May the Lord indeed grant that
prosperity. Those words were on the foundation
stone of the first Brixton tabernacle. And those truths have indeed
continued. And we pray that they will continue
to be seen here We have seen that blessing from
the move from the old chapel. Now, as another new chapter is
started, may that be seen again, or continue to be seen, perhaps
I should say. There will, of course, be difficulties
and trials But what do we do when we are faced with such issues? Well, in verse 10 of chapter
18, we have Solomon's answer to that. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower. The righteous runneth into it
and is safe. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower. The righteous runneth into it
and is safe. They have many castles in our
own land, don't we? I suppose the closest would be
Pevensey. That's in ruins. We have big,
strong, central towers. They were called keeps because
they were built there to keep whatever got inside them safe. And that's very much the picture
that we have here, isn't it? You'll notice that it says, the
righteous runneth into it. It's no good just looking at
it. It's no good just standing with our back to the wall, as
it were. That will give us some protection, perhaps. But Solomon says we need to be
inside. We need to be in this strong
tower. We need to be relying on that
tower for strength, for security, for
protection. And those that are running into
it are doing so because they need that protection, aren't
they? They've recognized that. Now, of course, we can think
of that in all sorts of different ways, can't we? And we shall
think of some of those tonight. We need it supremely with regard
to salvation. We need to recognise that we
need to turn to God, that he is the only one that can save. But as we come across different
problems, different issues, we need to turn to him then,
too, don't we? Indeed, we need to be kept there. Solomon goes on, doesn't he?
The rich man's wealth is his strong city. That's what he relies
upon. And with that, everything is
going to be fine. But no, it's not fine, is it? Our strength, our security, our
hope, our help needs to be God himself. That high wall is just his own
idea, says Solomon, just what he thinks. And before destruction,
the heart of man is haughty. He's puffed himself up. He's
puffed his security up. Everything is going to be fine.
He's impregnable. He's unconquerable. No, says Solomon. We find elsewhere, don't we,
that pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a
fall. We need to be close to God. We need to stay close. We need
to stay in this strong tower. May God help us then to consider
something of these things. We have very many references
that we could think about on this. Our main focus is going
to be on some of those words that we find in Isaiah, but especially
in the Psalms as they speak to us of God himself and why this
is such a wonderful place to be. So as we start this year and
throughout this year, may this indeed be our prayer and our
concern, and indeed through the ministry
of the Church here too. Isaiah says, in that day shall
this song be sung in the land of Judah, We have a strong city. Salvation will God appoint for
walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates that the righteous
nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep
him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he
trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever,
for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. The opening words of
Isaiah chapter 26. Now we have the name of the Lord
is a strong tower. And there in Isaiah 26, we have
this very special rendering. Jehovah Jar. Jar is like an abbreviation
of Jehovah. And so we have the name Jehovah
effectively repeated. Jehovah Jehovah. That's very wonderful, isn't
it? Jehovah itself is a very precious
name, a wonderful name. the I am that
I am, the one that never changes. That's how God himself explains
what that title means, doesn't he, to Moses as he's there by
the burning bush. Moses says, the people will ask
what your name is. How can I explain it to them?
