Proverbs

[0:00] As the Lord shall be pleased to help me, I shall call your attention to a subject you will find in the book of Proverbs, chapter 18 and the 10th verse.

[0:23] The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it and is saved.

[0:36] Chapter 18, the book of Proverbs and the 10th verse.

[0:53] It is not possible for you dear young people to have a proper realization of the responsibility that rests upon those whom God ordains to preach the gospel.

[1:10] How good it would be if you could realize it, that when one is addressing you, his chief concern is that you might be prepared to meet God.

[1:26] And you need to be prepared. I was sorry to learn during the day that one young man who was with us at our last young people's service, not one who came regularly but he was with us then, is now in eternity.

[1:50] And how did he enter it? Do you remember what the pastor's subject was? Behold, I have played the fool.

[2:04] Was that young man made wise unto salvation? Or did he go into eternity a fool?

[2:15] You might think about it. Because some of you dear young people hardly like to listen to what the pastor has got to say, which is for your eternal good.

[2:32] And you think in your minds when you can do as you like, you will listen to no more of it. You will just kick over the traces, the parental discipline, and do as you like.

[2:48] Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth. Let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth. But know thou that for all this God will bring thee into judgment.

[3:03] Every one of us should give an account unto God. And now that is a solemn consideration. The business of a pastor which is before God with whom he has to do, is to seek your eternal good, whether you desire it or not.

[3:24] And now I want us, the Lord, to help me to look at this subject. And I do hope I should be helped to say something that might be a help to you.

[3:42] And that from a two-fold viewpoint. I would like to encourage any of you dear young people, as I know some of you do, who are asking the way to Zion with your faces dither warned.

[3:58] Some of you do desire to have matters made right between your soul and God. And for you, this word is a word to encourage you to hope in God.

[4:15] The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runneth into it and is safe. But for any of you who should know that the name of the Lord is a strong tower, how often you have heard under Union Chapel roof, a refuge for sinners the gospel makes known and is found in the merits of Jesus alone.

[4:47] But then the value of a refuge consists in being inside it. You cannot know the shelter of it otherwise. It is often a matter that gives me searching of heart.

[5:02] Because you can sing about this refuge that Jesus Christ is, listen to sermon after sermon where he is set forth as such a refuge.

[5:13] You can know the whereabouts of the refuge. But if you live and die outside it and yet have lived your life in the vicinity of it, how very solemn that will be, hey, and you will be lost.

[5:33] I can think of no greater calamity and no words could ever describe it than to go down into eternal misery with the sound of the gospel trumpet ringing in your ears which tells you a refuge for sinners the gospel makes known and is found in the merits of Jesus alone.

[5:56] And listen, if God the Spirit reveal this to you, take refuge in Jesus, though hell should pursue. You shall know to your soul's peace the name of the Lord is a strong tower and the righteous runneth into it and is safe.

[6:19] And now I want to look at this subject from two or three viewpoints. And first of all, I would say something about the name of the Lord.

[6:30] And there is one beautiful declaration. His name shall be called Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins.

[6:48] And oh, what a name of the Lord is Jesus. Saviour. A Saviour and a great one.

[6:58] And what do you sometimes sing? They that in the Lord confide and shelter in his wounded side shall see all dangers overpast, stand every storm, and live at last.

[7:17] There is a word in the Psalms which says, And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee. For thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

[7:34] Oh, my heart is warm with good wishes and earnest desires for you dear young people in your eternal welfare. I would be oh so glad if you could know what is locked up in this word.

[7:52] There is locked up in it provision. And what provision it is. The provision of the rock of ages.

[8:06] The strong tower our text describes it. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. And then there is not only the provision of the strong tower.

[8:24] And remember at what a great cost the provision was made. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

[8:40] There is a lovely scripture which I wish you dear young people would enter into in the truth of it. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.

[8:56] There you see a blessed provision which God the Father made in the setting up of Jesus Christ as the mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus and thus he is declared to be a strong tower.

[9:17] No preacher can tell you how strong because he is as strong as verily God is verily man.

[9:29] He is almighty God and not just what you sometimes say I believe in almighty God maker of heaven and earth but you must go on and in his only son Jesus Christ our Lord and remember what you were singing about almighty God sighed human breath the Lord of life experienced death.

