Rejecting the Refuge of Lies

Praise the Lord. We're going to turn now for

Bible reading. We're turning to Isaiah chapter

Isaiah 28 · chapter mention

28, Isaiah chapter 28. I'm going to take time tonight

Isaiah 28 · chapter mention

to read the first 17 verses. I was tempted to break into the

chapter. What is think that there's

things here that we should read together.

Isaiah chapter 28, we're reading from verse one.

Isaiah 28 · chapter mention

Notice the first word. It's woe.

It speaks of judgement. That's the theme this chapter,

Isaiah 28 verse one. Woe to the crown of pride, to

the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading

flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are

overcome with wine. Behold, the Lord hath a mighty

and strong one, which, as a Tempest of heel and a destroying

storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast

down to the earth with the hand the crown of pride.

The drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under feet, and the

glorious beauty which is on the head of the fat valley shall be

as a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer,

which, when he that looketh upon it seeth while it is yet in His

hand, the eateth it up. In that day shall the Lord of

hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty unto

the residue of His people, and for a spurt of judgement to Him

that sitteth in judgement, and for strength to them that turn

the battle to the gate. But they also have erred through

wine and through strong drink are out of the way.

The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they

are swallowed up of wine. They are out of the way.

Through strong drink the air and vision they stumble in

judgement. For all tables are full of vomit

and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

Whom shall he teach knowledge, and whom shall he make to

understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the

milk and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon

precept, precept upon precept, lying upon line, lying upon

line, here a little, and there a little.

For with stammering lips, and with and another tongue will he

speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the

rest, wherewith you may cause the weary to rest.

And this is the refreshing Yet they would not hear, but the

word of the Lord was unto them, precept upon precept, precept

upon precept, line upon line, line upon line.

Hear a little, and there a little, that they may go and

fall backward, and be broken and snared and taken.

Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men that rule

this people, which isn't Jerusalem, because ye have said

we've made a covenant with death and with hell.

Are we at agreement? When the overflowing scourge

shall pass through, it shall not come unto us, For we have made

lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.

Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a

fountain, a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious

cornerstone, a sure foundation. He that believeth shall not make

haste. Judgement also will lay to the

line, and righteousness to the plummet, and the heel shall

sweep away the refuge of lies, and the water shall overflow the

hiding place. Amen.

We know God will stamp with His own approval and blessing this

reading of His own precious and infallible word.

Now. Now, my text tonight is taken

from Isaiah chapter 28 and the verse 17.

Isaiah 28 · chapter mention

Judgement also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the

plummet, and the heel shall sweep away the refuge of lies,

and the water shall overflow the hiding place.

Now I've entitled this message rejecting the refuge of lies.

Now as you think through this subject, I want you to think of

the following truths. First of all, I want to expose

the faulty refuge of lies. You see, the words refuge of

lies or the refuge of lies teach us this, that it's a refuge in

name only. It's a faulty refuge.

It's a faulty refuge that will not stand up to the test.

In the midst of the storm. You see, a refuge of lives gives

a false sense of security and a false sense of protection.

It's looked upon as a refuge that's safe and secure, but of

course it doesn't stand up to the scrutiny of the test.

There's a day coming when it will be tested, and in that day

it'll be discovered to what it actually is in reality, a refuge

of lies. Fault will be found once the

test is applied. So I want you to think with me

now of a storm. Well, think of a Category 4 or

Category 5 storm, something like a hurricane and you're there in

your holidays and you're in a wee tin hot on the beach.

Just a lot of corrugated bits of iron nailed together.

Or maybe it's one of them nice rooting wooden structures,

whether it's round or a hexagon shape or, or maybe it's it's

made of some sort of bamboo cane.

And you think to yourself, sitting there on the beach,

here's a hurricane coming. You've been told force Category

4. And you think to yourself, well,

I'll be safe. I'm OK.

I'm in my little tin hot. I'm in my wooden structure.

