the day of trouble. Now, I don't wish a day of trouble on you, but if you are ever in a day of trouble, then there's one you can go to, isn't there?

[35:16] He is there. When all hope seems gone, when your heart is overwhelmed, when you're burdened and hurting, there is a refuge. He is the refuge. He is for you.

[35:27] He is over you. Rest in that. Flee to him. Rest in that dwelling place. Abide there. Don't just pay him a visit. Abide in his presence under the shadow of the Almighty.

[35:42] What are you going to say when trouble strikes? You can say the confession of faith as the psalmist cried in Psalm 91 verse 2. You can make the same confession today.

[35:53] Notice the personal words he uses. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him will I trust.

[36:08] Faith cries out with this declaration and it's personal. He is your refuge, your fortress. He will protect you, each one, you. And you can say in him will I trust.

[36:21] Confess who he is. Another like verse is this one in Psalm, sorry, 2 Samuel 22, verse 3. This might have been David speaking this too.

[36:32] The God of my rock, in him will I trust. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge, my saviour.

[36:42] Look at these personal words here. It's personal faith. God is not some impersonal concept. It's between you and him. It's between you and the almighty God.

[36:54] And you can say these words. Let's say them together, shall we? The God of my rock, in him will I trust. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge, my saviour.

[37:11] You can by faith personally declare these words. Make this a personal confession of faith. He is your saviour. This is your salvation. You can trust him.

[37:22] His very name, Yeshua, Jesus, saviour. It tells of him, in God is my salvation, my salvation and my glory, the rock of my strength and my refuge is in God.

[37:38] So, take heart. Child of God here tonight, there's wonderful promises and they're for you and they're for you to claim for you to confess. It's good for you to declare the scriptures.

[37:50] It's good for you to declare these, to confess these words and to claim them for your own. Will you come to him? Will you take refuge? Will you flee to the refuge?

[38:00] When you face the fire, when you face the storm, he is with you just as he was with Daniel, with the three Hebrew children, as he was as Moses faced the Red Sea.

[38:11] He is with you. He is with you. Whatever the storm is for you, whatever the day or time of trouble is for you, he is with you. And even in time of affliction, as Jeremiah says, hear, O Lord, my strength, this is Jeremiah 16 verse 19, O Lord, my strength and my fortress and my refuge in the day of affliction, affliction, even in the day of affliction.

[38:46] Who knows what faces us, friends? Affliction could face us, even in a day of affliction. Friends, we've got no guarantee of good health, but whatever faces us, even in the day of affliction, it says, O Lord, my strength, my fortress, my refuge.

[39:09] Friends, whatever your state and standing, whatever faces you, whatever future holds, he is your refuge, he is your fortress. In the day of affliction, flee to him and take your shelter there.

[39:22] And lastly, just one more verse, it's Hebrews 6 verse 18. It tells you here that you can have strong consolation, consolation, and consolation speaks of comfort.

[39:37] There's a comfort here. And these words were written for our comfort and for our learning. And it tells us that we can have this strong consolation.

[39:48] We can have this sure and confident, comforting hope. hope. We who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.

[40:02] Friends, when this word hope is used, it's got that sense of a certain hope, not as the present day English would have, a hope is something we hope for and have no guarantee of.

[40:14] This hope that we have is a guaranteed hope. It's a sure and confident hope. That's the sense of it here. That it's a hope that it's God's promise for us. We can lay hold on these promises.

[40:27] There's comfort here, strong comfort in these words. friends, tonight we've just, as I quickly recap, we've seen the purpose of a refuge. There's a storm.

[40:39] There's a storm. Friends, maybe it's the calm before the storm right now. We know the way the world's going, what's next? Well, you wonder what's going to happen next week. Honestly, you do.

[40:51] There's a refuge from the storm. That's the point I'm making here tonight. There's a refuge from the storm. And the people who are promised refuge, who are they? God's children. It's God's children who are promised refuge.

[41:03] You must be saved. You must become a child of God. You must trust Him as your Saviour. And for you that trust Him, He promises to be your refuge. There is one who is our refuge.

[41:15] Who is He? He is the eternal God. That's who He is. It's the same yesterday, today and forever. And He is still going to be the eternal God as He is the eternal God today.

[41:26] And His eternal word, His eternal promises say He is your refuge. You can trust Him. When can we find the refuge? It's in the time of trouble. The time of trouble isn't for you to pack your bags and storm off with your tail between your legs and say, oh, God's not helping me.

[41:44] It's too hard living the Christian life and I'm just going to go backslide and give up on have a pity party all on my own sin. No, it's the time of refuge. The time of trouble is the time.

[41:56] God is your refuge. It's actually the time to dig deep in faith, to say, yes, in this time of trouble, I'm going to hang on to God and I'm going to get stronger in my faith because I'm going to be coming forth as gold.

[42:08] How can we find this refuge? Trust Him. Pour out your heart before Him. Come to that place where you come to the end of yourself. Pour out your heart before Him. Do you ever get to that place where it's you and God and you just want to pour out your heart before Him?

[42:24] That's what we need, isn't it? Where can we find our refuge? Friends, be discerning the false refuges. Some would point you to philosophies and excitement and activities and belief systems and all kinds of gurus and false ideas that are not going to stand up to the test.

[42:55] But this one, He is the eternal God and He is the refuge that will not fail. It's not the refuge of lies, He's the one who is the truth. This refuge is sure and He is a strong refuge, not a false one.

[43:08] And so, again, to put it to you tonight, what are you going to do? Are you going to take refuge? Are you going to take refuge? This is what you must do.

[43:21] You must flee to Him. Come to that place where you by faith say, yes, I will trust this refuge. I will trust this one. Friends, what we're talking about is the one who is the eternal God who, in His plan, made provision for your salvation.

[43:42] Before the foundation of the earth, the Lamb of God was slain in the plan of God, it was already set in motion that God would do everything that He had to do to save your soul.

[43:59] And you simply have to trust His provision. Simply trust He died on the cross for your sin and believe and make Him your refuge.

[44:11] Come and flee to the refuge, a refuge from the storm. It tells you there that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Let us pray.

[44:22] Lord God, we bless you. You are the eternal God. These are eternal truths. These are eternal promises. And this salvation is an eternal salvation.

[44:32] salvation. And it's a personal salvation. That each one here tonight can by faith say, you are my refuge. You are my fortress.

[44:43] You are my high tower. You are my saviour. Lord, we pray each one might come to that confession of faith and trust. And Lord, in the times of trouble, may it not be a time to despair and be afraid, but to trust, to trust you more.

[45:02] We pray that each one here tonight, wherever they stand, might come to draw near to God, draw near to you. And as your word tells us, as we draw near to God, you will draw near to us.

[45:18] Lord, we pray, steal us for the time of storm. Help us to have a resolve that the storm won't shake us because we're under your refuge.

[45:28] help us, Lord, not to be overwhelmed, but to go to the rock that is higher than we, to go to the rock and to find that shelter, that shadow, that safekeeping, to know underneath are the everlasting arms.

[45:50] And you'll hold us, cherish us, restore us, minister to us, dear God. May we pour out our hearts before you, whatever the circumstances of life, that our hearts will be poured out before you.

[46:11] And we know, Lord, you will receive our prayer, our cry, our refuge and strength. In Jesus' name. Amen.