Preacher: Rev. David Yung
Passage: Psalm 91.1_16
Big Idea: Follow Jesus into a life of trouble, for those who trust and love God in the faithful Christ finds refuge from God’s punishment against the wicked.
1. Finding refuge in a devastated world
2. Finding support in an unseen, spiritual battle
3. Finding satisfaction in a trouble-filled life
Friends, it’s so good to see you all again this morning.
Right after New Year, most of my family members came up with me to CMS Summer School.
It was great to see so many Christian ministers and missionaries coming together to hear from God’s word and to praise him together.
I highly, highly commend that you should join us next year.
In one of the talks, a missionary was sharing one of the last things he did before he left his mission field.
He had been sharing about Jesus in a university in Italy and had planned for one last outreach event.
He invited the students to come and help him distribute the flyers and one student volunteered.
She agreed to meet him just outside the café at a certain time to help him.
When the time came, the student turned up.
But rather than helping the missionary, she told the missionary that she didn’t want to distribute the flyers anymore and went in to have coffee instead.
The missionary was very upset on the inside.
He had left his country, came to give his life to serving in Italy, learnt Italian and was ready to die there.
But that’s what he gets for giving his life for the Italians? How can they be so ungrateful?
He must have wondered, “why did I put myself through so much trouble for these ungrateful Italian students?”
While it may not be Italian students for us, we might ask ourselves a similar question about living the Christian life.
“Why did I put myself through so much trouble for living the Christian life?”
Or “Why did I have that fight with my family about coming to Church?”
“Why do I spend all that extra time at Church and no one seems to know about it, let alone thank me for it?”
Have you ever asked these sorts of questions?
Congratulations if you had asked these questions; it means that you have had experience living the Christian life!
Even so, it can be frustrating, can’t it?
Why put ourselves through with all the troubles that come with trusting and following Jesus?
That’s what we’re going to see in today’s passage.
And so, please open up your Bible to Psalm 91.
The Book of Psalms is divided into 5 books.
In book three, we see how God’s people had disobeyed God under the rule of sinful kings over many years.
In book four, which is where Psalm 91 is located, we see God’s people finding hope in God.
In particular, Psalms 91 through 100 are like a beacon of hope, presenting God as our refuge, our fortress, in times of trouble.
We’ll see three things in this psalm.
1. Finding refuge in a devastated world
2. Finding support in an unseen, spiritual battle
3. Finding satisfaction in a trouble-filled life
Before we look into it, let’s pray, “Father, we thank you for bringing us hope and joy in an uncertain world. Please take all distractions and by your Spirit, help us to focus our hearts and our eyes on Jesus, in whose name we pray, Amen.”
1. Finding refuge in a devastated world
The ten psalms beginning from Psalm 91 to 100 are filled with wonderful songs of praise to God.
They praise God and refers to God as our great Saviour and King.
In Psalm 91, it praises God by referring to him as our refuge in a devastated world.
Psalm 91 is one of the most famous psalms in the world.
Many Christians around the world refer to this psalm in times of trouble.
An American was speaking on the phone with her friend at an airport.
This woman’s friend must have been in some kind of tragedy because the woman said in a loud voice over the phone, “Honey, you need to dial Psalm 911!”
911, of course, is the emergency number that Americans use when they’re in danger.
The American woman was referring to Psalm 91:1
Look with me at Psalm 91, beginning from verse 1, “The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say concerning the LORD, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust”
The Psalmist describes the LORD as a refuge and as a fortress.
Imagine yourself in the shoes of those affected by the recent devastating fires in Los Angeles.
In a very brief time, you lost the security of your home, the home you spent years budling.
All you have left is your family and the clothes on your backs.
Can you picture the fear and uncertainty, the loss of everything that once felt secure?
Now, imagine meeting a neihgbour whose house remain untouched by the fire.
They see you and invite you and your family to live in their house.
Imagine the relief and gratitude of being welcomed into the home of this friendly neighbour?
This is a glimpse of the protection God offers us.
The psalmist, too, knew what it was like to live under God’s protection.
He was in danger and God invited him into his home.
That’s what it means to find refuge in the Lord.
Now, using the same story, imagine the family waking up the next day and seeing that your neighbour’s house had tall, strong walls built all around it.
