1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:05,200 And thousands more we're going to read from Proverbs chapter 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:10,360 18. We're going to read the first 12 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:17,360 verses that just in case anybody's asking or thinking to 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,760 themselves what happened to the subject of baptism. 5 00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:25,240 I thought we were going to get the Presbyterian version of, I 6 00:00:25,240 --> 00:00:28,200 call it that, forsake of argument. 7 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:34,800 Well, sorry, just not today. And there's a reason for that 8 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,840 because I feel very much in light of all the funerals that 9 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:44,000 we've had, that we just need a word of encouragement, a word to 10 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,280 lighten the journey. So for that reason, we'll come 11 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:49,440 back to that study at a different time. 12 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:54,760 Proverbs chapter 18. We'll read from verse one. 13 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:03,280 Let's hear God's word through desire. 14 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:09,120 A man having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with 15 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:13,040 all wisdom. A fool have no delight in 16 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:17,880 understanding, but that is heart may discover itself. 17 00:01:19,320 --> 00:01:24,880 When the wicked cometh, then cometh also content, and with 18 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:30,560 ignomy reproach. The words of a man's mouth are 19 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:35,200 as deep waters and the wellspring of wisdom as a 20 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:39,480 flowing brook. It is not good to accept the 21 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:43,400 person of the wicked to overthrow the righteous in 22 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:47,200 judgement. A fool's lips enter into 23 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:51,440 contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. 24 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:58,360 A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are 25 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:03,800 the snare of his soul. The words of a tail bear are his 26 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:07,680 wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the 27 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:11,520 belly. He also that is slothful in his 28 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:15,960 work, his brother to him that is a great waster. 29 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,720 The name of the Lord is a strong tower. 30 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:23,840 The righteous runneth into it and is safe. 31 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:30,560 The rich man's wealth is a strong city, and as an high wall 32 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,240 in his own conceit before destruction. 33 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:40,600 The heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility. 34 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:43,960 We'll end the reading there at verse 12 and we pray God and 35 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,080 stamp with His own approval and blessing this reading of His own 36 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:54,000 precious and infallible Word. In my text this morning is found 37 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,680 in Proverbs chapter 18, verse 10. 38 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:02,000 It reads as follows, the name of the Lord as a strong tower. 39 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:07,000 The righteous runneth into it and is safe. 40 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:14,680 Now if entitled today's message, the sweet truth about the strong 41 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,520 tower. Now this is a wonderful verse of 42 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:22,240 Scripture. I believe a verse that's full of 43 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:26,840 great encouraging for us in our day and generation, and 44 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:30,360 especially after a week where we have been rocked in our hearts 45 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:34,400 and minds about the death of precious loved ones. 46 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:39,320 Now the word tower is mentioned 60 times in the Authorised 47 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,640 Version. And if we add the adjective 48 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:48,440 strong in strong tower, it's mentioned five times. 49 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:53,040 And of course 5 in the Bible is a number of grace. 50 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:57,080 And in grace we're told something, something is being 51 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,680 shown and revealed to us. And what in grace is being shown 52 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:02,920 to us here in Proverbs 18 and 10? 53 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:09,040 And it's this, the name of the Lord is a strong tower. 54 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:15,120 Now we're all familiar with the image and cimilitude of a tower. 55 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:21,279 In Bible times, generation after generation built towers, and 56 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:26,880 they built strong towers, towers that had to do with the survival 57 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:31,120 and the security and the safety of the people of God. 58 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,040 We only have to think, for example, of the Tower of Babel 59 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:38,600 in Genesis Chapter 11. Think of the Tower of Idar, 60 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,840 think of the Tower of Pennuelle, think of the Tower of Shechem, 61 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:50,960 to name but a few. Now in the past 4000 years, all 62 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:55,280 sorts of towers have been built, and from the concept of the 63 00:04:55,280 --> 00:05:00,200 strong tower we have built bell towers and clock towers and 64 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:04,160 communication towers. And of course, in our world in 65 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:07,480 the 21st century, young people were very familiar with some 66 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:11,640 very famous towers. Think, for example, of the 67 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:15,360 Leaning Tower of Pisa. People go just to get a picture 68 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:19,680 taken underneath that tower, leaning with their hand against 69 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:24,000 it as if they are holding it up. Think of the Tower of London. 