En l’Éternel est mon refuge. Comment me dites-vous: Fuis dans vos montagnes, comme un oiseau? / In the LORD I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”? Psaume 11:1

CHRIST THE ROCK CONGREGATION

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 20^TH 2022

Sermon by Pastor Marc E Simeon

C’est en l’Éternel que je cherche un refuge. Comment pouvez-vous me dire: Fuis dans vos montagnes, comme un oiseau? /

In the LORD I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”? PSALM 11:1

Ps 11:1 ¶ Au chef des chantres. De David. C’est en l’Éternel que je cherche un refuge. Comment pouvez-vous me dire: Fuis dans vos montagnes, comme un oiseau?

2 Car voici, les méchants bandent l’arc, Ils ajustent leur flèche sur la corde, Pour tirer dans l’ombre sur ceux dont le cœur est droit.

3 Quand les fondements sont renversés, Le juste, que ferait-il? –

4 ¶ L’Éternel est dans son saint temple, L’Éternel a son trône dans les cieux; Ses yeux regardent, Ses paupières sondent les fils de l’homme.

5 L’Éternel sonde le juste; Il hait le méchant et celui qui se plaît à la violence.

6 Il fait pleuvoir sur les méchants Des charbons, du feu et du soufre; Un vent brûlant, c’est le calice qu’ils ont en partage.

7 Car l’Éternel est juste, il aime la justice; Les hommes droits contemplent sa face.

(LSV)

Ps 11:1 ¶ <<To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.>> In the LORD I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?

2 For look! The wicked bend their bow, They make ready their arrow on the string, That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.

3 If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?

4 ¶ The LORD is in His holy temple, The LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.

5 The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind Shall be the portion of their cup.

7 For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.

INTRODUCTION

• Have you ever been in a situation that demanded courage to stand while your entire being was telling you to run?
• When I was little, I had a group of friends who used to love to fight.
• Whenever a kid fought he had the possibility of being beaten twice; one by his opponent and the other by his parents if they found out.
• It was hard to know for which of the two reasons some kids were avoiding fighting.
• Upon one of these confrontations. One of my friends told another friend. “Di-m ann alé! [tell me “let’s go”]. Lol
• The other friend maliciously refused to say it because he wanted to witness the fight.
• We all have moments in life when we feel like running away for safety’s sake, yet if we do, we may commit a greater mistake.
• David said it best in Psalm 55
• Ps 55:6 Je dis: Oh! si j’avais les ailes de la colombe, Je m’envolerais, et je trouverais le repos; 7 Voici, je fuirais bien loin, J’irais séjourner au désert; -Pause.
• Ps 55:6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.7 Indeed, I would wander far off, And remain in the wilderness. Selah

• Job 14:13 “Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! (NKJV)
•  13 Oh! si tu voulais me cacher dans le séjour des morts, M’y tenir à couvert jusqu’à ce que ta colère fût passée, Et me fixer un terme auquel tu te souviendras de moi! (LSV)

• In Psalm 11 the big difficulty was found in the beginning of the psalm.
• “In the Lord I put my trust”
• This is not a casual statement; the course of your thinking, actions and reactions must be girded by that very declaration if indeed your trust is put upon the Lord.
• To flee from danger is not appropriate in all circumstances.
• To flee from danger while leaving your family behind is not appropriate for a man or a woman in some instances.
• To flee from danger when you are the captain of the ship is not appropriate, in fact, it is a criminal offense.
• To flee from a bully when you are accompanied by your parents is not appropriate.
• To flee out of fear when you have the Almighty God on your side is indeed insulting.
• When faced with real danger, that’s the way our faith is really tested. The lip service of allegiance that we offer to God must be authenticated in times of despair.
• After witnessing the spectacular space rope walking in a circus, the crowd of spectators was asked if they truly believed that the man can carry a person with him while crossing on the rope.
• They all shouted yes they believed, but when asked for a volunteer, no one approached.
• Many can attest their great trust in God in times of abundance and peace; the real test is to maintain that same faith in the presence of adversity.
• Last week Pastor Jean Claude talked about an unshakeable faith in unforeseen moments in life exemplifying the life of Job.
• Each time you flee, you are telling God that you don’t think that He can handle the level of the challenges you are facing.
• Ezra had to deal with a similar situation.
• After he was handed a great amount of wealth and treasures to go back to rebuild his nation Israel. Soon thereafter, Ezra became concerned about the safety of the journey.
• The fear of assassination nearly gripped Ezra.
• Ezra knew that if he displayed his fear to the king, it would automatically dismiss the faith that he generated in the king for God and for God’s servants.