[10:04] Here is the provision of the strong tower but then think of the protection of it the righteous runneth into it and is safe I will tell you more about that a little later if all is well but then there is just one other thought which I wish you dear young people may know the truth of in your everyday life and that is the privilege to run into this strong tower and you can do it at any time anywhere remember that it is just faith as a grain of mustard seed put into practice sometimes under union chapel roof we sing a hymn that begins like this amid the sorrows of the way

[11:08] Lord Jesus teach my soul to pray and let me taste thy special grace and run to Christ my hiding place the Lord grant you might know the mercy of this provision and the protection afforded thereby and the privilege to make use of it by day and by night the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous runneth into it and is safe and now the name of the Lord think again of what I said I will quote it again his name shall be called Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins and now as a rule names given to people have got meanings especially so in the word of God but the names that are given to people which have meanings do not always be manifested in the people who have got the names they do not live according to what the name means sometimes the lives of some folk are just a travesty of what their name means you all know that

[12:47] Samuel means asked of God John means sent from God Moses means drawn out and you might think of Saul of Tarsus which means destroyer and when the grace of God was wrought in his heart his name was changed to Paul which means worker and what a worker for God he was with a capital W and he says we are laborers together with God and for the rest of his life when he was born again he labored with every jot and tittle of his soul's desire to do good and to set forth Jesus Christ as a saviour and a great one but to help you understand the name of the

[13:53] Lord is a strong tower and now in the Old Testament you read that when Israel of old at length went out of the wilderness journey into the land of promise God commanded that there should be so many cities of refuge built in places at special distances where they would be always get applicable for those who were refugees and needed the shelter the cities of refuge afforded but I have often admired the names given to these cities of refuge and you will find that the name of each city of refuge relates to Jesus Christ gives you some wondrous view of him as the refuge that he is as our text tells us a strong tower and now one city of refuge was named

[15:03] Bezer and that means stronghold and you read the Lord is good a stronghold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him and you read turn ye to the stronghold ye prisoners of hope so the name of the Lord is set forth like that as a stronghold a city of refuge then one city was named Ramoth which means exalted and you think if you like to remember if you can in the Acts of the Apostles him as God the Father highly exalted him and whenever I come up into the pulpit here or elsewhere deep down in my heart I like to think on a word in Isaiah he should be exalted and extolled and be very high and the name of the Lord is a strong tower the margin reading is the righteous runneth into it and is set aloft the psalmist speaks about

[16:30] Jesus Christ as a tower and he does not say strong tower no he says high tower and in that high tower you get vision what scenery you can see from a height which is hidden all together in the veil but when you are on an eminence then you can look afar and when a poor sinner young or old is helped to run into this strong tower that Jesus Christ is in his soul's feelings he is set aloft he is lifted up and he has a vision and he can see through all the vicissitudes of time and look right into eternity with a solemn awareness living and dying it should be well yes ramoth exalted then there is shechem and that means shoulder significant of strength and oh what a bearer of burdens is Jesus

[17:44] Christ how wonderful is the name of the Lord to poor sinners in a burdened state when they are helped to realize you have realized it some of you some of you have not yet realized it and some of you have no wish to do so a little talk with Jesus how it smooths life's rugged road how it cheers and helps me onward when I faint beneath my load you you find Jesus Christ as a refuge then like the city of shechem another name given to a city of refuge was kidash and that means holiness holiness and now the word of God says and without holiness no man shall see the Lord but when a poor sinner healing as he does a sinner unholy is helped to draw near to God following the text to run into this blessed strong tower that Jesus

[18:51] Christ is he is made holy in doing so because Jesus Christ makes known the holiness of his life his death his resurrection to that poor sinner and gives him an interest therein for time and eternity too so that all who dwell in this strong tower are said to be and they are a holy people remember that then we have another name for a city of refuge which is Hebron and now that means fellowship and I remind you of what godly John said truly our fellowship was with the father and with his son Jesus Christ and all who have the mercy to be made righteous and to run into this strong tower that the name of the Lord is oh they do have fellowship wondrous fellowship with each other what is called the unity of the spirit and one hymn writer sums it up like this thus may we abide in union with each other and the

[20:16] Lord and possess in sweet communion joys which earth cannot afford it is good to dwell in the city of refuge at Hebron and know that wondrous fellowship to be able to address God our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name to think of Jesus Christ and in your heart to declare my Lord and my God just one other name of the six cities of refuge and that was Golan and now that means joy and you will never know what joy is worth a name and remember joy worth a name must have permanence it must be everlasting joy and now all these people referred to in our subject as the righteous whether young or old as they are helped by grace divine to run into the strong tower that

