Garwood Presbyterian Church

God's Promise of Protection

The Power of God's Promises

Psalm 91 and II Timothy 4:16-18

Introduction

Tomorrow will be the 5th anniversary of September 11, 2001, when our nation was attacked and thousands of people died and many more were traumatized. And yet, God promises to protect us in His Word of the Bible. Today these two seemingly incompatible things will both be shown to be true without conflict with each other. Just as importantly, if you have received some type of traumatization personally, this message will explain how that can be true and also God's promise to protect you, with the hope that this message will minister to your soul in a deep way.

1. Death Is Not a Lack of Protection From God
   1. How do you view death?
      1. A tragedy, the end, something to be feared?
      2. A transition, the door to heaven, something to look forward to?
      3. For Christians the second view is true and death is not a lack of protection from God.
      4. Paul said, "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better be far;...." Phil. 1:21, 23.
   2. Also, God has the right to decide when we die and get to go be with Him in heaven.
2. Physical Versus Spiritual Protection
   1. Another question - Do you view God's promise of protection as physical protection?
   2. Which person would you rather be:
      1. You never get sick or in an accident & die peacefully in your sleep, but then go to hell.
      2. You sometimes get sick and have accidents, but keep your Christian faith and go to heaven.
   3. God's most important protection is spiritual, that you keep your faith & make it to heaven. II Tim. 4:18.
3. God Allows Trials, Tests, and Troubles
   1. Why?
      1. To increase our faith.
      2. To decrease our sin.
      3. To develop our character.
      4. To increase our humility.
      5. To have us draw closer to Him.
   2. Therefore, God does not protect us from all things all the time.
4. Some Promises of God's Protection Are Conditional and We Have Not Met the Condition
   1. Many times God does not promise unconditionally to protect us, but says that we must meet some condition in order to receive His protection.
   2. An example is Psalm 91.
5. We Can Take Ourself Out From Under God's Protection
   1. We can use our free will to make bad choices that remove ourself from God's protection.
   2. An example would be if we drink and drive and then get injured in an accident. We could then not complain that God did not protect us.
   3. One reason God puts authorities over us is to protect us. If we reject an authority that God puts over us, then we are also rejecting God's protection over us.
6. This Gives You Answers, But You May Still Need to Do Emotional Work If You Were Traumatized
   1. Emotions of fear, anger, depression, guilt, and others may still need to be addressed, released, and worked on.

Conclusion

God wants to protect you, as Psalm 121:7-8 says, "The Lord will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore."