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A Place of Safety

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A Place of Safety

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A Place of Safety

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In a world of dangers real and imagined, a Christian must rely on the word of God to decide when to obey civil authority and when to obey God. Psalm 91 reminds us of God's loving, complete protection to those who seek Him.

Sermon Notes

Brethren, do you find these times confusing at all, in any way? The situation around the world has the powers of city, state, and national authority taking steps they claim are to protect everyone, but those steps for protection involve requiring people to do things they normally would not have to do, and those same precautions may or may not apply in different settings.

We read and hear about rights being revoked, but we also read and hear about safety. And from these we then find various forms of judgment and virtue signaling.

It can be very confusing. So, we can choose to enter an intellectual and emotional battle of wits and arguments as to whether or not we should do those things, but should we even bother? No matter how we “feel” about it, God does provide us some simple guidelines so that we can know what MUST be done. And when we understand what MUST be done, how we should behave no longer has to remain confusing.

These guidelines from God’s word reveal that we should obey authority that is over us. We could go to scriptures to prove we should obey our spiritual elders, but we can also go to scripture which clearly shows we should obey civil leaders, too.

Rom 13:1  Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
Rom 13:2  Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
Rom 13:3  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.

But these guidelines have their limitations, because we are also clearly taught that, if the civil authority enacts a requirement that would cause us to disobey, we must NOT obey. This happened to Peter and the apostles in front of the Pharisees.
Remember Peter and John in chapter 4

Act 5:27  And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them,
Act 5:28  saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!"
Act 5:29  But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.
Act 5:30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.
Act 5:31  Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
Act 5:32  And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit which God has given to those who obey Him."

Remember Peter and John in chapter 4
So, in a basic way, God has given us a direction that simplifies things for us. Whether or not we want to trouble ourselves with the politics of obedience or compliance. Whether or not we are happy with the circumstances, we know to obey civil authorities with the caveat that we never disobey God.

Jesus was tested by Satan, and Satan used the word of God to try and trick Him…

Luk 4:9  Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.
Luk 4:10  For it is written: 'HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER YOU, TO KEEP YOU,'
Luk 4:11  and, 'IN THEIR HANDS THEY SHALL BEAR YOU UP, LEST YOU DASH YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.' "
Luk 4:12  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'YOU SHALL NOT TEMPT THE LORD YOUR GOD.' "

The reference that Satan used to test Jesus can be found in Psalm 91, so this is where we will focus for the remainder of the message to help guide us through the gauntlet of whom to obey and when.

Psa 91:1  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 91:2  I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
Psa 91:3  Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
Psa 91:4  He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Verses 3-4 explain what that “secret place” is, but we also see it referenced in Psalm 31.

Psa 31:19  Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!
Psa 31:20  You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues.

So the place that is secret is actually God’s presence in our lives. It’s secret because those who do not know God don’t recognize His presence.

Mat 23:37  "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

In the case of Judah, during Jesus’ first coming, we even see that God desired NOT to be a secret to His people, but, alas, His people did not actually desire to know Him.

Continuing in Psalm 91:5-12…

Psa 91:5  You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Psa 91:6  Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. (continued…)
Psa 91:7  A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.
Psa 91:8  Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.
Psa 91:9  Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
Psa 91:10  No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
Psa 91:11  For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.
Psa 91:12  In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

Verses 11-12 were the verses Satan used to make Jesus stumble, but why would Jesus stumble if he proved to Satan His Father would protect Him if he intentionally jumped? To jump off of a cliff would be to willfully put yourself in harm’s way, and then only for the sake of “proving” or “testing” God’s promise, but in the whole of Psalm 91, we see that the context is to protect us from things we have no control over for protecting ourselves.

Psa 91:13  You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
Psa 91:14  "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.
Psa 91:15  He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
Psa 91:16  With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation."

So, these past several months have been confusing and frustrating on many levels, but what we must do in such times is remember to obey those in authority over us while continuing to obey God. In obeying God, even if we have to defy, respectfully, the authorities who might cause us to disobey God. God promises to protect us.

I don’t know if you’ve been following the story about John MacArthur and his congregation in California, but a judge just ruled they have a right to assemble, no matter what the governor  rules otherwise. That church, which has followed every other rule of the state, drew a line where they believed the governor would cause them to transgress against God. They put themselves in harm’s way. They took a risk of being fined and shut down.

Psa 103:13  The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
Psa 103:14  For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.
Psa 103:15  Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
Psa 103:16  The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here.
Psa 103:17  But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children
Psa 103:18  of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!