These are fireproof walls that had protected those living inside from the danger of the flames.
That’s what it means to know God as the fortress.
He will protect his people from harm.
Since the Lord is his refuge and his fortress, the psalmist can trust in the Lord.
The Psalmist is the faithful one who trusts in God to be his refuge and his fortress in times of trouble.
What does this psalmist, this faithful one, need to be protected from?
Here the psalmist uses a few examples to illustrate his point.
He was like a bird flying into a trap, perhaps foolishly or naively, or both, but God rescued him.
God was like an eagle wrapping a little bird under His wings.
God was like a shield to the psalmist.
The Chinese translation is a little more accurate at this point because God was described to be like two shields:
A little shield (or the buckler), to protect the psalmist in hand-to-hand combat.
And a large shield to protect the psalmist from the barrage of arrows that fly towards him from the sky.
In other words, God will protect the psalmist from personal attacks as well as corporate attacks.
Even when faced with the terror of not seeing your enemies at night or the horror of seeing the arrows the fly by day, God will protect the one who trusts in him.
As if that’s not enough, God will protect the person from plagues and pestilence, diseases and pandemics.
Look with me at verses 6-7, “the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon. Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you.
Even when thousands upon thousands of people fall by your side, you will be safe. Yet, we ask, don’t those who love God also suffer? Of course, they do.
During the pandemic that claimed up to seven million lives, many Christians would’ve also died.
How could the Bible say that plagues and pestilence doesn’t hurt us?
Here is where we see an unexpected twist in the psalm.
Look with me at verse 8, “You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked.”
All these attacks, pestilence, diseases and pandemics are God’s instruments of punishment for the wicked.
However, that’s not to say that everyone who died from the pandemic because they were wicked.
No, if God were to punish everyone for their wickedness, then it wouldn’t be just 7 million.
It would’ve been everyone.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23
We all have sinned, and all deserve the death of the wicked.
All the sicknesses, sufferings and deaths we see in the world is a glimpse of God’s punishment against the wicked, against us.
The righteous had no need to be afraid of God’s righteous anger, but the wicked, that is all of us at one time, had every reason to be afraid.
Wickedness according to God is not walking according to his way.
All of us have walked the path of the wicked, except for one, the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s the One who truly trusted God in everything.
He is the Only One who doesn’t deserve the death of the wicked because he, and only he, was totally faithful and totally righteous.
And yet, in order to save us, Jesus went through all the terror of God’s judgement against our wickedness.
For as the Bible tells us in 1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
Jesus was wounded by God so that we might be safe, so that we might be healed.
We will still suffer in this world because of sin, whether it’s our own sin or the sin of others.
However, we won’t be punished for our sins.
Jesus has already paid for the sins of all those who trust in him when he died at the cross.
Even so, we know that we will still suffer in this world.
But even the midst of our sufferings and troubles, we know that God is with us.
This is he confidence Christians can have, as described in Romans 8:31-32, “What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?”
What does it mean then for a Christian to be protected?
It means that God will protect them for him, that they will remain faithful to him, no matter how much trouble or suffering they face.
Those who trusts in God will be faithful to God to the very end because God’s faithfulness protects them until the very end.
Earlier this week, it was reported that a mother in Queensland was guilty of feeding poison to her baby girl in order to get more likes on social media as well as to get more money to treat her child.
That’s wicked! The home should’ve been a safe place but the girl was used by her mother for financial gain.
I’m glad to report that the baby girl is now recovering.
But even more dangerous than poison is the sweet lies that the world tells us.
Lies like “you don’t need to follow God, just follow your heart”; “Hate that person, hate that group; you know they deserve it”; “there’s nothing beyond what your eyes can see, so why bother with the supernatural?”
These lies are like plagues that engulf the wicked.
These lies are arrows that pierce our hearts.
Those who believe in lies will be punished by God.
All of us used to believe in these lies but Jesus has come to show us the truth, in order to bring us back to God.
God sent Jesus to protect us not from physical threats but from the plagues of the soul, the lies and deceit that seek to lead us astray.
To truly understand and turn from wickedness, we must recognise our own wickedness and so our own need for God’s refuge.