[21:30] Jesus Christ is when they are inside their heart overflows with joy unspeakable and full of glory and they cannot put into words what that joy really is but it is a wonderful experience to dwell in Golan as a city of refuge find that Jesus Christ is your savior your God your friend much might be said along that line of thought but I must look at the subject from another viewpoint the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous runneth into it and is saved and now the next viewpoint I just touch on briefly is that there is such a need to be for a shelter for sinners one that will avail for time and eternity too

[22:32] I do hope many of you dear young people in secret do know what it is to seek to run into this strong tower if so be you might find shelter for time and eternity too let your consciences tell you how matters really are between your soul and God think of this strong tower and then remember that it is not only strong it is a great tower there is room in it for all that vast host hundreds of millions untold whom God the Father ordained to life eternal and who can tell but what God will be gracious to you Jesus is the door yet the sides are two inside outside which side are you and now think on it are you inside are you pressing

[23:45] God would if to be you might know the shelter of this strong tower or does your conscience still being in working order tell you that you are outside with no concern whatever to get inside and next month young people's service the past and might after name that one in this assembly in life's morning has gone out of time into eternity and where either have no hell I wish you would weigh these things up there it is too late here is this strong tower the name of the Lord here is the refuge for sinners which the gospel makes known the way to it is plain mercy's door is open wide to admit you surely surely you will be running into it ere it is too late do you remember one in writer

[24:57] Lord to thee I trembling run void of refuge and undone at thy feet I'll make my prayer ruined lost I'll perish there or that you might know what that experience is I have got something hidden up in my heart concerning some of you dear young people which I do not make known therefore I continually warn you and say what I hope God will use if it be his will for your good that you might have the mercy to be found inside the strong tower that the name of the Lord is and that you might not be cut down in life's mourning and die outside it remember that there is a need to be for this strong tower being provided it and you and I as sinners we do need a shelter from the storms of everyday life everyday life is very exact in nowadays and the world was never more wicked than it is nowadays and it will be yet more wicked still till the

[26:27] Lord in much mercy appears on behalf of his people and puts a stop to it which he ultimately will do as you live your life in the world without there is what you are by nature ever tending to corrupt you there is Satan watching all the while to gain some advantage over you and the world in which you live and move everywhere you go about in it has got that which is on the stretch to be with you therefore there is a very solemn need for such a shelter as this strong tower provides but then everything hinges on you being found inside it as I said at the outset not only so you need a shelter where your sin cannot find you out you remember that scripture be sure your sin will find you out and you know if some of your inner life was opened up for other folks to read it you would be afraid to go out the doors and meet a fellow creature but

[28:06] God knows all about the life you do live and he knows what you do and where you go which may be hidden from the nearest and dearest to you but God is aware of it and his word still says be sure your sin will find you out be not deceived God is not mocked whatsoever a man saw it that shall he also leave he that so with to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting yes but there is a place where your sin will not find you out because God will have blotted it out I remember long long years ago when I was a sinner and my sins had found me out and God said to me I will be merciful to your unrighteousness and your sins and your iniquities

[29:13] I will remember no more oh it was a great experience for a little while I dwelt in that city of refuge which I told you meant joy go land oh it is a great experience to have something from God to assure you that your sins are blotted out there is a lovely scripture I like to look at which sets that forth in the book of Jeremiah and he says in those days and in that time saith the Lord the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve through this man there is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins just one other thought each of us is journeying on through life to the end of it and when that end shall come we shall have to look death in the face if you never felt it before you will feel then that you need a shelter otherwise death will come to you as a terror but he does not come to these people who dwell in this strong power the name of the

[30:55] Lord as a terror no one hymn writer tells us how he does come and now his office is to wait between the saints and sin a porter at the heavenly gate to let the pilgrim in but be sure of this when your dying day should dawn you will solemnly feel then you need a shelter and if you have known nothing whatever about the subject I am giving you this little talk on the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous runneth into it and is safe you will be miserable beyond words to describe because you will be going into eternity unprepared and that means lost and you remember what I tell you sometimes as long as God shall God remain so long shall last hell's lingering pain so long the joys of heaven shall be oh long delights long misery then there is a day to dawn which will be the last day when time shall be no more and so those of us who try to preach and those who teach you desire to warn you to flee from the wrath to come and you will need a shelter such an one as

