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Two Hiding Places
Text: Isaiah 32:2; Isaiah 28:17
Isaiah 32:2 – And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
Isaiah 28:17 – Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
I. INTRODUCTION
A. TWO HIDING PLACES
1. Two hiding places are brought before us here.
a. The one is a refuge of truth; the other is a refuge of lies.
(1) The one is a man; the other is an imagination.
(a) The first is a revelation from God; the second is an invention of man.
2. All men feel their need of a refuge of some kind or other, but all men are not equally safe in their place of refuge.
a. It is of vital importance that we should know the true from the false…
(1) The real from the imitation…
(a) The authentic from the ersatz.
3. It will be too late for the self-deceived to find out this distinction when their “refuge of lies” is being swept away.
a. Here, then, are some of the features of the true, God-appointed refuge…
II. BODY
A. CONSCIOUS SAFETY
1. The true refuge is the place of Conscious Safety.
a. “A man shall be an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest.”
(1) This “man” referred to here is none other than Jesus Christ Himself.
(a) He is a refuge from the wind and a shelter from the storm!
2. Those who have fled to the man Christ Jesus, as a refuge for the soul, are now being sheltered from the wind and tempest of sin and judgment.
a. The wind round about them may be as bitter and terrible as ever, but they are being saved from its power, and they know it.
(1) Can I get a witness in the house this morning?
(2) The true refuge – Jesus Christ – saves those who trust in Him!
(a) Proverbs 18:10 – The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
(b) Psalms 61:3 – For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
1) Psalms 61:3 (NLT) – For you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
2) Psalms 61:3 (TEV) – For you are my protector, my strong defense against my enemies.
3. Is your refuge – your protector – saving you from being turned aside by the sudden blasts of sin and the pressing storms of iniquity?
a. If your hiding-place – that in which you trust – is not sheltering you day by day, then your refuge is a refuge of lies.
B. FRIENDSHIP AND COMMUNION
1. The true refuge is the place of Friendship and Communion.
a. “A man shall be an hiding place.”
2. All those who have fled for refuge to the true hiding place are in the fellowship and friendship of the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. They are reconciled to God, and they are rejoicing in Him.
b. They know assuredly that God is their refuge and strength.
(1) Psalms 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
(2) Psalms 46:1 (NLT) – God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
(a) Psalms 62:7 – In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
(b) Psalms 62:7 (TEV) – My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter.
3. Does your hiding place bring you into contact and communion with God?
a. Does that in which you trust for salvation make Christ unspeakably precious to your soul?
4. If your refuge in not in Him, it is a refuge of lies that the judgment of hell shall destroy and the waters of desolation shall overflow and sweep away.
a. God’s only refuge for the sin-smitten souls of men is the Man who was smitten for sin.
(1) “Other refuge have I none!”
(a) Psalm 143:9 – I flee to Thee to hide me.
C. REST AND REFRESHING
1. The true refuge is the place of Rest and Refreshing.
a. “A man shall be…as rivers in a dry place.”
2. Those who have found the true refuge of the soul know of it and enjoy it, for they now drink the living waters of satisfaction.
a. In their place of hiding they find the source of abiding blessing.
(1) Their Rock of Refuge has become a Fountain of Delight!
(2) Here, everlasting springs and never-withering flowers abide.
3. They heard the Divine Call, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink….”
a. They obeyed, and found in Him salvation from the wind and the tempest of sin and wrath, and waters of cleansing and refreshing.
4. I wonder, this morning, does your hiding place bring cleansing for your soul, and yield refreshing streams for your thirsty heart?
a. If you are not happier and holier through that in which you trust for salvation, your hiding place is, in the sight of God, only a “refuge of lies.”
III. CLOSE
A. BRINGING IT HOME
1. If that so-called faith of yours is not saving you from your sins, and bringing a refreshing and gladness into your life, then it is a delusion.
a. It is not faith in Jesus Christ, for all that believe in Him are justified from all things.
2. A dying sinner was exhorted by his companion to “Hold on.”
a. “I am quite willing to hold on,” said the dying man, “if I knew what to hold on by.”
3. He had no Christ, and so, he had no hope, for all refuges of lies will be swept away.
B. ALTAR CALL
1. In what do you have hope today?
2. In whom do you find refuge?
3. Jesus wants to be your shelter from the storm…
4. Won’t you come?
