Place of Refuge

The Days of Noah

"So now it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them." (Genesis 6:1)

When I read this, I thought of Noah. Everyone knows Noah — whether you're a believer or a non-believer, whether you've been in church all your life or you've never been to church, you probably know the story of Noah's ark. The baby pictures and the children's Bibles portray this colourful ark with giraffes walking two by two.

But the actual context of what was going on in life was a really tough time. It was hatred on the earth, full of evil.

"Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5)

"The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence." (Genesis 6:11)

A Picture of Our Times

Verse one says that as people multiplied, as the population expanded — in the same way today, our population is expanding. Europe has expanded quite largely over a short period of time. There's been such immigration into Europe, plus the birth rate going up in certain sections. And the truth is, the days are getting worse and worse — more and more evil people.

We talk about the end times, "like in the days of Noah." Some people have the idea that it's going to get better. I think the Bible points to it getting much worse before it gets better. Whether you experience the fullness of that or not, who knows? But the truth is, we're all going to go through difficult times.

When you read Genesis, it's like you're reading the newspaper today. It feels like there's no hope. The children's Bibles give you this lovely picture — a nice sunny day, Mr. Giraffe and Mrs. Lion walking next to each other, Noah with his white beard waving to everybody. But in truth, God's judgment was coming upon the earth. It wasn't such a nice time.

But Noah Found Grace

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." (Genesis 6:8)

The first thing I'd say from that: you can't earn grace. God gives it and you find it. Every single one of us in this room sitting here as a born-again believer, following Jesus and saying Jesus is Lord — it's because God sent grace and we found it. It's not because we earned it. There's nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven.

I've said this many times, and I never want it to be mistaken. I talk a lot about, "Come on, church, let's get going. Let's put our effort in. Let's make a difference in this world." To someone that doesn't know the other things I say, it can seem like a works-based salvation. It's not that at all.

Fruit, Not Works

Ephesians says that God has prepared good works in advance for us to do. So there are good works for us to do. It is by our fruits that people will know who we are. It's not that you need to show good fruit to prove that you're saved. It's because you are saved that these fruits start to come.

"A bad tree cannot bear good fruit, and a good tree cannot bear bad fruit."

Your lifestyle cannot be, "I'm running in this direction" if Jesus is running in that direction. It might be that I'm slow in my walking in the same direction as Jesus. It might be that sometimes I'm hobbling, but I'm always going in his direction. It can never be, "I'm running over here, Jesus is over there, but I'm going this way because I want to do what I want to do."

That is not the fruit of a Christian. Because Christianity is not "my will be done" but "your will be done." That's what being a Christian is.

The Church as a Family

It's not about having a title. It's not about "I go to church on a Sunday." You know me, I bang the drum about consistency in church. You might think, "She just wants a full church." Yes, I do want a full church for numerous reasons.

When those on the outside look in and see a full church, they think, "Those people really believe." When you've got an empty church, people coming in from the outside might say, "They don't even turn up. They don't even believe." So yeah, I want to see full, vibrant places — not just LBC. Every congregation up and down the nation, around the world. I want the church to be full, because it's full of grace, full of hope, full of love. We're the family of Christ.

Marriage as a Picture

Me and Helen, we're leading this marriage course. Would we go on a marriage course? Yes, we would if it would help strengthen our marriage. Because we want to put in. Because we've got this goal.

In the garden, you had Adam and Eve, and Eve was given as a helper to help Adam tend the garden. That's a great picture for a married couple: You've been given a job — this is the mission — and now God has given you a helper, and together you go.

When we go to the marriage conference, it will be a time underpinned with love. It doesn't matter if me and Helen have an argument, we're not going to turn our backs on each other. We've been put together.

Pinned Together by Love

As the church, it shouldn't matter if we have little arguments or fallouts. We've been pinned together with this love that runs through — one body, one Lord, one baptism, one Spirit.

Too often the church is shaken because of disunity, arguments, and little cliques. We need to do away with all those kinds of things, because it's not the fruit. The outside world is full of violence and evil. This place needs to be a place of refuge for the community out there.

We can't be arguing amongst ourselves. If we fall out, if we have disagreements, we can't just spit our dummy out the pram and throw the toys out. Then we're no different to the world. We've got to brush ourselves down and talk it through.