[32:38] God alone can provide when the world is in a blaze when civilization has collapsed altogether and that word is to be fulfilled we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of the deeds we have done in the body whether it be good or whether it be bad or that you might be brought to say rock of ages shelter me let me hide myself in thee and thus you would prove the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous runneth into it and is safe and now I look at the subject from yet another viewpoint and I hope this doesn't sound too much like a sermon but you must weigh these things up and prayerfully think on them as the Lord shall help you the name of the Lord is a strong tower and now thinking of the name of Jesus

[33:42] I would just take the word tower and give you one word setting forth what the name of Jesus is taking a letter at a time and now the letter T stands for transforming you remember I told you earlier on about the great change that was wrought in Saul of Tarsus when he was made by the grace of God to be the apostle Paul the outstanding minister of Jesus Christ in New Testament times and as far as that goes of all times the grace of God does transform poor sinners who have been living godless lives to be godly men and women godly youths and maids and that is what we do desire that the

[34:49] God of all grace would grant you that grace that you might be transformed in your lips and life and be in accordance with that word if any man be in Christ Jesus he is a new creature behold old things are passed away all things are become new the letter T then stands for transforming and now the letter O stands for only there is none other name given unto heaven among men whereby we can be saved the word of God says neither is the salvation in any other Jesus Christ alone can be the strong tower as verily God verily man revealed as the sinner's friend and now one of our godly ministers who lived a long while ago who was pastor in a

[36:01] Sussex course for many many years when he was dying he said I am like a man going on a long journey and I have got everything packed ready to start he knew that he had dwelt in this strong tower by the grace of God in earlier life he had run into it and he had lived in the shelter and safety of it and just as he died he said Jesus only Jesus only yes and it is Jesus only we come to the letter W not to keep you too long and now that stands for wonderful his name shall be called wonderful and I sometimes thought the name of Jesus is wonderful in one special sense there are other senses too but I mean one special sense and that is the name of Jesus is wonderful because it has so many meanings

[37:17] I think I have searched out in earlier life in my ministry over 150 names in the word of God that are given to Jesus Christ and what every one of those names means whether it be I am the true vine I am the door I am the good shepherd whatever name it is that Jesus Christ can be to poor sinners as they are sheltered in this strong tower that he is as the sinner's friend so that the name of Jesus is wonderful because his name has so many meanings and he is worthy to bear every name that is given to him in the sacred pages and he can fulfill the meaning of it spiritually to all his dear people whether they are young or old the letter

[38:22] E stands for ever powerful there is one word I like to look at especially now I am getting old and that is that Jesus Christ is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or even think and if you will think on it when Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples what did he say listen all power in heaven and in earth is given unto me ever powerful so that you need not fear what Khrushchev or any other godless dictator may purpose to do in the earth because Jesus Christ has all power in heaven and in earth and he reigns on behalf of all his people who shelter in him as the strong tower that he is with them who dwell therein in every state secure kept as

[39:33] Jehovah's eye it is well with them while life endure and well when called to die yes and so we come to the letter R and now that stands for revealed if you remember it was said concerning Jesus Christ that when he should be born a babe born by birth mysterious his name shall be called Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins and now that is how we desire you dear young people and children shall learn about the name of Jesus not by dint of intellectual study but that it shall be revealed to you by the spirit of God who delights to take of the things of Jesus and make them known to poor sinners who do desire to win

[40:37] Christ and be found in him remember that the psalmist said open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law and in the margin it is reveal to mine eyes there were thousands tens of thousands of people that saw Jesus when he dwelt on earth and what is more they listened to what he had to say but they never realized who he was verily God verily man but they looked on him and they said is not this the carpenter's son his father and mother we know who is he when saith this man is learning having never learned eh but he is verily God God only wise verily man but there were some blessed be

[41:44] God who had it revealed to them who he really was the eyes of the blind were opened and they ran to him as this strong tower and what did they say Lord help me Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom so you might go on and think how Jesus said to blind Bartimaeus what wilt thou that I should do unto thee Lord that I might receive my sight they acknowledged him to be Lord because his name was revealed to them and they were given living faith to believe in him yes the name of the

[42:46] Lord is a strong tower the righteous runneth into it and is safe you dear young people then keep these thoughts in your mind a transforming name the only name a wonderful name ever powerful name a revealed name and coming to the amen it says the righteous runneth into it and is safe and now oh I do desire that God will grant you that mercy reveal to you your need of him as the sinner's friend and remember the knocker on mercy's door is low enough for a child to reach the door of thy mercy stands open all day to the poor and the needy who knock by the way no sinner was ever yet empty sent back who came seeking mercy for

[43:52] Jesus sake and who can tell but what God will be gracious unto you amen