I've got my bamboo shelter here. And you're forgetting something.

You're forgetting the power of the wind, 405060708090 miles an

hour. And you'll discover at that

moment when it hits that your shelter is no good.

Your shelter is not strong enough, it's not going to hold

up. And that's the picture here.

It says, And the heel shall sweep away the refuge of lies,

and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

You see, the storm is the test. And when the heel beats upon it,

and whenever the waters overflow the structure, you will discover

that it's not strong enough to meet the standard.

Hurricane season is alive and well in the United States of

America. In the past, it has engulfed the

Caribbean, the southern USA and New Mexico, and it has brought

terrible destruction of people's livelihoods and properties in

its wake. People have lost their houses,

their cars, their business have been destroyed.

The loss of life, of course, but that's another level.

But do you know this in every storm?

Category 4. Category 5, United States of

America. Folks are warned by law

enforcement. Media outlets go wall to wall.

The police are involved. People are told protect

yourself. Get to a special shelter, get to

a place of refuge. If you don't, you're endangering

yourself and your families. For those that think, well it'll

be OK, it'll miss my wee house, we will be OK, you could

discover in its path that you have a faulty shelter that feels

you in the are of need. And you see, if you don't heed

the warning and you ignore it and set it to the one side.

Isn't there a spiritual application here in the eternal

realm? What about the realm of the

soul? Remember the Lord Jesus said

this in Mark chapter 8. He told us there in Mark chapter

Mark 8 · chapter mention Mark 8 · chapter mention

8 and verse 36. For what shall it profit a man

if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

Or what shall a man give an exchange for his soul?

You see, the most important possession that you have is your

precious immortal soul. Think of the realm of eternal

punishment of the wicked Matthew chapter 10 and verse 28.

Matthew 10 · chapter mention

And fear not them which killed the body but are not able to

kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both

soul and body in hell. What about the realm of the

coming day of wrath and judgement upon the world?

10s of thousands of people are told and given time prepared to

meet thy God. They're called upon to repent,

but many sadly, in their mind, they're living in and holding on

to what we really have to say is a faulty refuge of their own

making. And they're not aware how faulty

it is. There's not aware that that

there's it's an unsafe refuge and they don't feel the urge or

the need to evacuate to a place of shelter.

They have no shelter in the time of storm.

Or maybe we could say it's not that they have no refuge.

They don't feel the need of the refuge.

It's an offer. And when the heel comes and when

the storm of judgement comes, it sweeps them away and the storm

exposes and destroys their faulty refuge.

It's ineffable. It's going to happen carelessly,

lately judging ourselves, but the Lord won't.

The Lord, by careful observation and by personal observation, can

expose the faulty refuge. I want you to think about the

refuge that you're hiding in tonight.

Will your refuge satisfy your accusing conscience?

See each of us have a conscience.

A conscience is like God's detective in the soul.

The question is this, will your refuge self silence the voice of

your accusing conscience? See old John the Apostle said

this in First John chapter 3 and in the verse 10.

1 John 3 · chapter mention

He made this amazing statement. First John 3 and verse 10.

In this the children of God are manifested in the children of

the devil. Whosoever doeth not

righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his

brother. And in verse 20 we read For if

our heart condemn us not, God is greater than our heart and

knoweth all things. Each of us have a refuge, A

refuge for own making, one that we depend upon.

But the reality is that this refuge is a a refuge of lies,

and God who knows all things knows that this faulty refuge

will not satisfy your accusing conscience.

Let me ask another question. Will your refuge separate you

from the slavish part of sin? We believe that we're saved unto

holiness. Remember in Romans 6 and 14

we're told, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for

you're not under law, but under grace.

Now when we're born again of the Spirit, we're not being

automatically sinless, but the power of sin is broken.

He breaks the power of cancelled sin.

He sets the prisoner free. The reality of the child of God

that's now in Christ is no longer controlled by sin.

And here's a spiritual test. Do I hate sin?