A bit of advice: if there's any issues among you, don't talk about it to your mate or to your neighbour. Go to your brother, go to your sister, go with love. Remember, we're underpinned with this whole foundation of love. We're connected by one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one baptism, one hope, one Jesus.

"By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." — Jesus

A Place of Refuge

Everybody's different. Every single one of you will do things differently. Me and Helen have got our own way — we banter a lot. In the early days, our banter back and forth is what really helped, because people were coming in who had a religious idea of church. When they saw that we weren't professionals — the guy's got a tattoo on his neck, bald head, ex-drug dealer, ex-drug addict — it was like, "They're just normal people."

We're going to be full of different people. You'll have different backgrounds and different ways of relating. Love has to underpin everything that we do, because when the outside world looks in — and they are coming in, and they're going to come in more and more — we need to be a city of refuge.

For the Hurting

And for the broken people that have left churches, people that have been hurt by church — think of Judas. Judas had the best pastor, the best teacher, the best everything, and it didn't help him. So you can have the best church, the best pastor, and still not be great. I'm not saying every time someone leaves a church, it's the church's fault or the pastor's fault.

But in the middle of that, whether it's their fault or the church's fault, you've got a person who needs a place of refuge. A person needing to get their life back on track with God. A person that has tasted of the glories of God, has experienced church as it should be, and then had an experience where it shouldn't have been.

I want us to be a place of refuge — not just for the person that's been hurt in church, but for those that have never been to church, for those that don't know Christ. They come in here and find mercy. They come in here and find love. They come in here and find hope.

Stop Talking, Start Doing

There are things in you that you feel God is calling you to do. You can sit there for the next five years and keep talking about it, or you can keep attending a prayer meeting and praying about it — or we can get on with it and do it.

When I push you, when I challenge you, when I'm saying "Go on, go for it," it's not because that's what saves you. You're saved because you chose Christ. You're saved because you said, "It's no longer my will, but your will." But along the way, we do need encouragement, because sometimes we become complacent.

Grace and Judgment Together

"Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more." (Romans 6:20)

Many ancient stories of the flood are spoken about by different people groups, but the Bible stands different to every other explanation. Every other explanation of this worldwide flood was that the gods were angry with mankind.

Now, you can read that into this — God was angry with mankind. He looked at mankind, saw only evil in their heart, and thought, "What have I done?" He could have wiped us all out and started a new creation. But grace and hope come into the story at this stage.

Every other flood story is the gods versus humankind, the wrath of God wiping out this creation. They have different stories of who was rescued, but never because of the mercy of God — never because there was hope, a lifeboat ready for a family to be saved. If anything, it's by luck. But there is no luck when it comes to God. Those coincidences we see all the time — when you're a follower of Jesus, they seem to be less coincidences and more God-incidences.

Both Sides of the Gospel

The flood story highlights God's judgment. God still corrects. Because if all you've got is the love of God, you've got an unbalanced gospel.

At the end of time, we will stand before Jesus and give an account of our lives. For the believer, you'll hear, "Come in, my good and faithful servant," and you'll stand before God more about the rewards and the crowns you offer down to him, rather than the judgment side of "Away from me, I do not know you." But we will all stand before the just judge, Jesus.

The gospel shows the love of God all the way through, but also the judgment side of God all the way through. You need both together:

• If you only have judgment, you'll be so fearful. Every time you make a mistake: "Oh, I'm lost again. I need to give my life to Jesus." In and out, in and out.
• If you only have the love of God and no judgment, you'll be doing whatever you want because "God loves me," and you'll find yourself drifting away.

The Warning of Samson

I talked about Samson yesterday at the men's ministry. One of the saddest verses I came across in the Bible was Judges 16:20.

Samson had just spoken with Delilah. Four times he goes to Delilah, and four times she says, "Tell me what your greatest strength is." He tells her something that's not the truth. She ties him up and says, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you." And he just breaks free. This goes on four times until finally he says, "It's my hair." She gets him to sleep and shaves off his hair.

"I will go out as before at other times and shake myself free. But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him." (Judges 16:20)

Samson had lived in compromise for so long that he'd misinterpreted the delay of God's correction — he just thought he could keep doing it.