70 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,120 I have been there. That was a place where many 71 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:30,920 Protestant martyrs were held and brought forth from, and unjustly 72 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:35,800 tried and taken to be executed under the reign of Bloody Mary. 73 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:38,320 Think of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. 74 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:40,040 I have never been. Maybe you've been. 75 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:43,880 Maybe you've got a picture taken of the Eiffel Tower. 76 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:49,600 We could also think of the Ulster Tower, dedicated to the 77 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:53,000 memory of the men that died at the Battle of the Somme over 78 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,920 there in Flanders Fields. Men who never come home, Men who 79 00:05:56,920 --> 00:06:01,960 paid the ultimate sacrifice with blood for our freedom and our 80 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,960 way of life. What about Scrabble Tower? 81 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:09,520 If you want to walk, that's quite a wee distance up. 82 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,760 Wear good shoes. You could walk up Scrabble Tar. 83 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:14,320 I don't know if you can get inside. 84 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:17,120 That would be marvellous to get inside and look over the whole 85 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:21,200 of Cumber and Newton Ards, et cetera, et cetera. 86 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:24,080 I've done it a number of times, but every time I've been up, the 87 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:28,480 door has been closed. So here's Solomon in all his 88 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:35,440 wisdom, and he's teaching us in Greece great lesson as we 89 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:39,840 journey through life with all the hardship, with all the 90 00:06:39,840 --> 00:06:45,480 knowledge that this is a weary land of pilgrimage, that storms 91 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,360 come and beat upon us. And here's a tremendous truth. 92 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:52,840 The name of the Lord is a strong tower. 93 00:06:53,600 --> 00:07:00,720 The righteous runneth into it, and is seeth. 94 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:09,800 Now think of a number of truths. 1 The simultude of the tower. 95 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:15,800 If you're taking notes, the name of the Lord is a strong tower. 96 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:21,600 See, King Solomon is not speaking literally here, He's 97 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:25,480 speaking metaphorically. He's using the language of a 98 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:31,520 simultude. He's teaching us something now, 99 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:34,840 he's not saying it. That if you just use the four 100 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:42,000 letter word Lord as a magic formula, as a lucky charm, that 101 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,240 if in the storms of life you just repeat the name of the Lord 102 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,440 and you'll immediately get a supernatural result. 103 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:55,640 That's not what it means. You see the words the name of 104 00:07:55,640 --> 00:08:00,640 the Lord, If you underline it as a phrase, it demands you to stop 105 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,840 and think. It demands consideration, 106 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:08,880 comprehension. You've got to think of who God 107 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:13,880 is. Underline the word Lord, Who is 108 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:17,160 the Lord? You see, it's a revelation of 109 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:22,200 the true character of our God. The use of the name of the Lord 110 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:29,440 is a revelation of the true character of the God of the 111 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:33,000 Bible. That's what's in view here. 112 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:37,520 The name of the Lord is the basis or the foundation for what 113 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:41,760 God has made known to us about Himself in the Holy Scriptures. 114 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:43,320 What do the Scriptures principally teach? 115 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:46,080 What managed to believe concerning God and what duty 116 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:51,440 does God require of Him? The the term really means all 117 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:56,440 that God is in the perfection of His being and in the perfection 118 00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:58,200 of His work. If we go to the Shorter 119 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:03,520 Catechism #4 what is God? God is a spirit, infinite, 120 00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:09,800 eternal, unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, 121 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:14,280 justice, goodness, and truth. The sad thing is that the 122 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:21,440 ungodly man, the transgressor, the hardened Sinner, misses 123 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:26,840 completely and rejects outright all the perfections of God. 124 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:32,040 The perfections of God have to do with his natural and moral 125 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:33,680 attributes. Don't be afraid of the word 126 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:36,560 attributes, the attributes of God. 127 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:39,080 Oh, that's a big word. What does that really mean? 128 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:43,920 Well, the word attribute just means a particular quality that 129 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:48,720 the person possesses. And the God of the Bible is a 130 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:53,600 God of absolute perfection. The God of the Bible is 131 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:57,640 flawless, without fault. The God of the Bible is a God of 132 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:03,240 fullness, a God of faithfulness. Here we have a full revelation 133 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:06,080 of all that the Lord is in His personal work. 134 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:12,520 If I was to pull a book out of the study, bring it in here and 135 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:15,320 hold it up, it would be called the doctrine of God. 136 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:20,680 That's a vast field of study. Whole books could be written, 137 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:27,920 but you know what, we can say this, that the Lord will never 138 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:30,600 go against what He has said about himself. 