Do I love righteousness? Do I rejoice in the testing

that's coming? It was John Owen that said this.

When the Holy Spirit sanctifies A believer, he does a complete

work on them. He puts into their mind and will

and hearts a gracious supernatural principle which

fills them with a holy desire to live unto God.

The whole life of holiness lies in this refuge.

You think of a builder, He's coming in to inspect the

building that's been built. He not only looks over it with

his eye, but he uses the line. He uses the plummet.

The line in the plummet, judgement also what I laid to

the line and righteousness to the plummet.

The line in the plummet has to do with the construction

industry. It's connected to building and

the builder comes to to examine the building.

Is this wall straight? Is this wall strong?

Is this wall going to stand? So it's checked carefully.

It's it's observed closely. Is it going to, to, to pass the,

the, the, the inspection? That's the idea here.

Spiritually, God will get his line.

God will use his plummet against what we are hiding in to examine

us and expose if it's a a faulty refuge, will you have a refuge

that secures you in the hour of death?

See, one day will die, will discover this truth, that the

Lord Jesus, not when he died, deceive us from an everlasting

burning hail, and from the power of consequences of sin, but

deceive US1 day from the power of death itself.

Dost thy fear death? Remember what Paul said that

about Timothy. He wrote to Timothy, and he said

this in First Timothy, Second Timothy, chapter 2, verse 12,

2 Timothy 2:12

for the which 'cause I also suffer these things,

nevertheless I'm not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed,

and I'm persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've

committed unto him against that day.

That was the day of death. That was the day of judgement

was coming and and will your refuge stand the ultimate test

of death. It was John and Charles Wesley

who left a woman whom they'd led to the Lord.

The woman had passed away, gone into God's eternity, and they

left the house. And one said to the other, our

people die well because they die in Christ.

Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.

And in the day of our death we need a sound and secure hiding

place. Not only a hiding place that

saves us from hell, but but saves us from facing the wrath

of a sin hating God. Will your refuge save you in the

final hour of judgement? Remember we read this morning

Revelation chapter 6 and we read these words again and said to

Revelation 6 · chapter mention

the mountains and rocks fallen us, and hide us from the face of

him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.

Revelation 616 verse 17 For the great day of his wrath has come,

and who shall be able to stand? See judgement is coming.

And here's the question, where are you hiding?

You need to examine your heart and life tonight.

You need to ask yourself, am I hiding in a faulty refuge?

You see, you need a refuge from the destructive power of an

accusing conscience. Maybe your conscience is

accusing you now of guilt releasing to sin.

You need a refuge from the damning power of inbred sin.

You need a refuge from the devilish power of Satan.

You need a refuge from the devouring power of death that's

never satisfied, and you need a refuge from the destroying power

of coming eternal judgement. And how many rationalise?

How many deny that they need such a refuge?

How many distort what the refuge really is?

How many distrust the need of such a refuge?

But the question of question is this?

Is this a true refuge, or is it a faulty refuge?

It needs to be put to the test. It needs to be exposed by the

line and the plummet judgement also.

When I lay to the line, that's God's judgement and

righteousness to the plummet. That's God's righteousness.

And God applies those two principles.

He judges righteously according to his mind and will.

The second thing tonight I want you to think about is this.

Not only expose the faulty refuge of lies, but examine the

false refuge of lies. You see, there is a refuge today

of foolish boasting. You talk to people, but getting

saved, coming to repentance and faith in Christ.

People start saying things like this, but you know, I'm

basically a good person and kind and honest and sincere.

I'm morally upright. I'm definitely not as bad as

that other man or woman. And they start telling you about

some woman in some street or some place that they know of, or

maybe even using the scripture analogy, I'm not as bad as that

publican in Luke 18. See, the mindset is I don't do

what they do. And they measure themselves not

by the 10 commandments, not by God's standard of absolute

sinners, perfection and holiness, but by themselves.

And they rationalise and they have a refuge of foolish

boasting that they hide in and they think, well, I'm not a

thief, I'm not a murderer, I'm not a an adulterer.