Ezras 8: 21-23

Ezr 8:21 ¶ Là, près du fleuve d’Ahava, je publiai un jeûne d’humiliation devant notre Dieu, afin d’implorer de lui un heureux voyage pour nous, pour nos enfants, et pour tout ce qui nous appartenait.

22 J’aurais eu honte de demander au roi une escorte et des cavaliers pour nous protéger contre l’ennemi pendant la route, car nous avions dit au roi: La main de notre Dieu est pour leur bien sur tous ceux qui le cherchent, mais sa force et sa colère sont sur tous ceux qui l’abandonnent.

23 C’est à cause de cela que nous jeûnâmes et que nous invoquâmes notre Dieu. Et il nous exauça.

Ezr 8:21 ¶ Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.

22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.”

23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.

• The faith in God that we profess must be evident in all our endeavors.
• To allow panic to rule the course of the trip back to Jerusalem would counter the impression that Ezra was trying to build in the king concerning his God.
• There are certain benefits that you may have to let go because it will convey the wrong message.
• There are certain ways that Christians may conduct themselves in the name of safety that can translate their lack of faith in God.
• A little boy walks in a classroom with a frog in his hand, the video footage shows how his teacher was screaming and running all over the place to avoid the boy because she has a dreadful fear of frogs.
• If she could only absorb that fear, she would spare the embarrassment that followed.

Pr 24:10 ¶ Si tu faiblis au jour de la détresse, Ta force n’est que détresse.

Pr 24:10 ¶ If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.

• Many are counting on mature Christians to live by what they preach and profess.
• In some instances, a Christian person can become the standard by which others differentiate right from wrong.
• When such a Christian succumbs to temptation and falls in sin, all of the observers will be confused and the Christian faith will know suffer a great blow.

POURQUOI ME CONSEILLEZ-VOUS DE FUIR? PSAUME 11 : 1

C’est en l’Éternel que je cherche un refuge. Comment pouvez-vous me dire: Fuis dans vos montagnes, comme un oiseau?

In the LORD I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?

• Be aware that Satan may use the people closest to you to steer you away from the will of God in times of trouble.
• They will come with appealing wisdom.
• They will be motivated by a pure interest to protect you.
• They may even tell you that they are sent by God.
• David had some faithless advisors in his life who sought to protect him from danger.
• They eclipsed God out of the equation.
• The best advice they could come up for David is to run for your life.
• People who love you may tend to dissuade you from following the will of God for your life.
• During his last trip to Jerusalem, Paul had true prophets of God who told him of the dangers that awaited him in Jerusalem. He still kept on going because he already discerned that the trip was in the will of God.
• Peter wanted to spare Jesus from the agony of the cross and Jesus rebuked him by saying: “Get thee behind me Satan.”
• In the name of safety many of us have walked away from the destiny that God had planned for us from all eternity.
• Nehemiah refused to flee when people told him to go hide in the temple.

Ne 6:10 ¶ Je me rendis chez Schemaeja, fils de Delaja, fils de Mehétabeel. Il s’était enfermé, et il dit: Allons ensemble dans la maison de Dieu, au milieu du temple, et fermons les portes du temple; car ils viennent pour te tuer, et c’est pendant la nuit qu’ils viendront pour te tuer.

11 Je répondis: Un homme comme moi prendre la fuite! Et quel homme tel que moi pourrait entrer dans le temple et vivre? Je n’entrerai point.

Ne 6:11 And I said, Am I the sort of man to go in flight? what man, in my position, would go into the Temple to keep himself safe? I will not go in.

• We all profess to have bold faith, but how many of us can really stand the test of our faith.
• When you read the following verse you can see why the temptation to flee was so great.

REASON FOR FLEEING

Ps 11:2 Car voici, les méchants bandent l’arc, Ils ajustent leur flèche sur la corde, Pour tirer dans l’ombre sur ceux dont le cœur est droit.

Ps 11:2 For look! The wicked bend their bow, They make ready their arrow on the string, That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.

• I know for sure that each time I hear of a church kidnapping in Haiti my interest to ever have a ministry in the country diminishes a great deal.
• The danger stated in verse 3 is not an illusion but reality.
• While the evildoers are truly aiming at the righteous to attack them unexpectedly, still the righteous cannot just flee as if God has lost control of the universe.
• That doesn’t mean that Christians are encouraged to ignore security concerned.
• It simply implies that the Children of God must always inquire of the Lord about their next move instead of just fleeing from danger out of fear.
• Sometime the Lord may ask you to hide, at other times God may ask you to hold your ground.
• Jesus had to maneuver his confrontations with the devil so that he would die in the timing of the Father.