139 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:34,080 The Lord will never feel to do what He has said. 140 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:37,360 The Lord will never change in his person or his work. 141 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:39,480 He said I am the Lord, I change not. 142 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:44,000 Therefore, you sons of Jacob are not consumed and and the Lord 143 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:48,720 will never cease to be infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His 144 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:52,400 being, wisdom, power, justice, holiness, goodness and truth. 145 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:57,280 He's the same yesterday, today and forever. 146 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:01,200 And remember what we read in the book of Romans in Romans Chapter 147 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:04,160 11. We read this in verse 33. 148 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:09,600 O the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of 149 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:12,720 God. How unsearchable are his 150 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:18,440 judgments and His ways past finding out if we come to verse 151 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:24,920 36, we read for of of him and through him and to Him are all 152 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:28,520 things to whom be glory forever and ever. 153 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:33,600 Amen. So the name of the Lord is a 154 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:38,920 reference so that you can consider and contemplate in your 155 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:46,200 mind and think about God as an absolute, perfect, flawless, 156 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:56,680 fulsome, faithful individual. The strong tower is a title that 157 00:11:56,680 --> 00:11:59,720 the Lord is known by. What is the Lord like? 158 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:05,640 The Lord is a strong tower or the Lord is like a strong tower. 159 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:08,400 The strong tower stands for the Lord himself. 160 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:09,920 You've got to think of the Lord's person. 161 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,080 And of course, there's a wonderful rich variety of names 162 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:15,960 that the Lord is called and known by each one, of course, 163 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:19,080 characteristic of the Lord's person. 164 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:21,400 For for example, let me just run down these. 165 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:25,200 Think of Jehovah Shalom. The Lord is my peace. 166 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,400 Or think about Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide. 167 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:36,520 Think about Jehovah easer. The Lord is my helper on the 168 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:38,000 life's journey. You need help. 169 00:12:38,680 --> 00:12:42,000 Where does your help come from? The psalmist said, I will lift 170 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,560 up mine eyes onto the hills. From whence cometh my help? 171 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:46,520 He asked that question. Here's the answer. 172 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:52,280 My help cometh from the Lord, which maketh heaven and earth is 173 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,000 not tremendous. You need help for the journey. 174 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:57,480 You can cry out. Lord help me. 175 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:00,960 You can ask the Lord. The Lord is my helper. 176 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:05,920 It's repeated, of course, in the book of Hebrews, Jehovah Shema, 177 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:09,000 The Lord is there. He's eternally present. 178 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:13,840 He's the great I am. What about Jehovah Rufa? 179 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:19,920 The Lord is my healer, see? He knows what's best for us in 180 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:22,440 the journey. What about Jehovah on this side? 181 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:24,960 The Lord is my banner speaks of protection. 182 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:28,320 Jehovah said, can you? The Lord is my righteousness. 183 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:33,680 Jehovah Rua, the Lord is my shepherd, the shepherd and 184 00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:38,720 Bishop of our souls. Jehovah met my kiddish, the Lord 185 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:42,440 is my sanctifier. You see every one of these names 186 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:47,440 reveals some aspect of the Lords character and and put into your 187 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,320 mind today in this weary land that we live. 188 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,040 As you journey with your pilgrimage, think of this. 189 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:57,040 The Lord is my peace. The Lord is the one who provides 190 00:13:57,040 --> 00:13:59,320 for me. The one Lord is the one who 191 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:02,720 helps me on life's journey. The One. 192 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,840 The Lord is the one who's eternally present with me at all 193 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:08,160 times. He has promised never to leave 194 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:12,040 me or forsake me. The Lord is the one who protects 195 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:12,640 me. His. 196 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:17,480 His banner over me is love. The Lord is the one who's 197 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:20,200 absolutely, intrinsically, wholly in himself. 198 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:24,600 The Lord is the one who's the shepherd and Bishop of my soul. 199 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:29,200 The Lord is the one who stands as Jehovah, the God of the 200 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:33,320 covenant. You've got to think of the 201 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:37,720 covenant made with Christ, the covenant of redemption, the 202 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:41,320 covenant of Greece. See, it's not just the character 203 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,880 of God, the name of the Lord, but you've got to also think 204 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:48,440 here of the covenant of God. It ties in with the personal 205 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:51,440 work of Christ, God's only begotten Son. 206 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:57,560 And these characteristics, these qualities belong to Christ as 207 00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:00,560 the only begotten son. They, they, they belong to the 208 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:05,120 Holy Spirit in the outworking of the covenant of redemption and, 209 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:09,680 and and the covenant of grace. And as you think of Atar in 210 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:13,760 ancient times, think of this. Atar was strong foundations, 211 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:19,320 foundations that are deep towers that are difficult to attack 212 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:21,160 because you can't destroy the foundation. 