Just ask my friend, ask my neighbours, ask my family.

I don't do anybody any harm. And you see people that Felicity

boast like that there. They do not see the need of the

refuge in Christ. The reality is they don't really

know them true cells. They don't know their own heart

because the Bible says the heart is deceitful and above all

things, desperately wicked and. Who can know it?

And that word desperately means it's it's utterly wicked.

It's it's incurable in and of itself.

If you turn over there to the book of Romans in Romans chapter

Romans 3 · chapter mention

3, it was the late Doctor Paisley one time had preached a

sermon on 4 Roman nuns and they're found in Romans chapter

Romans 3 · chapter mention

3 as it is written. This is a reference to the Old

Testament Scriptures quoted from Psalm 14.

There is none righteous. No, not one.

There's the first one. There's none that understandeth.

There's the second one. There's none that seeketh after

God. There's the third one.

And here's the 4th 1. They're all gone out of the way.

They are together, become unprofitable.

There's none that doeth good. No, not one.

There is none righteous, there's none that understandeth in and

of themselves, there's none that seeketh after God, there's none

that doeth good. No, not one.

There's the four Roman nuns. Do you know that in the top of

our High Street in Belfast, there's the Albert Clock.

It's an old landmark. It's got four sides, it's got

four faces. And you see sometimes in

Belfast, as the way people talk, he has more faces than the

Albert Clock. What does that mean?

That means there's different sides to them.

And how many people have a refuge of foolish boasting

because they've got this mindset?

I am basically a good person when the Bible says there's none

good, no, not one that is none capable of being spiritually

good in and of themselves. Character in Pilgrim's Progress

called Mr Morality and there's a lot of people like him in

Northern Ireland. They check a list.

Here's the things I do. I give to charity.

I speak honestly. My word is my bond.

I act morally. But you know, morality cannot

save you. Morality cannot make you holy,

and a gospel of good news that doesn't change you and make you

holy is not the gospel. And for those that for whom it

is written, there's none righteous, and none that

understandeth, and none that seeketh after God, and none that

doeth good. Here's the message.

No, not one for all of sinned and come short of the glory of

God and his righteousness. That's Paul's summary in Romans

3 and 23. And the word for all of sin then

comes short. It doesn't mean just by a little

bit. You've got to think of an Archer

firing a bow and arrow at a target.

And it's not that he's just missed by a little bit.

He, he's a mile off. It's, it's, it's so far that you

can't really begin to fathom it. He has fallen so short of the

standard. He's not even close.

He's, he's full of his self righteousness.

And how many have a refuge of foolish boasting?

I'm basically a good person. What about a refuge of finite

behaviour? You see, many point to their

church attendance as we talk to them about the gospel.

They talk about their good works and their religiosity.

They tell us, well, I attended this church as a boy and that's

good. I have no problem with church

affiliation. They might even produce and say,

look, I've got a baptismal certificate, I've got a

confirmation document, and that's good.

I'm not knocking that. But that's not the matter.

There's no saving merit in church affiliation or

attendance. There's no saving merit in

baptism certificate or confirmation documents.

There's no saving merit in any meritorious behaviour.

It's all false and finite. You think of those?

Well, but I pray the Lord's Prayer every night before I go

to bed. What about reading the Bible?

Search. I read the Bible everyday.

I go to church on a Sunday. But here's the point, whether

you're offering prayer, reading the Bible, going to church,

being good, being loving and kind and sincere doesn't save

you. That's the point.

It's a refuge of finite behaviour.

Because come to the book and the book says not by works of

righteousness what we have done, but according to his mercy he

have saved us for by greasy you see it through faith and not not

of yourself. It's the gift of God, not of

works list any man. Suppose you're not saved because

you say prayers, even the Lord's Prayer.

You're not saved because you read the Bible.

You're not saved because you go to church.

No, no salvation isn't Christ alone.

We're saved by Christ alone through faith alone.