Joh 14:30 Je ne parlerai plus guère avec vous; car le prince du monde vient. Il n’a rien en moi;

31 mais afin que le monde sache que j’aime le Père, et que j’agis selon l’ordre que le Père m’a donné, levez-vous, partons d’ici.

Joh 14:30 After this I will not say much to you, because the ruler of this world comes: and he has no power over me;

31 But he comes so that the world may see that I have love for the Father, and that I am doing as I am ordered by the Father. Get up, and let us go.

WHAT IS A RIGHTEOUS TO DO IN TIMES OF TROUBLE?

Ps 11:3 Quand les fondements sont renversés, Le juste, que ferait-il? – (LSV)

3 If the bases are broken down, what is the upright man to do? (BBE)

• Our trust in God is the foundation of our faith.
• If our faith stumbles in times of trouble, it will be proven that our faith in God was not legitimate.
• When our faith in God fails us, we begin to act like the heathens.
• We flee like everyone else.
• We worry like everyone else.
• We fear like everyone else.
• We doubt like everyone else.

REMEMBER THAT GOD IS ALWAYS IN CHARGE

Ps 11:4 ¶ L’Éternel est dans son saint temple, L’Éternel a son trône dans les cieux; Ses yeux regardent, Ses paupières sondent les fils de l’homme. 5 L’Éternel sonde le juste; Il hait le méchant et celui qui se plaît à la violence. (LSV)

Ps 11:4 ¶ The Lord is in his holy Temple, the Lord’s seat is in heaven; his eyes are watching and testing the children of men. 5 The Lord puts the upright and the sinner to the test, but he has hate in his soul for the lover of violent acts.

• Remember that all that we face in this life is nothing but a test.
• God is always watching over the sons of men.
• God knows the scopes of the operations of the enemy in minuscule detail.
• Satan can only do what God allows him to do.
• God is omnipresent meaning that nothing escapes the radars of God.
• God is omnipotent meaning that no enemy can overtake His children without His permission.
• God is omniscient meaning that no thought can be hidden from God.

THE JUDGMENT OF GOD WILL RAIN ON THE EVILDOERS

PS 11: 6 On the evil-doer he will send down fire and flames, and a burning wind; with these will their cup be full. (BBE)

6 Il fait pleuvoir sur les méchants Des charbons, du feu et du soufre; Un vent brûlant, c’est le calice qu’ils ont en partage. (LSV)

• God is impartial; his judgment will fall upon the evildoers and not upon the righteous.
• We all need to look at life from God’s optics and not men’s.
• The righteous need to anchor their faith in God and in his ultimate strength.
• The judgment of God will have its course and the righteous will be vindicated.

Ps 11:7 For the Lord is upright; he is a lover of righteousness: the upright will see his face. (BBE)

7 Car l’Éternel est juste, il aime la justice; Les hommes droits contemplent sa face. (LSV)

• When we face danger, we need to be reminded of the nature of God.
• God is upright in all that He does.
• God loves the righteous passionately.
• If God is testing your faith, your trials will all be controlled to match your strength.
• There is nothing but blessings for those who live uprightly before God.
• They will contemplate the face of God.
• The righteous will always have the last laugh.
• Ps 125:3 For the rod of sinners will not be resting on the heritage of the upright; so that the upright may not put out their hands to evil. (BBE)
• 3 Car le sceptre de la méchanceté ne restera pas sur le lot des justes, Afin que les justes ne tendent pas les mains vers l’iniquité. (LSV)

CONCLUSION

• God knows that prolonged exposure to evil can disorient his children so He set a term for each trial.
• Fleeing from trouble is always our first instinct, but to flee a trial while God was expecting you to endure is not only a sin, but a great defeat.
• Many of the blessings of God are wrapped with trouble. To escape the trials is to forgo your blessings.
• We always need to seek the face of God to know which course of action He expects us to take in each situation.
• Life is like a school; you cannot get to the next grade without the exams.
• Each time you flee for a test, know that the test will come back in a different form with greater intensity.
• You cannot just continue to flee as a way of life.
• Satan will prey on your faith if he knows that you are predisposed to flee in adversity.
• Remember the first part of verse 1. “In the Lord I put my trust,” therefore, I cannot just flee like birds as if God is powerless.
• Remember that serving God is not a “safety first” endeavor.
• Remember that nothing can separate you from the love of God.
• Remember that God always has the last say.

·    AMEN!