213 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:23,960 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? 214 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:27,680 But there are foundations that can't be destroyed, and here's 215 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:33,480 one of them, the Lord. The name of the Lord is a strong 216 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:35,800 tower. The tower, of course, was made 217 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:39,000 of solid rock, not made of cloth, not made of wood, not 218 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,280 made of tin. It was made of solid rock. 219 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:47,000 The the tower was placed in a very prominent position in the 220 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:51,280 town, the village or the city, and it could be seen for miles. 221 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:55,320 The tower was tall. The Bible actually talks about 222 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:58,120 my high tower. See it? 223 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:00,160 It pointed upward toward the sky. 224 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:02,640 It, it reached toward the heavens. 225 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:07,240 The tower is strong. And once you're inside, there's 226 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:11,480 protection from the outside. And all of this, all of this 227 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:16,800 applies to God in Christ. All we need for our safety. 228 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:23,320 In Him we have redemption. In Him we have preservation and 229 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:25,680 rest. In Him we have resources. 230 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:31,240 Remember what the apostle Paul says in Corinthians, First 231 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:33,720 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 30. 232 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:37,360 He made this tremendous statement about Christ. 233 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:43,120 Christ has made unto us. What but of him are ye in Christ 234 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:47,840 Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and 235 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:51,240 sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written, 236 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:55,560 he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 237 00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:00,560 You see, in this revelation of the character of God, of the 238 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:04,319 covenant of God, it's also a revelation of the Christ of God. 239 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:08,319 You can't divorce the Christ of God from the name of the Lord. 240 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:12,480 The Christ of God is in view here because because the tower's 241 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:17,839 not literal. It's it's, it's a metaphor. 242 00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:21,560 It's it's a simile. The tower is spiritual and the 243 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:27,359 star is unshakeable. That the star is indestructible. 244 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:35,800 It all comes to a climax. It has its fulfilment in the 245 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,960 personal word of Christ. Remember what Peter was asked in 246 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:41,320 Acts 4 verse 12 and he made this statement. 247 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:44,200 Neither is there salvation in any other, for there's no other 248 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:47,920 name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. 249 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:52,240 Get your eyes in Christ. The character of God, the 250 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:54,760 covenant of God, the Christ of God is in view. 251 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:58,240 The name of the Lord is a strong tower, and and the tower 252 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:01,560 ultimately is Christ. So it's not an abstract thing. 253 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:06,680 It's it's, it's not a lie to say this is something to do or 254 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:10,880 nothing to do with life. That wouldn't be true because it 255 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:14,600 is everything to do with who and what God is, as he has revealed 256 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:16,560 himself in the fullness of his person. 257 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:21,960 So there's the simile or the similitude of the tower. 258 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:27,080 Very quickly think about the security of the tower. 259 00:18:28,360 --> 00:18:31,720 Notice the adjective that's used here in this portion of 260 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:34,680 Scripture. The name of the Lord is a strong 261 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,480 tower, All right? In other words, it's a safe 262 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:41,960 place. I remember in 2017, I think 263 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:46,080 maybe 50 or 60 of us went off with the Reverend Ron Johnson 264 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:49,320 and we went off to visit Wittenberg and Germany. 265 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:53,120 I think George and Carol were with us on that trip as well. 266 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:56,360 And one of the places that we visited in Wittenberg was the 267 00:18:56,360 --> 00:18:59,520 Castle Church. And I remember in the distance 268 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:04,800 looking down and seeing this massive round tower connected to 269 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:07,360 the church. It's literally built in to the 270 00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:10,680 side of the church. And it stands tall. 271 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:12,960 It stands strong. But whenever we eventually got 272 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:16,760 to the castle church, the guide pointed out that written in 273 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:21,840 German into the tower built in the side of the castle church is 274 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:28,520 the words a mighty fortress? Is our God a bulwark, never 275 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:31,240 failing? And the guide told us that that 276 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:36,280 tower belonged to the state or the province of Saxony. 