May God help us to see the danger that we’re in and may we flee to him for refuge.
We need God to help us see because we have grown up to believe that what we see is all that there is, and so we’ve grown blind to the unseen, spiritual battle that wages against our souls.
2. Finding support in an unseen, spiritual battle
The first part of the psalm is finding refuge from God’s punishment against the wicked in a devastated world.
The second part of the psalm changes the focus from the danger of being a wicked person facing God’s judgement to a righteous person facing the devil’s attack.
Look with me at verse 11, “For he will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways.”
God will give his angels orders to protect the person who trusts in God as his refuge.
This person is not in a stationary place; they’re on the move, they will face danger, but they will be safe.
A few years ago, our local State Representative, Chris Minns, came to our Church for a forum with other potential candidates.
When he came, he brought two (maybe three) bodyguards.
I thought, “Good! At least our church will be safe this evening.”
But their job wasn’t to keep everybody safe; they were there only to keep him safe.
If there was danger, they would take Christ Minns out of here.
God gives his angels orders to protect those of us who trusts in him.
He doesn’t order them to take us away from danger like Christ Minns’ bodyguards.
He orders them to support us with their hands, so that you won’t be harmed, as we go on our way.
More accurately, as we go on his way.
Those who trust in God follows him and walk in his way, and God sends his angels to help is do that.
He doesn’t just send his angels to defend us and stopping us from getting harmed. God sent us on His way so that we will be on the offence against lions and cobras.
Verse 14, “You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent.”
These two animals are references to the devil in the Bible.
The Bible described Satan to be like a serpent in the Garde of Eden.
As a serpent, the devil led our first parents to doubt God and then lied to them about God.
“Did God really say you can’t sin? Will you die? No, of course, you won’t die if you sin.”
That was the lie back then and the devil still uses the same lies today!
In 1 Peter 5:8, the Bible describes the devil to be like roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
The devil wants to tear Christians to pieces through violent and deadly persecutions.
Many Christians grow strong during persecutions because they run to God in prayer.
However, many Christians stumble and fall by the devil’s lies:
Saint Augustine once said that the devil is more dangerous when he flatters.
Sadly, that’s what I’ve seen in my experience.
Many Christians who have grown weak and even walked away from faith because of their pride.
Left to ourselves, we will easily stumble.
We need God’s help!
Even though we can’t see them, the angels help us through the flattering lies and the deadly persecutions of the devil.
In fact, we can obey God only because God is there to help us.
We need his supernatural presence and help as we fight against the devil in the realm of the unseen world.
Jesus himself was tempted by the devil.
In fact, the devil quoted this very psalm, Psalm 91, to tempt Jesus.
In effect, the devil was saying to Jesus, “Since God said that he will send his angels so that your foot won’t touch a stone, jump off from the top of the top of the temple.
The devil didn’t quote the full verse, which says that God will protect those who trusts in him in all their ways.
In the context of the Psalm, it’s the way of obedience.
Jesus trusted God and wouldn’t put God to the test.
God’s protection of his people is not licence for us to do foolish and stupid sins.
And so, don’t take God’s protection for granted!
Instead, treasure each opportunity you have to obey him.
Treasure even the desire to obey him for it’s God himself who put them there. Don’t fall for the devil’s lies and think you can live a good life without God.
A wicked person, like we all were, cannot and will not walk in God’s ways.
A wicked person will believe the lies of the devil or live in fear of his fury.
But thanks be to God, for he had sent Jesus to save us from the flesh, the world the devil.
Thank God that he sends angels to protect to protect us so that we will walk in his ways. As you walk his ways, you will find satisfaction in a trouble-filled life.
3. Finding satisfaction in a trouble-filled life
How do you know you truly turned away from your wickedness and turned to God for refuge?
You will love him, and you will know him.
Verse 16, “Because he has his heart set on me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name.”
You know that you love God when you keep thinking about how to please him.
You will turn to him in prayer, in both the good times and bad.
You know that you love Him when He is the most important person in your life.
You will love him and You will know him; you will know his name.
God’s name represents everything that he stands for.
If God is your refuge, you will know him and you will trust him.
It’s because you love him and you know him that you will get yourself into all sorts of trouble.