Someone has rightly said the more simply and entirely the

believing soul lives in Christ, the more enlarged, the more

experimental and the more practical will be his ideas of

all truth. What is truth?

Octavius Winslow said that, and here's the answer.

Jesus says I'm the way, the truth, the life.

No man comes unto the Father but by me.

You see, multitudes are leaning upon a refuge of lies, a refuge

of foolish boasting, a refuge of finite behaviour.

They believe that all of this meritorious behaviour will

eventually get them into heaven. Now they're not saved by

meritorious behaviour. Good works will not get you into

heaven. We're not saved by them, but

we're certainly not saved without them.

Because we're saved on to good works.

Good works follow. That's the evidence that we have

faith in Christ. Let me suggest something else, a

refuge of fruitless beliefs. See, there is a belief today

that all you have to be is sincere.

Be nice, be neighbourly, be loving and kind and honest.

It's like the song all you need is love.

Now that's a false gospel. That's not the gospel of the New

Testament. See.

See one of the fruitless beliefs today is this, and it's rife in

Northern Ireland. A God of love will not send

anyone to hell. He will not damn anyone.

That's a big fat lie. I've already quoted Romans or

sorry, Matthew chapter 10 and in the verse 28, listen to the Lord

Matthew 10 · chapter mention

Jesus and fear not them which kill the body but are not able

to kill the soul, but rather fear him which is able to

destroy both soul and body in hell.

Who said that? That was the Lord Jesus Christ

himself. And every one time that the Lord

Jesus spoke about heaven, he spoke 13 times about hell.

You see, we need to rediscover what's written actually in the

Scriptures. There's a man called Doctor Rod

Bale. He used to be faithful to the

blood. In the book, something happened.

He wrote a book. He called it Loves Wins.

He changed his mind on the doctrine of hell and the

doctrine of everlasting punishment.

I believe that that book sets forth the distorted definition

of the holy love of God. There's a false premise there

that love wins in the end. It's it's like the doctrine of

universalism. I was given another book before

one of my dear friends whom I had the privilege of burying

passed away. It was written by a man called

Doctor Fudge, and he was fudging the issue because he said this

in his book. The fire of Hell is not Eternal,

and he admitted in the book that what he had just written is

totally contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures.

I remember pointing that out to the law and to the testimony.

If they speak not according to this word is because there's no

light in them. And we know that the body dies,

and we know that death is the soul leaving the body and

goodnight into God's eternity. And the soul lives on either in

the triumph and bliss of eternal life, because he that believeth

hath everlasting life. Soul will either live on in the

bliss of heaven or in the terrors and burning of an

endless hell. Think of the rich man in hell

tonight. No escape tormented in this

flame. Here, here's a 4th 1A refuge.

A fault finding blame game. This is very popular.

What the game is this? You minimise your own sins and

shortcomings. You confess.

Well, well, I'm not perfect, but nobody is.

And then you start arguing. But if so and so, as a

Christian, his lifestyle is far worse than mine.

He's a hypocrite, a rotten, stinking hypocrite.

And that's what I've been told about some.

And I'm not like him, therefore I'm better than him.

And what is it? It's a refuge of fault finding,

blame game. You're hiding behind the man

who's a professing hypocrite. You're hiding behind the woman

and you're using your fault finding as an excuse.

I pointed this out to one man. That's not good because you're

still a vile guilty Sinner like him or her before God.

And your fault finding will not exonerate you in the day of

judgement. You can issue your list of good

deeds or your bad deeds, but will not exonerate you in that

day and you're not answerable to God for that man or woman.

What about you tonight? Will you expose the faulty

refuge of lies? Will you examine the false

refuge of lies? This refuge of foolish boasting,

finite behaviour, fruitless beliefs, fault finding, blame

game? These are only some of the

refuge of lies that people hide in so they don't have to obey

the call to repent and believe the gospel.