Placing Ourselves in Temptation

His whole life was like that. He had a Nazirite vow — he shouldn't have anything to do with grapes or wine. Yet one of the first things we find about Samson is he goes down to the vineyards of Timnah.

I'm not saying he's not allowed to be there. All I'm saying is it's a little picture for us as Christians: we know we're not meant to be somewhere, and yet we go there. All we do is put temptation in front of ourselves.

In the same verse, it says, "And suddenly a young lion came out roaring." He's in a place he shouldn't be, and a lion appears. In the New Testament, we see that the enemy is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

If you place yourself in temptation constantly, eventually a young roaring lion will come out. If you put your head in the lion's mouth, eventually he will close his mouth.

A lot of these things are our choices. A lot of these things is wisdom.

Not Works-Based, but Active

This world is so full of evil, so much corruption. That's why it's so important that we are a place of refuge. That's why it's so important that we are strong in our faith. That's why it's so important that you don't just come to church on a Sunday, listen to a 40-minute sermon, and think, "That's it. I've done my week."

This is why I press on you:

• Pick up your Word.
• Don't have six months off church every year.
• Don't be in church one week, out for three, in for one, out for two.
• Get some consistency.

It's not because it's works-based. Genesis 6:8 — we found grace. Not one of you should ever say that in LBC we teach a works-based gospel. Why? Because we keep going back to verse eight: "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord."

It's the grace of God. But with that, now we go work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Now we go and continue the good work.

"Go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

There is a command to go, to action. If we sit, people perish. If we don't do, then who tells them? "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." We must share. We must do. Any good army is going to advance. The kingdom of God is forcefully advancing, the Bible says.

Come Into the Ark

"Then the Lord said to Noah, 'Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.'" (Genesis 7:1)

Notice — "Come into the ark." What does that imply? If you were going to invite someone into your house, you'd say, "Come in." If you were outside, you'd say, "Go in." So that picture shows me God's in the ark, and he says, "Come into the place of refuge."

Is God in this place? Because if God's not in this place, we are just a community centre. If God is not in this place, we are wasting our time gathering together. Go gather in a place where God is.

"Where two or three are gathered in Christ's name, that's where Christ will be."

Unity Brings Blessing

Unity, I believe, is key. Psalm 133 talks about "where brothers dwell together in unity" — that's where God commands a blessing. When we dwell together as one, there's a blessing in that.

When the outside world sees our united love, Jesus said, "Love one another, that when they look at you, they might know that you're my disciples." A place of refuge. Come in. God's in the house. If God's not in the house, they might as well stay outside.

Cities of Refuge

There were six Levitical cities Moses was instructed to make places of refuge. If you'd committed accidental manslaughter, the avenger of blood — the family member of the person you'd killed — would come after you, eye for an eye. So a city of refuge was put in place so you could find security and legal protection until the right time when the trial could take place.

There's a story in the Bible about someone chopping wood and the axe-head flew off and hit someone in the head and killed them. If there were no witnesses, no one would believe that — you'd think, "You've murdered." So they'd be killed. But in a city of refuge, that person would be protected, ready for a trial.

This needs to be a place of refuge where people can come. There's going to be a trial one day — at the end of our lives we're going to stand before the judge. But until we get to that place, this needs to be a city of refuge — a place where they find protection, love, truth, and good examples of people living out the gospel.

Gang Mentality Led by the Holy Spirit

You cannot love too much. When one of us suffers, we all suffer. That's what the Bible says. When one rejoices, we all rejoice. We should be a people that says, "That's my brother. That's my sister."

In the early days in Oldbury, coming out of my old lifestyle, we used to say "gang mentality." When I came to faith, what I did was I joined a gang. I left one gang for the next gang. That's how my thinking was.

Gang mentality is a picture of the church — we're a family:

• You pick on my brother, you pick on me.
• You pick on my sister, you pick on me.
• I've got your back, you've got my back.

That's what family is. That's a definition of a gang: coming together, supporting one another, being there through the good times and the bad.

The Knives in My Back

For some of you that lived a certain life like mine — you know what really was my biggest issue when I came to church? I found more of a family back in my old life than I did when I came into church.

I remember when I wasn't a Christian, someone pulled a knife out on me and one of my mates stood in the way and said, "If you're going to go through him, you're going to go through me first." He ended up in hospital for that. But he stood in the way.

When I started going to church, if I'm honest, the only knives I found were in my back. That's the way it felt. I went through just thinking I preferred it in my old life, with the family feel. But the truth is, that was just a form of what we can have in here. It's a lie from the enemy. But there are some characteristics I want to bring from there into here.

Imagine It

Imagine gang mentality directed by the Holy Spirit. We'd be unstoppable. The church would be unstoppable.

When I went to Brazil, I went into one of the favelas to preach. My interpreter didn't want to come in with me, but we made it happen. They had automatic machine guns — a couple of them just walking down the street. I thought, "This is a little bit different to what I expected." But that brotherhood — "we're together, he's got my back, I've got his back, we'll go out in a blaze of glory if we have to."

What happens in the church if somebody came at us? Half of us would run. We wouldn't stand our ground. We wouldn't say, "I've got your back. I'm with you. I'm in the trenches with you. Let's dig down deep and let's fight together."

Richard Wurmbrand, who was thrown into prison for what he went through — I want men and women like him around me. Ones that wouldn't give me up. Ones that would suffer torture because I'm his brother. I want that kind of mentality to grow in the church.

One of us has been in hospital — hopefully she gets out today. We should be in the trench with her. It shouldn't just be, "Yeah, he's mates with Matty." It should be everyone. That's the essence, the DNA of the church — gang mentality with the Holy Spirit leading us.

A Community Worth Belonging To

We need to be a place of refuge that provides a safe and protected place for the lost, but also for the body of Christ to say, "This is a community I want to be part of. I can't wait to get to church on Sunday and see my mates."

Obviously our main reason for going to church is to worship God. But wouldn't it be good if you actually had friends here? Wouldn't it be good if you said, "These are my best friends. I can't wait to get to church. When it's prayer evening, I'm going to war — the gang's coming on Wednesday."

Whatever your terminology, don't get upset by mine. Use your terminology, but get the picture. That's what it was in the early church. I want us to be an early church. I want us to represent the book of Acts. Lord, give us more boldness.

We're in the Minutes Now

"As it was in the days of Noah" — that's what the end times will look like. I'm not quiet in saying it anymore: I think we're in the last minutes now.

We know a day is like a thousand years. There is no time limit I can give. All I'm saying is, if we were in the last days when we were in the Bible, we've gone past the last hour. We're in minutes. How long is minutes? I don't know. But the church needs to be together, because if we're not together, we shall not stand when the tough times come. Take end times out of it — we shall not stand when it gets difficult in our own lives, because we're going to default all the time.

Refuge Throughout Scripture

• Rahab hid the spies under her roof — a city of refuge against the king of Jericho.
• Moses was put in a basket — the same Hebrew word used for Noah's ark. Moses was put in a little ark, a little place of refuge.
• Joseph and Mary fled with Jesus to Egypt when Herod sought to kill the children. There's a preach in that — they took refuge in Egypt, though Israel was later delivered from Egypt. Place of refuge all the way through the Bible.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)

"The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." (Psalm 46:7)

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil... his rod and his staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23)

David in the Cave of Adullam

David is a great example. The cave of Adullam — what a great example of a place of refuge. He goes and takes refuge in this cave. What happens? 400 people later on will follow him — people that are riddled in debt, anxieties, worries. The mighty men. Some would be in the Bible as great warriors, yet at that time they went in with their tails between their legs into the cave of Adullam.

But out of that place, David got so much inspiration. When it felt like the world was against him, when King Saul was trying to kill him, he gets such growth in that cave. Many of the psalms were written because of his time in that place of refuge.

In the same way, many psalms, many stories, many testimonies are going to be written because people come into this city of refuge.

400 Isn't Even Impressive

David in a cave, 400 men follow him. Why not take 400 from this estate? That's not even impressive. Think how many people go to Asda on a Sunday morning. Think how many people go to watch Villa on a Sunday afternoon — 46,835 to be precise. Think how many people go to watch Birmingham. No, actually, two or three go there.

It's not that impressive — 400 people. But for each individual person, it is impressive, because it's life-changing. Whether we reach 10 people or 400, it doesn't matter. We're going to reach as many as possible.