What shall I say? And God says, I am that I am. Say that I am hath sent thee. Jehovah, Jehovah. In Hebrews, we read, don't we,
of the covenant that he gave to Abraham, that because he could
swear by none higher, he swear by himself, by saying, by myself. God, who cannot change and who
cannot lie, guarantees that he cannot change by reinforcing
it, as it were, by underlining it. And here Solomon writes the name
of Jehovah is a strong tower. Now, I mentioned Pevensey. We've got ruins there, haven't
we? It was very strong. Not so good now. There are lots
of other castles, aren't there, that have kind of fallen out
of use. Not this one. Not the Lord's strong tower. Not the Lord's name. That's fixed. It's eternal. And this strong city, salvation will God appoint for
walls and bulwarks. His salvation is placed around
his people, around his church, those that are in that strong
tower, those that are in him. And thou wilt keep him in perfect
peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in
thee. That's where we need to go for
our peace, for our protection. And the picture is, isn't it,
that there's perhaps massive fighting going on all around. But inside that tower, there
is safety. There is peace. There is God's
protection. It's very wonderful. But this peace, this protection,
isn't just to be a, A calm thing, is it? As Nehemiah went to Jerusalem,
he was concerned, wasn't he, to build the walls, the literal
walls, to keep the enemy out so that the city could begin
to be rebuilt and be safe. But as they were about that,
Nehemiah said some very wonderful words. He said, the joy of the
Lord is your strength. The joy of the Lord is your strength. As we are in that city, in that
tower, we need to rejoice in our God. Now, if we're rejoicing, if we're
celebrating, then we have that peace within us, don't we? It's
a mark of the fact that our trust is in God. We might think of Paul and Silas. They were in prison, weren't
they? in the very innermost part of the prison. And we might think
that was a very terrible place. And they'd been very badly hurt. They'd got those beatings on
their backs. And it would have been very painful
and very uncomfortable. But we find that at midnight,
they were singing praises to God. And the prisoners heard
them. They weren't quietly giving thanks
that God had protected them in a manner of speaking, as it were,
that they hadn't actually been stoned or whatever outside. They
were giving loud praises to God. They were rejoicing. And that
was their great strength, wasn't it? This testimony to God was
being spread through the prison. God's strength was seen as that
earthquake came down. And his power was seen, wasn't
it, by the jailer. We don't read that the jailer
heard them singing praises, but he certainly heard their testimony
of what they needed to do. The jailer was in a real mess.
He assumed that all his prisoners had run away, and he would have
been responsible. He would probably have been executed,
killed for letting them all escape. Peter says, no, no, we're all
still here. Paul says, sorry, we're all still here. Nobody's
gone. And the jailer realizes that
there is something here. some power here far greater than
anything that he has ever come across before. The joy of the Lord is your strength. We have that, don't we, in many
places. So often, we've sung some verses
from Psalm 96. But there and in those last psalms in the 90s and in the
early 100s, we have so many expressions of praise to God. We have to give thanks. But in the midst of our difficulties,
we need to trust Him. He is reliable. He is the one
that doesn't change. And so we can rely on Him and
know that He will not fail. So in Psalm 115, verse 11, ye
that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord. He is their help and
their shield. He supports and he keeps us safe. Now, in the verses leading up
to this, we've been looking at the idols. Lots of people have
all sorts of things that they look to. We've seen the rich
man's wealth. But there are all sorts of people
that have all sorts of other gods, aren't there? And the psalmist
here, like Isaiah 2, goes through and mocks how silly this is. They've got a face. But none
of the parts of that face work. They've got eyes. They don't
see anything through their eyes. can't speak, can't hear. It's pointless. They're completely
pointless. But our God, the one that we
look to, the one that we run to, he is the one who is strong
and firm and is the shield. He is the one who protects us. And so, having got into that
tower, there is that protection, there is that safekeeping. Or in the next psalm, 116, again,
that wonderful opening. I love the Lord because he hath
heard my voice and my supplications. He's heard my prayers. Because
he hath inclined his ear unto me. Therefore will I call upon
him as long as I live. The sorrows of death compassed
me, and the pains of hell got hold upon me. I found trouble
and sorrow. Things were as bad as they could
be, says the psalmist. Then called I upon the name of
the Lord. O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver
my soul. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous. Yea, our God is merciful. Psalmists, like us, so often,
we're so slow, aren't we? We have all sorts of other ideas
before we go to God, as it were. It can be a bit like Jacob, we
have this problem with Esau and we work out our schemes and we're
going to do this and that and the other and hopefully that
will mean that whatever that problem is will be solved. And then perhaps we remember
to go to God and ask him to bless what we've tried to organize. But that's not the right way,
is it? You need to come to God first. Gracious is the Lord. He's full of grace. He's merciful. The psalmist says, I was brought
low. I was in a mess. and he helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul,
for the Lord hath dwelt bountifully with thee. That peace, that perfect peace
that we need, whose mind is stayed upon thee, that perfect peace
from the Lord Jehovah, that's where the psalmist needs to be.