277 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:42,400 And it was there for all the citizens of the area in days of 278 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:45,960 war and in times of trouble. So you get the picture. 279 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:51,280 Here's a a strong tower, right? And the enemy is sighted. 280 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:56,640 You've got the watchman and he sounds the trumpet, or in modern 281 00:19:56,640 --> 00:20:00,440 day, rings the bell. The citizens below, they feel 282 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:04,240 under threat, they hear the sound, they leave their houses, 283 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:08,680 they leave the dishes, they leave their fields, places of 284 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:12,960 employment, and they literally run to the high tower and they 285 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:18,080 enter in by the door. Some towers, of course, in more 286 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:21,080 modern times, had draw bridges and moats. 287 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:24,160 They pulled them up. The port Collis would have been 288 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:27,720 dropped. Men would have got into the 289 00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:33,880 upper parts of the tower to defend the battlements, and if 290 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,280 you turn over there to the book of Judges, you'll get a picture 291 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:42,520 of this in Judges Chapter 9. In Judges Chapter 9 we read 292 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:49,040 about an incident where the people of Phoebes, their city 293 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:52,960 was under attack and it was under attack. 294 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:58,840 Judges Chapter 9, verses 50 right through to 53. 295 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:03,720 It says in verse 50 then went abimelech to Thebes, and it came 296 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:08,000 against Thebes and took it. But there was a strong tower 297 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:11,800 within the city, and thither fled all the men and women and 298 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:17,480 all day of the city, and shut it to them, and got them up to the 299 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:21,120 top of the tower. And Abimelech came unto the 300 00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:24,440 tower and fought against it and went hard onto the door of the 301 00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:27,920 tower to burn it with fire. So you get the picture going to 302 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:32,040 burn these people to death, it says here in verse 53. 303 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:35,600 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's 304 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:39,480 head, and all to break his skull. 305 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:43,600 Now it's not tremendous. Here's the city under attack. 306 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,000 What do the people do? They run to the strong tower. 307 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:49,960 The man called Abimelech that was attacking the city, going to 308 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:52,640 burn it with fire, going to set fire to the door. 309 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:56,560 And those are on top of the battle works, including this 310 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:59,920 woman, unnamed. She's going to protect the 311 00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:02,240 tower. She wants to protect life, the 312 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:04,200 life of her family, the life of her friends. 313 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:07,120 So she throws a piece of millstone, Sure, it was quite 314 00:22:07,120 --> 00:22:09,480 heavy down from the top of the tower. 315 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:15,200 And it hits a abimelech on the head, breaks his skull. 316 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:18,400 So the Lord used this woman to defend her city. 317 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,680 Abimelech, of course, was very embarrassed. 318 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,520 He tried to hide it. He got his armour bearer to 319 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,280 finish him off with the sword. But here's the point. 320 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:31,840 The strong towers of peace, of security. 321 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:36,400 In the 21st century, the security trade is booming. 322 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,760 Many people feel unsafe. Gated mansions, security guards, 323 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:45,040 bodyguards, nuclear bunkers, houses, car alarms. 324 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:48,560 Think of the Lord as a strong tower. 325 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:54,240 The tower stands between his people and the dangers that they 326 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:56,800 face, and the Lord stands between his people and the 327 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:00,360 dangers they're facing. I want to ask the question, can 328 00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:03,920 you say the Lord is my safe place? 329 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,880 It's foolish to say that you never have storms in your life 330 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:13,520 for days of trial or trouble. It's foolish to say that this 331 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:15,880 won't happen to me or can't happen to me. 332 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:21,280 We all want to feel safe, my safe place, and we all have a 333 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:27,120 safe place. But can we say today the Lord is 334 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:29,400 my safe place? Could I just encourage you very 335 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:31,360 quickly? Don't trust in riches. 336 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,280 Look back at our text in the connection. 337 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,320 It says the rich man's wealth is a strong city. 338 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:42,480 See how many trust in riches? The rich man's wealth is a 339 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:44,560 strong city. Here's the comparison. 340 00:23:45,120 --> 00:23:49,040 The righteous runs to the tower to feel safe. 341 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:53,680 The rich, they trust in their riches. 342 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:58,240 The rich man's wealth is his strong city. 343 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:00,320 Think of the rich man without Christ. 344 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:03,760 He trusts in what he sees. His silver, his gold, his 345 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,760 pounds, his pennies. That is his safety. 346 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:10,800 Riches, of course, can do and control you. 347 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:14,440 The more you have, the more you want. 348 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:19,240 Often times, the rich man, the rich woman, there's a failure in 349 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:21,360 their part to lay up treasure in heaven. 350 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,960 But you know this. Riches will take flight 1 day 351 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:29,920 because riches have wings. Maybe it'd be better to say 352 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:32,000 you'd be taken away from your riches. 353 00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:36,840 Riches will be left behind. The point is this, there's no 354 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:41,880 safety in riches. How many think I'll retire, I'll 355 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:45,640 build a summer house, I'll buy a property in this part of the 356 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:50,040 world, I'll travel, I'll eat here, I'll go there. 357 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:55,840 And they discover that there's no safe place for the riches. 358 00:24:56,320 --> 00:25:00,800 Remember what the psalmist said in Psalm 49, Read with me there 359 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:04,080 in verses 6 through to 8. He makes a tremendous statement, 360 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:08,560 Psalm 49 and verses 6 through to 8. 361 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:16,240 Let me read the verses to you. He says this Psalm 49, verse 68. 362 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:20,240 They that trust in their wealth and boast themselves in the 363 00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:24,160 multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem 364 00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:26,720 his brother. Their gift to God, a ransom for 365 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:30,280 him, for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceases 366 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:34,520 forever that he should still live forever and not see 367 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:41,040 corruption. She Foolish men trust in the 368 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:47,280 riches, but foolish men frail to remember that riches can't 369 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:49,720 redeem their soul or the soul of their brother. 370 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:54,800 Riches can't buy salvation and there's no safe place for those 371 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:58,280 who trust in riches. And rich men, sadly, are blinded 372 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:00,760 to the fact that riches can't save them. 373 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,920 Riches can't stop them dying. You're riches. 374 00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:10,960 Despite his thinking he's not going to live forever and not do 375 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:14,040 him any good in the grave. He come into the world with 376 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:15,440 nothing and take nothing out of it. 377 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:18,640 Did you know there was a pharaoh called King Tutankhamun? 378 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:21,080 He died as a young man. They found his tomb. 379 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:25,080 It took them 10 years to count the gold and the silver and all 380 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:26,640 the riches that were buried with him. 381 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:29,840 The riches were still there. His body was long since 382 00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:34,240 dissolved into dust. Don't trust in riches. 383 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:35,840 I'll, I'll say something else very quickly here. 384 00:26:36,120 --> 00:26:37,840 Don't trust in self righteousness. 385 00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:42,280 See, good works are important, but good works will not save 386 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:44,640 you. Good works are not the ground of 387 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:47,960 salvation. They're only the fruit or the 388 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:53,000 evidence. You're not saved by good works. 389 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:56,040 Now let me make it clear, you're not saved without good works. 390 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,400 Good, good works are the fruit of the evidence. 391 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:04,840 The question of this are you depending on for eternity, 392 00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:07,800 depending on your riches, depending on self righteousness. 393 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:11,480 Don't trust in the church. It's not the church that saves. 394 00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:14,560 How many people have said the dole and Colin and the doors? 395 00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:18,560 I've got my church. It's not the church that saves 396 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:20,440 us Christ. Neither is our salvation in any 397 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:21,760 other. For there's no other name under 398 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:24,840 heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. 399 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:31,680 It's only through Christ that we can begin to know and experience 400 00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:36,040 all of God's attributes, His peace, his pardon, his power, 401 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:39,640 his provision. Luther said this Christ died for 402 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:43,120 me. Christ made his righteousness 403 00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:45,160 mine. So the question is, are you 404 00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:47,760 depending on Christ's righteousness? 405 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:53,800 And then Luther said, and Christ made my sin his own with it's 406 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:56,840 guilt, it's punishment. And if that is true, then he 407 00:27:56,840 --> 00:28:00,160 says I'm a free man. I don't have any sin. 408 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:03,560 So I, I asked this, what is your safe place? 