Faith and Action Together

We're not just going to be a community centre that dishes out food and doesn't tell them about Jesus. We can dish out food as long as we tell them about Jesus. We can help with all their physical needs, but if we don't tell them about Jesus, then it was pointless.

James talks about faith and action working together. Faith and action must work together. But make sure when we do the action, people know why we do the action.

I don't mean be some nutty Christian walking down the street who says hello and immediately: "Jesus loves you!" I don't think that's the best way to throw Jesus into the first thing in every conversation. Some of you may disagree with me. You do it the way you've got to do it. I'll do it the way I've got to do it.

But what we don't want to do is be silent. If you get told, "You always talk about Jesus, you too much" — I'd prefer to have a church full of "too much" people than a church of mute, "I won't tell anyone about Jesus" people.

Different Styles, One Heart

Me, I like to ease Jesus in. I like to show people I'm a follower of Jesus. I'm not one that runs straight up and says, "The blood of the Lamb, he set you free!" We've all got a different way. We're all going to be called to reach different people. We need every style, every character. There is no right or wrong way.

For some of us, we worship loud, so much in worship. Others are quiet and timid. Neither is wrong — both are right if the heart is right. In the same way, when you deliver the message, whether you're in their face throwing water on them, if that's you and the heart is right, go for it. If you're a little bit more reserved, as long as the heart is right, that's right.

We're not going to be a church of mute people. We are unashamed of the gospel.

The Lord Shut Him In

"So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him, and the Lord shut him in." (Genesis 7:16)

I like that, because it's God that closes the doors.

Taking a little principle from it: it's not our responsibility to disqualify anyone from salvation. We do not decide who is saved and who isn't. It is ours to share the kingdom of God. It is ours to share the gospel.

Whether the person seems completely lost — that they'd never turn — whether that person has been so horrible to you, whatever it is, we do not disqualify anyone from hearing the gospel. We tell everyone the truth. It is God that opens the door. It is God that shuts the door.

The pressure is not on you. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts man of sin. If I can convince you to be a Christian today, the devil can unconvince you tomorrow. But if the Holy Spirit grabs hold of you, everything changes. You can never deny.

God Remembered Noah

God said to Noah, "Come in." Noah and his family come in. God shuts the door and off he goes — the waters came down.

"Then God remembered Noah and every living thing and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided." (Genesis 8:1)

God remembered Noah. God's not going to forget any single one of us in this room. We can have confidence that we serve a God who said, "Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you."

The only thing he forgets — the Bible says he remembers your sin no more, as far as the east is from the west. All those that have genuinely said, "Lord, forgive me. Not my will, but your will. I turn from my old life, I walk to you" — God doesn't hold those sins and try to remind you of your past.

The only one that tries to remind you of your past is the enemy. But when the enemy tries to remind you of your past, you remind him of his future — because Revelation says the lake of fire awaits for him.

He Never Forgets

• Joseph was in prison when all of a sudden the cupbearer remembered. God knows when to make someone remember.
• Abraham at Sodom and Gomorrah — "And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham." (Genesis 19:29)
• Rachel — "Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb." (Genesis 30)
• Israel in Egypt — "So God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, with Jacob." (Exodus 2)

I could keep doing scripture after scripture: God remembered. God never forgets.

But Judges chapter 8 says the children of Israel remembered not the Lord. That's the issue. The issue is not with God. God never forgets us. God never forgets his promises. But we have a tendency to have selective memory at times.

Don't Have a Selective Memory

Church, let's not be people that forget. We have been put here for a reason. We're going to be a city of refuge — a place where the lost can come, whether hurt from other churches or hurt from past experience in church.

This is not against other churches. We are one body. But people do get hurt in other congregations, and we want to be a place of healing and help for them, and for the lost out there, and for you, the body of Christ already.

The only way we can do this — if someone needs our help, let's help them. If they're in the body of Christ, they should get our help. They don't need to ask. If there's someone in this church that is suffering — "if one suffers, we all suffer. If one rejoices, we all rejoice" — they don't need to ask us for help. We should be ready to offer.

Let it be that too many of us offer, that they get so fed up: "Just stop offering! Too many people." I'd prefer that than us not to help at all. I prefer to be loud than mute.

Amen.