Proverbs 18:10(NIV) The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Mark 4:35–41 (NIV) 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
“Jesus Is Present, Even When He Seems Silent.”
“You can rest through whatever you walk in authority over.”
Mark 4:39(NIV) 3 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
Mark 4:40 (NIV) “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Jesus has expectations for faith. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
“Because Jesus loves us, Jesus expects of us.”
“The enemy will fight to get us to trust anything other than God.”
1 John 5:4–5 (NLT) 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
Ephesians 6:16 (NIV) Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
“Jesus expected us to handle storms the way he did!”
Mark 4:41(NIV) They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Colossians 1:15-16 (NIV) 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 6 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
Colossians 1:18 (NIV)..So that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Safe in the Storm: 1. Safe because He is Present
2. Safe because He Shows Us Faith
3. Safe because He Reveals His Nature
Matthew 14:28–33 (NIV) 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Isaiah 43:2–3 (NLT) 2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
Daniel 6:1–5 (NIV) 6 It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
“The safest place to be is not outside of opposition, but inside of faithfulness.”
Daniel 6:4 (NIV) They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.
“Faithfulness is doing the right thing for a long time."
Proving Faithfulness 1 Corinthians 4:2 (NIV) Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 1. Trustworthy
2. Neither Corrupt
Proverbs 10:9 (NIV) The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
3. Nor Negligent
Excellence.
“Excellence is your best in progress.” "Doing the right things, right." Colossians 3:23–24 (NIV) 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Daniel 6:5 (NIV) “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
Daniel 6:10-11 (NIV) 10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.
Daniel 6:16 (NIV) Tthey brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
Daniel 6:19–23 (NIV) 19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Daniel answered, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.” 23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
When the lions show up 1 Peter 5:8–10 (NIV) 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
1. Expect them: Be sober-minded and alert 2. Resist James 4:7 (NIV) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. “Faitfulness to God requires resistance to the enemy.”
3. Stand firm in the faith
4. Remember you are not alone.
5. Even if it seems like it's over, it's not over.
Safe in a world gone mad. 1. The Promise Declared Genesis 3:15(NIV) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.
Hope: God's promises are stronger than Satan's schemes.
2. A Problem Revealed Genesis 6:1–6 (NIV) 6 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. 5 The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
A. The sons of God B. The Nephilim Genesis 6:11–13 (NIV) 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. C. The Agenda The agenda was to corrupt humanity and stop the Messiah—the promised seed—from ever being born.
God's Solution: Wrath and Mercy. Genesis 6:7–8 (NIV) 7 So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
"Noah shows us that even when the world goes mad, God still preserves a favorable remnant."
Genesis 6:18 (NIV) I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.
The Ark was big enough to carry the world's future, sturdy enough to endure the storm, and secure enough to preserve God's promise.
Genesis 8:1(NIV) But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.
3. The Promise Renewed This is what the entire narrative is about: A renewed covenant from God. Genesis 9:1 (NIV) Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.
Genesis 9:1–13 (NIV) 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." 12 And God said this is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every God's creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
Rainbow: The Archer's Bow "Instead of pointing down towards humanity, the archer's bow is pointed up toward Christ."
We are safe in a mad world Ephesians 2:4-7 (NIV) 4 Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were" dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
1. God keeps his promises.
2. We have favor in Christ.
3. His Church will prevail Matthew 16:18(NIV) And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Close: John 10:9(NIV)I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
1 Kings 19:1–6 (NIV) 19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” “I’m just a mortal man like those before me. I can’t carry this burden—it’s too great.”
Elijahs Condidition 1. He is afraid 2. He has become self-focused 3. He is alone 4. He is discouraged, depressed, and in despair.
Elijah feels unsafe
God Provides. 1 Kings 19:5-6 (NIV) 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once, an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of breadbaked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
1. With His Presence: 1 Kings 19:7 (NIV) The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him ...
John 6:49–51 (NIV) 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.
2. Through Provisions 1 Kings 19:7-8 (NIV) “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank.
Philippians 4:19 (NIV) My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
“We need-need.”
“Get up and Eat”
New Youk Times Jan. 16, 1908
3. In Purpose 1 Kings 19:8 (NIV) Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God
“A Word is not just to affirm us but to direct us.”
John 4:34 (NIV) “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
1 Kings 19:9–12 (NIV) 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
“Whispers require nearness.” Zechariah 4:6 (NIV) ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
Isaiah 43:2–3 (NLT) 2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...
Daniel 3:8–18 (NIV) 8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
1. Resistance “Faithfulness to God means resisting pressure!”
2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT) The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
1 John 5:21 (NIV) Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:21 (NLT) keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. “An idol is anything that would rob our dependence on or devotion to God”.
1 Peter 2:11-12 (NIV) Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
“The goal of the kingdom has never been to be mainstream but to be upstream.”
2. Resolve Daniel 3:18(NIV) But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Daniel 3:19–27 (NIV) ...He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, O king.” 25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” 26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
3. Resilience
“We are resilient because of who is in the fire with us.”
“Some will never see Jesus in the fires of persecution because they never passed the test of pressure.”
Proverbs 18:10(NIV) The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Jonah 1:1–17 (NIV) 1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. 4 Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish.” 7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” 10 This terrified them, and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.) 11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” 12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried to the Lord, “O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. 17 But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
What follows.... A. Jonah Prays Jonah 2:1 (NIV) From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.
B. Jonah Hears Jonah 3:1 (NIV) Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time...
C. Jonah Obeys Jonah 3:4–5, 10 (NIV) 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth... 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
“Your purpose is not found in your gift, it’s found in your obedience.”
Jonah disobeyed out of anger. Jonah 4:1–3 (NIV) 1 Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
“Jonah’s hatred for his enemies was greater than his love for God.”
The Beauty of Obedience: 1. Disobedience is personal
1 John 5:3 (NIV) This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
2. Obedience is the best choice
“God brought the Storm, but Jonah caused it.”
3. God is patient when we are immature
4. It’s never too late to run back to God
“Often grace is found in the place of our greatest discomfort.”
Matthew 12:39 (NIV) For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Romans 5:19 (NIV) For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Psalms 91:1-2 (NIV) 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Proverbs 18:10(NIV) The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
I. A Tower of Refuge A. Positioned Strategically. B. Protection C. A Place of Rest D. Provisions E. Personnel
II. The Name of the Lord Philippians 2:9–11 (NIV) 9 God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
A. His name bears weight “His name emphasizes His authority.” John 14:13–14 (NIV) 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Acts 19:15–16 (NIV) 15 One day, the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus, I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
Acts 16:18 (NIV) She kept this up for many days. Finally, Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
“When you trust and know Jesus, you carry His Authority.”
B. His name reveals His Identity
III. El Shaddai Psalms 91:1 (NIV) He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. (El Shaddai) A. He is sufficient B. He nourishes C. He is strong
Jesus is Sufficient Colossians 2:9–10 (NIV) For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ...
Jesus Nourishes and Comforts
John 6:35 (NIV) Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:63 (NIV) The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. “We are nourished when we sit at the table of fellowship.”
Jesus is Strong Revelation 1:8 (NIV) “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Psalm 121:1–2 (NIV) 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
IV. Cities of Refuge(Numbers 35)
“Jesus is the City of Refuge, not for the innocent, but for the guilty.”
Luke 19:10 (NIV) The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Psalm 34:8 (NIV) Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