Go back there. Don't worry about those other
things that are outside. But look to Him. Again, in Psalm 130, the Lord
is high above all nations. and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the Lord our
God, who dwelleth on high. Solomon speaks of this as a strong
tower. Elsewhere, he is called a high
tower. And indeed, the idea of being
safe is that we're up high. We're away from where the trouble
can get to us. What do we do when we're there? Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O
ye servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. Why? Because this God that we
go to, he humbles himself. He lowers himself, as it were,
to help us. He hears our cry, and he remembers
that we need that help. He knoweth our frame. He remembers
that we are dust, we read. Now this God is so great and
mighty that there in verse 6 it says, he humbles himself to behold
the things that are in heaven. Even the things in heaven are,
as it were, beneath God. And yet he's concerned with the
things of earth as well. So much lower down, if I can
put it like that. But that is the greatness and
the mercy and the glory that is our God, isn't it? So the psalmist prays in 71.
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. Let me never be put to
confusion. Deliver me in thy righteousness. Be thou my strong habitation,
whereunto I may continually resort. Thou hast given commandment to
save me, for thou art my rock and my fortress. Now here we've changed, haven't
we? Solomon is speaking of the righteous running into the tower
when they need help. But actually, here we have something
that's more wonderful than that. Because this place of God, this
place of trust and help, isn't to be just where we go when we
need God. In a sense, of course, that's
a completely wrong statement anyway, isn't it? Because in
truth, we always need God. But we are to recognize that
he is to be our strong habitation, our stronghold. He is to be the
place where we live, that I may continually resort,
that I may stay there, that I might live there. God is my rock. And my fortress, God is that place which is unmovable. Nothing can shift. And it doesn't matter what the
issue is. He is the place that we can rely on, and that is to
be where we are to seek to live and stay. He is our strength
and our stay. And He is, verse 5, our hope. Thou art my hope, O Lord God. Thou art my trust from my youth. You are the one Lord that I rely
upon and you are the one in whom my hope and my faith is placed. Now what is that faith? We read, don't we, in Hebrews
11 that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things not seen. It's not something that's vague,
it's something that's very strong, very obvious. A castle stands high, doesn't
it? This tower stands high. You can see it from a long way
off. God. is to be the one that we
trust, that we know exists and so that we can rely upon him
and put all our faith in him. Indeed that hope is to be a continual
hope, verse 14, I will hope continually and will yet praise thee more
and more as we rely more and more upon
God so we should Praise Him more and more, we are given that fuel
as it were, so that we have more and more
evidence to trust Him, to lay these things before Him. And then what do we do? We praise
Him. My mouth shall show forth Thy
righteousness and Thy salvation all the day. For I know not the
numbers thereof. I will go in the strength of
the Lord God. I will make mention of thy righteousness,
even of thine only.' Having witnessed this blessing of God, the psalmist
is concerned to speak of him to others. And we need to do
the same, don't we? That tower is obvious. We can
see it from a long way off. And if we have seen, if we've
realized that security, then we need to point it out to others
that they too may rely on him, that they may flee to him. And that doesn't matter who we
are, does it? Verse 17, O God, thou hast taught
me from my youth, and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous
works. God, I knew this when I was young.
So when we're young, we can speak of these things. And up until
now, we can still do that, says the psalmist. And then, verse
18, now also when I am old and grey-headed. Hasn't changed. O God, forsake me not, until
I have showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power
to every one that is to come. Thy righteousness also, O God,
is very high, who has done great things. O God, who is like unto
thee? We need to proclaim this. We
need to testify what God has done, how he has
helped us. And that's where we end that
psalm, isn't it? My tongue also shall talk of
thy righteousness all the day long, for they are confounded,
for they are brought unto shame that seek my hurt. That the people that are attacking
me, well, they're brought to nothing. or in the previous psalm, let
all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee. And let
such as love thy salvation say continually, let God be magnified. Well, these are very precious
things, then, aren't they? The name of the Lord is a strong
tower. the righteous runneth into it and is safe. Now, if we are in God, if we
are in the Lord, then that means that, by definition, He is with
us, doesn't it? And that's the cry that we find
in that very precious 46th psalm. A strong tower is a refuge, isn't
it? It's somewhere where you go to
be kept safe. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. He's there. He's there. Now, very often you hear that
quoted wrongly, don't you? God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in time of trouble. Well, of course, that's
true. In the time of trouble, he is
there. He is our refuge and strength.