The CMS Summer School that my family went to had more than 3000 attendees as well as more than 1100 kids and youths.
Who teaches them?
A big team of over 200 volunteers.
These volunteers’ work didn’t just start when they turned up.
They spent months in advance preparing the lesson with their team.
More than that, they spent their own money to stay on site.
Some of them even took time off work to go and help.
I was very glad to see that my oldest godson Jonny was there to help. They sacrificed time and resources, they went through all that trouble, not for worldly gain but to share the love of Christ with the youth and children.
Those who trust in Jesus will face trouble not because they’ve done wrong, but because they want to do what’s right.
They know and love God, so they find themselves in situations that bring more trouble than others who don’t believe.
They willingly serve God on Sundays, even when their friends and families have the day off or work for more money.
Those who don’t believe won’t give to God or his work because they don’t believe in God.
But those who know and love Jesus give sacrificially to mission work and church because they know the money is God’s, not theirs.
Those who don’t love or know God keep quiet when God’s truth is challenged because they don’t want trouble, but those who love and know God speak the truth lovingly.
Christians who love and know God live a life filled with troubles, not because they enjoy them, but because they know God wants them to walk this way.
Jesus lived the perfect life and faced many troubles from the world.
His followers should expect nothing less.
However, Christians know that even in the midst of their troubles, God has promised to deliver, protect, and answer their prayers.
He will satisfy them with a long life.
He’s not referring to a long physical life but the really long life: eternal life.
Won’t we trust him as we walk this short period of trouble?
There will be many challenges this year for our Church.
The Kogarah School upgrades will cause interruptions, and we’ll face difficulties in caring for the 2800 students in our area as we teach them the Bible.
We are outgrowing our current Church building is outgrowing us, and we need to plan for the future.
Despite these challenges, we know and love the Lord Jesus, and by faith we go where he leads us, even if the path is difficult.
As a Church, we’ve overcome even harder challenges before, and God has carried us through.
However, I can’t predict how the devil will attack, whether through lies or persecution.
But I know that as we turn to Jesus in prayer, hear from his word, and walk in obedience, he will be with us; he will be our comfort and our fortress.
Will you join us in trusting Jesus as he leads us through a trouble-filled life, troubles that arises precisely because we put our trust in Jesus?
Why do we put ourselves through so many troubles?
Hopefully, it’s not because we are proud, or greedy, or just plain wicked.
My prayer is that we get ourselves into troubles because we love God, and we know God.
My prayer is that we won’t shy away from troubles but to trust God to take us through, just as he said he would.
As you run to him in times of trouble, you will know him more and love him more.
Remember: Follow Jesus into a life of trouble, for those who trust and love God in the faithful Christ finds refuge from God’s punishment against the wicked.
This year, what I hope each member of our Church will do is to pray for two out of the six check points that we have as a Church.
You can find them on page 10 of the Companion booklet.
When you read through them, you might start to think about the troubles and challenges that come for each of these checkpoints.
But more than that, I hope you will also think about what it would look like if God does answer our prayer and help us reach these check points.
Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing these checkpoints at our prayer meetings and asking God for guidance before we start to plan strategies around them.
We believe God when he says he answers prayers and so we will pray for his guidance.
We’ll then keep praying until he tells us to go in a different direction.
Join us on Tuesday nights as we trust God’s promises to hear us when we pray.
Here are the three questions for this week:
Three Questions
1. How do I know whether I’m still wicked, with God’s punishment waiting for me?
2. When was the last time I got into trouble for following God’s way? How did God save me?
3. Have I thanked God for ordering his angels to protect me as I followed Jesus today?
Follow Jesus into a life of trouble, for those who trust and love God in the faithful Christ finds refuge from God’s punishment against the wicked.
Let’s pray, “Father, we thank you for sending Jesus the Faithful One. We thank you for his obedience, and that it’s by his faithfulness that we are saved, it’s by his wounds that we’re healed. Please forgive us for our wickedness. Please let us not fall for the lies of the devil nor fear his persecution. Instead, let us by faith go where you lead us, even if it’s a trouble-filled life. Let us go there by faith, knowing that you won’t let anything harm us but will keep those who truly trust in Jesus. Please keep us under your wings and your shadow until the day of Christ. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”