One final thing, I want you to think of something else as we

finish. Embrace the faithful refuge of

the Lord. If you think of the words in the

verse 16. Therefore, thus saith the Lord

God. Behold, I lay in Zion for a

foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a

sure foundation. He that believeth shall not make

haste. You see Jesus Christ tonight as

a saving refuge. Behold, I lay in Zion for a

foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious stone, a sure

foundation. He that believeth shall not make

haste. The Lord Jesus is not only a

saving refuge, but is a sure refuge.

He's been tried and tested. The Lord Jesus is precious.

He's a satisfying refuge, and these words here in verse 16 are

a prophecy concerning the Lord Jesus.

It's also a sanctifying refuge. And if we were to turn to Acts

Acts 4:11

chapter 4 verse 11, Romans 9 and 33, Romans 10 and verse 11,

First Corinthians 3 verse 11, Ephesians 2 and 20 and 21, and

1 Corinthians 3:11

first Peter chapter 2 verse 68, you'll discover that the New

Testament picks up these words, Isaiah 8 and 16, and relates

them and reveals them to be a prophecy concerning the Lord

Jesus Christ. Embrace the faithful refuge of

the Lord. Who is he?

He's the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

He's a saving, sure, satisfying, sanctifying refuge.

If you look at Isaiah chapter 32 for a moment, it says this in

Isaiah 32 · chapter mention

the verse 2. And a man shall be as an hiding

place from the wind and a covered from The Tempest, as

rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadows of a great rock

in a weary land. Not a man who knows about the

refuge, not even a man who provides A refuge, but a man

shall be as an hiding place from the wind.

And that man is the Lord Jesus Christ.

And that means the place of the refuge is available.

You know, in the hurricane season, Category 4, Category 5A

policeman comes and knocks at your door.

He tells you about the danger. He tells you that there's a

shelter provided. He gives you the information as

to where the shelter is. He urges you to heed the

warning. He tells you the place of refuge

is available. But you, of course, tonight, as

in any time of the hurricane season in the United States, you

have to make that decision. Nobody's going to force you out

of your home. You have to make that choice

over there in the book of Hebrews, and we'll finish with

this. In Hebrews 6 and verse 17, we

read this Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 17, wherein God willing

Hebrews 6 · chapter mention

more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the

immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by

two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie,

made of a strong consolation, and listened to these words.

Verse 18. Hebrews 6, verse 18.

Hebrews 6:18

Who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before

us. Think of these words fled for

refuge. And let me finish with a true

story told by Doctor RA Torre. He said there was a man in his

neighbourhood who was a very educated man who loved life, who

was very wealthy, a man who was proud, a man who maybe in some

respects was behave like a know all and wouldn't listen to the

call to repent and believe the gospel.

That man lived like that for many years, never darkened the

door of Doctor Tory's church. That man fell sick, became I'll,

was diagnosed with the disease, sent for Doctor Tory.

Dr Tory was surprised when he got the call to go and visit

this man. So she knew all about him.

There's no all highly educated, very wealthy man.

And he went to his bedside. And this is what the man said to

Doctor Tory. What must I do to become a

Christian? I wish I was a Christian now,

Doctor Tory, I wish I was a Christian.

As far as I'm led to believe. Doctor Tory pointed him to the

Lamb of God which taketh the way, the sin of the world, and

said to him to flee for refuge to Christ.

And that's what I urge you to do today.

Maybe you're thinking and saying that in your heart, I wish I was

a Christian. If you want to become a

Christian tonight, you want to be born again of the Spirit,

then flee to Christ because Christ is the only refuge.

He's a saving refuge. He's a sure refuge.

He's a satisfying refuge. He's a sanctifying refuge.

He's the only refuge that you need.

Embrace the faithful refuge of the Lord.

Behold, I will make a man to be a hiding place.

Are you hiding in Christ, the Rock of Ages?

Tonight, let's expose the faulty refuge of lies, let's examine

the false refuge of lies, and let's embrace the faithful

refuge of the Lord.