409 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:09,760 Maybe you're saying, but I feel safe at home when you're near 410 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:14,960 the safe place, but he is safe in the House of God. 411 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:19,480 Margarita told her son Ali that she wanted to go home. 412 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:25,040 He told her, well, you can't come home to 18 killing your 413 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:27,120 gardens. And she says no, I don't mean 414 00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:30,760 that home. I want to go home to heaven was 415 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:34,840 not great assurance. What are you trusting and not 416 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:39,000 riches, not self righteousness, not not religious observances, 417 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:41,160 not the church. You see those that trust in 418 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:43,120 these things forget this that one day they'll die. 419 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:48,520 They forget that death is already at work within they they 420 00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:50,240 forget that death is all around us. 421 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:54,320 They forget that we are but a a step away from death and there's 422 00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:57,920 no safeguard against death because of sin. 423 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:02,000 And there's only one safe place in the day of your death, and 424 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:06,240 that's the day in Christ. And I asked, is this true of 425 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:09,000 you? Very quickly, the subjects of 426 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,640 the tower, if you go back to our text, it says the righteous, 427 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:18,440 righteous in Christ, righteous in contrast to the ungodly and 428 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:20,640 the unsaved. The righteousness, of course, of 429 00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:23,120 those who are truly saved, born again and washed in Christ's 430 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:26,480 blood, who have a full free and justification forever. 431 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:31,160 Who can say the Lord is my righteousness, The righteousness 432 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:34,000 of God that's planted in regeneration, the righteousness 433 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:36,840 of God that's imputed in justification, the righteousness 434 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:39,160 of God that's imparted in sanctification? 435 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:42,520 A very, very big subject. 3 sermons would be needed to deal 436 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:45,680 with that. This is not for everyone. 437 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:49,080 This is a reference to the true people of God. 438 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:51,320 The name of the Lord is a strong tower. 439 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:54,800 The righteous runneth unto it. Are you among the righteous 440 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,560 today? I want to ask you a true child 441 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:01,760 of God, do you know God's not the children of all men? 442 00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:06,120 We're not all children of God. Yes, we've been created by God. 443 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:09,640 Yes, we're dependent on God and God we move and live in a being. 444 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:12,200 Yes, we're accountable to God, but we're not all God's 445 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:14,240 children. We're created, but we're not all 446 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:16,760 God's children. See, children have to be born 447 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:19,000 into your family. Have you been born into God's 448 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:24,920 family by the Holy Spirit? Remember John chapter one verse 449 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:29,280 12 tells us, but as many as receive him to them giving the 450 00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:34,640 power that the word power means the right to become the children 451 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:40,440 of God, even to them that believe on his name and I asked 452 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:44,720 again, is that true of you? The subjects of that are not 453 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:48,160 just the similitude of the tower and the security of the tower. 454 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:51,880 Think of the subjects, the righteous, and ask yourself, am 455 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:55,240 IA true child of God. Very quickly as we finish, think 456 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:59,520 about the Sprint to the tower. The righteous runneth into it. 457 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:04,640 Notice the word runneth. Not walk, not drag feet, not be 458 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:08,560 slothful. The righteous man realises he's 459 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:12,760 being attacked, he's being pursued by the enemy, he's in 460 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:16,360 danger, he's in mortal danger. Doesn't say he walks, doesn't 461 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:19,120 say he strolls along, doesn't say he has a wee shunter with 462 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:22,520 his hands in his pockets. No, he, he doesn't dilly dally. 463 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:25,720 He's not delaying here. Should I go in or should I not 464 00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:29,200 go in? No, he, he runneth present 465 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:32,960 continuous tense. He sees the difficulty. 466 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,640 Do you see the difficulty in the physical realm? 467 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:41,840 You know, in life's journey? Job said this man that was born 468 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:45,320 of woman is a few days and full of trouble as the sparks fly 469 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:50,360 upward a few days. Life is short and full of 470 00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:52,080 trouble. As the sparks fly upward, 471 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:57,280 there's the sorrow of life. And did Job not know all this by 472 00:31:57,280 --> 00:32:00,560 experience? And is this not true of the life 473 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:04,480 of the people of God? On the journey through this 474 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:09,520 weary land, we often face times where we feel we're going into 475 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:13,400 trouble, we're going through trouble or or we're coming up 476 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:17,120 out of great troubles. You see, it's not easy here. 477 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:19,880 The people of God are going to be tested in the world. 