But actually, he's there in the trouble. in the midst of it,
and not just in time of trouble, but always too. And if we know God's presence,
if we are there in that refuge, if we are relying on him, then therefore will not we fear. We
don't need to be afraid. because we can rely upon him. And however bad things are, and one day we know that these
things will take place, don't we? But though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though
the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains
shake with the swelling thereof, we will not be afraid. We will
not fear. We can rest in God. And then we have that little
word, selah. Stop and think about this. Stop and consider the enormity
of that, the terribleness of it. Some of us were talking on Saturday
about climate change and the terrible things that people say
are going to happen. But God says we need not fear, though
the earth be removed. We know that one day the world
will come to an end, and there will then be a new heavens and
a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. What's the Christian answer to
that? Therefore, what did we ought to be now? What manner
of people, what sort of people did we ought to be? If we're
looking to be in that new heavens and that new earth, if we're
looking to be like Christ, because we see him as he is, then that
should be our concern here upon the earth as well. He is our refuge and strength.
are very present, very close. He's right with us. He's holding
our hand, as it were. That's the picture. God is in the midst of her. God's there in the middle. She shall not be moved. Though everything is going, chaotic
around it, God doesn't allow her to be moved. God shall help her, and that
right early. It's not a last minute thing.
God doesn't deal with last minute things, does he? Perhaps I need to rephrase that.
Sometimes it appears to us that it's left to the very last minute.
But it's not a last-minute rescue package from God. He knew. He has planned. But here the
psalmist says, it will happen right early. The heathen raged. The kingdoms
were moved. Everyone is terrified. when the
attack happened. But what are we afraid about? When God speaks, the earth melts. That's the difference in the
power between the things that people can be afraid of. And
yet the one who really has that power, the one who is really
the authority, people ignore. And yet he's the one who is with
us, the Lord of hosts, the Lord of the armies, the God who is
over all things. He's with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. He's the tower that we are kept
in. He does all these things, doesn't
he? He makes desolations, verse 8. He makes the wars to cease.
He ends, he destroys the armaments. And then God says, be still. I shall go to my rest, remember?
That peace, that perfect peace. Be still. And know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth. He's the one who is high and
lifted up, whose train filled the temple. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. It's a place where we can go
for shelter, for safety. Isaiah describes him as a covert,
as a shelter. Well, you have shelters, don't
we, along the front, perhaps particularly, but somewhere where
you're waiting for the bus. And if it's raining or the wind
is blowing, you can go and take shelter there. And Isaiah says, God is our shelter. When there are terrible things
coming. that destruction of the world, a cloud of a flaming fire,
a cloud of smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by
night. For upon all the glory shall be a defense, and there
shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat,
and for a place of refuge, and for a covet from storm and from
rain." A pillar of fire and cloud went
with the children of Israel, didn't it? All the way through
the desert. And it was a protection. And
it was a comfort. And it was God leading. A glory
and a defense. Very precious. And God was present,
a very present help through all of that journey. And it is, of course, God himself
who is that covering, isn't it? In chapter 32, we read, behold,
a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.
And a man, a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind,
and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place,
as a shadow of a great rock, in a weary land. But this shelter is a man. Jesus said, didn't he? Come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
of me, for I am weak and lowly of heart,
and ye shall find rest unto your souls." We need to come to the Savior. We need to run to Him, to run into Him, to run into
that place of security. We have that picture given to
us in a very wonderful way by Jacob himself. He gave those
blessings to the children of Israel, his own children, as
he was dying. But as he speaks of Joseph, he
gives us a very wonderful picture. Genesis 49. Joseph is a fruitful
bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run
over the wall. So the picture is, we've got
a walled garden. And inside that garden, growing
up by the wall, is a vie. And that's growing up, it's protected. It's at peace. The problem can't
get to it. And yet it's reaching out over
the wall. And the branch that's over the
wall and the fruit there, well, the arches, the arrows, they
can get to that. That's not protected at all, is it? And it's suffering. They hurt him very much, says
Jacob. They hated him. They wanted to
get rid of that branch that was reaching out. But his bow abode in strength. And the arms of his hands were
made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob, from whence
is the shepherd and stone of Israel, even by the God of thy
father who shall help thee, and by the Almighty who shall bless
thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep
that lieth under, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
This bow is safely there in that place of refuge, within the tower,
if you like. And although it doesn't solve
all of the problems, but nothing can get to the root. And the
root, there by the well, it's got all that water, like that
man who meditates in God's word day and night in Psalm 1. He's
prospering. And we're to be like that, aren't
we? We're to be thinking. We're to be reading. We're to
be meditating on the truths of our God so that we are very close to
Him. We know more of Him. We are protected
by Him and kept by Him. He that dwelleth in the secret
place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is
my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Him will I trust. Surely he will deliver thee from
the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence. He shall
cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou
trust. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler." The big
shield that protects and the little shield which was placed
on the arm and could be moved to stop the arrows from wherever
they were coming from. God gives us that whole protection. It's another way, in a sense,
of looking at what Paul says, isn't it? Putting on the whole
armour of God. We need protection everywhere.
But that protection is provided. We have this tower. Thou shalt not be afraid of the
terror by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day, nor
for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction
that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy
side, and ten thousand at thy right hand. But still it shall
not come nigh thee, because thou hast made the Lord, which is
my refuge, even the most high. Thy habitation. What a wonderful picture. Or Psalm 18. I will love thee, O Lord, my
strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress
and my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I will trust,
my buckler and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who
is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from mine
enemies. The Lord liveth. Blessed be my
rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted. What a wonderful picture then
we have in these things. Some trust in chariots and some
in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord, our God. The name of the Lord. The name
sums up who he is, doesn't it? As God proclaimed his name to
Moses as he was in the cleft of the rock, it was a description
of who he was. And Isaiah gives us that in that
wonderful psalm, which is chapter 12. And in that day thou shalt say,
O Lord, I will praise thee. Though thou wast angry with me,
thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me. Behold, God
is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid. For the Lord Jehovah is my strength
and my song. He also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw
water out of the wells of that of salvation. In that day shall
ye say, praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings
among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing
unto the Lord, for he hath done excellent things. This is known
in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant
of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of
thee, and in whose presence we are
to be. May God grant that we might be
through this year kept close and safe in that precious strong
tower that is the Lord. Amen. Our closing hymn is from Hymns
to Worship, 149. God holds the key of all unknown,
and I am glad. If other hands should hold the
key, or if he trusted it to me, I might be sad. Hymn 149. God holds the key of all unknown,
and I am glad. If father hand should hold the
key, or if he trusted it to me, I might be sad. I might be sad. What if tomorrow's cares were
here without its rest? ? My way is best ? ? My way is
best ? ? The very dimness of my sight ? ? Makes me secure
? For groping in my wisty way, I feel his hand, I hear him say, his future plans, but this I
know. I'll have the smiling of his
face, and all the refuge of his grace, Enough, this covers all my wants,
and so I rest. For what I cannot, He can see,
and in His care I safe shall be. Lord, how we can give thanks
that thy help is sure, that there is that strong bulwark, that
strong tower, that high tower, and that those who come seeking
refuge for Jesus' sake, thou art faithful and just to keep. and to forgive all their sins
through that precious blood by that man who is a covet and a refuge and our rock. Lord, help us all to build on
Him, to stay on Him. Lord, that Thou might be our
habitation and a very present help there
in the midst. And so Lord, be with us each
through this year. And Lord, Thy people here and
Thy servant here in particular, bring honour and glory to thy
great name. May thy grace and the love of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the fellowship and communion of the Holy Spirit be with each
one of us now through this year and until thou shalt call us and then forevermore. Amen.