478 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:21,880 Ye shall of tribulation. Be of good cheer. 479 00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:24,280 I've overcome the world. You're going to be tried. 480 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:27,960 There's going to be persecution and opposition and there'll be 481 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:30,680 tears and there'll be danger and difficulties. 482 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:33,560 There'll be distresses, there'll be disappointments. 483 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:36,800 This, this world at times can be a veil of tears. 484 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:39,160 See some of you now. You're going through 485 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:43,080 difficulties, aren't you? You're you're not sleeping, 486 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:48,200 you're worried sick about yourself and your family. 487 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:52,320 You can't seem to get peace into your mind. 488 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:57,840 I want to say to you today in the difficulties in the physical 489 00:32:57,840 --> 00:33:01,760 realm, no matter what's happening in your body or goes 490 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:06,680 on in your mind, there's a place of refuge, there's a place you 491 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:09,440 can run to, there's a hiding place. 492 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:13,840 The right just runneth into it. Sprint to the tower. 493 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:18,320 Hide in the character of God, the covenant of God. 494 00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:22,080 Hide in the Christ of God. What about dangers in the 495 00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:25,760 spiritual realm? The Bible warns us. 496 00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:30,160 Flee from the wrath to come. We live in a world where we're 497 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:32,960 suffering the attacks of the world, the flesh and the devil. 498 00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:37,240 The devil uses arrows against us. 499 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:42,400 Weapons, discouragement, discord, doubt, depravity. 500 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:46,360 People get afraid. People are are worried, people 501 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:49,440 are are flabbergasted with what's going on in the world. 502 00:33:49,760 --> 00:33:53,600 And they look at things from the outside eye and they get so 503 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:58,200 discouraged. I was thinking, whenever that 504 00:33:58,200 --> 00:34:02,440 trumpet sounds, when that bell goes off, where do I want to be? 505 00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:05,160 I want to be as close to the door as possible. 506 00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:11,120 I want to work close to the Tower, close to Christ. 507 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:17,080 Let me tell you this wee story as we finish In New Zealand 508 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:21,600 there was a gospel mission held. Evangelist came to a certain 509 00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:25,120 church and there was a man not known for attendance. 510 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:29,639 He attended that mission and got gloriously saved. 511 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:36,000 One week to the day when he got saved, there was news came to 512 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:42,159 the minister and the evangelist that this man's wife, who sadly 513 00:34:42,199 --> 00:34:46,840 had suffered for years of mental illness, she murdered her own 514 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:52,360 little children in their beds. She took her own life. 515 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:57,880 And that pastor and that evangelist, they were broken for 516 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:00,480 that brother. They spent a wee time in prayer 517 00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:05,040 and then they went to see him. They knocked on the door and the 518 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:09,480 man opened the door and he was sobbing and this is what he 519 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:15,440 said. I'm so glad I came to Jesus last 520 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:20,120 Tuesday. See, that's the difference 521 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:23,920 Christ makes. The name of the Lord is a strong 522 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:27,440 tower. The righteous runneth into it 523 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:31,920 and is safe. And I just want to point out in 524 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:36,600 conclusion, if you look at the margin of the Bible, that word 525 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:41,800 safe, it literally means in the Hebrew set aloft. 526 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:45,080 We could think about the setting of the tower. 527 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:48,520 It's set forth in a prominent place. 528 00:35:48,920 --> 00:35:53,440 And those that are inside that tower, they're set aloft, that 529 00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:58,720 they're lifted up on high by means of the tower in the place 530 00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:01,600 of danger. When the church is under attack, 531 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:04,120 the Christian is under attack. When the children are all 532 00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:08,160 attacked and the enemies below, let's remember we're above the 533 00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:11,240 enemy. We have safety, certainty, 534 00:36:11,240 --> 00:36:13,040 enjoyment because we're in Christ. 535 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:16,280 We've been lifted up in Christ into the heavenly places and the 536 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:19,880 Lord lifts up his people. He not only sets forth himself 537 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:24,240 as a hiding place, but he sets us aloft to see the enemy below 538 00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:29,960 lifted up and elevated in Christ. 539 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:32,440 Here's these sweet truths about the tower. 540 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:37,800 Think of it's similitude. Think of it's security, think of 541 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:42,760 the subjects, think of sprinting and thinking of the setting 542 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:47,880 forth of the tower. The Lord bless you today. 543 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:50,760 May the Lord apply His word to all our hearts. 544 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:51,040 We're going.