Dr. Cecil A. Fayard - 2001 Sermons
Sunday, September 16, 2001   

INTRODUCTION: On Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m. eastern time, One World Trade Center, the north tower, was hit by a hijacked 767 commercial, passenger jet airplane. The jet was loaded with fuel for a transcontinental flight. Two World Trade Center, the south tower, was hit by a jetliner at 9:03 a.m. eastern time; 18 minutes after the north tower was hit. The south tower, WTC2, which was hit second, suffered a complete structural collapse at 10:05 a.m., 62 minutes after being hit. The north tower, WTC1, collapsed at 10:30 a.m., 105 minutes after being hit. By Saturday, September 15th, all seven buildings of the World Trade Center complex had collapsed.

Facts about the World Trade Center Towers:

1. Tallest building in New York, 5th and 6th largest in the world; 1,362 and 1,368 ft.
   
2. In each of the two tower buildings, WTC1 and WTC2, there was one acre of floor space on each floor (nearly 220 acres).
   
3. Each tower contained 4.8 million square feet of floor space.
   
4. More than 200,000 tons of steel was used in the Trade Center construction.
   
5. Over 425,000 cubic yards of concrete were used.
   
6. There were 43,600 windows in the two tower buildings (over 600,000 square feet of glass).
   
7. There were 99 elevators, including 23 express elevators in each tower building.
   
8. There were five levels below ground including parking for 2,000 cars.
   
9. There were "sky lobbies" at the 44th and 78th floors.
   
10. 50,000 people worked in the World Trade Center. 70,000 business and leisure visitors came to the center each day.

The World Trade Center, especially the two towers, was world-renowned. The towers were massive, strong; yet, on September 11, 2001, they collapsed to the ground.

Friends, what a tragedy. What untold suffering and pain. What loss! In the midst of this tragedy that has forever changed America and changed us, I want to point you to a tower that will never fall. A tower that cannot fail. A tower that cannot collapse.

Our strong tower is the name of the Lord. He is our tower that will not fall, fail, or collapse (Psalm 61:3; Proverbs 18:10).

1. WE ARE TO TRUST IN HIS NAME (Psalm 33:21).
   1. To trust the name of the Lord is to put our full confidence in what His name means, in what His name represents.
      
      1. The Hebrew word for "trust" means, "to urgently pursue the safety of a shelter."
         
      2. We need to urgently pursue the Lord. He is our shelter; He is the cleft in the rock, our shelter in the time of storm.

   2. We are to trust the name of the Lord when we put our faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus our Lord for salvation (Acts 4:12; 8:36b-37).

   3. Trails come our way so that we will. fully put our trust in Christ and lay aside everything else. When we fully trust the Lord, Psalm 50:15 becomes real.

2. WE ARE TO MAGNIFY THE NAME OF THE LORD
   1. We are to magnify. We are to lift up the name of the Lord from the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun (Psalm 113:3). He is our strong tower.

   2. Church, we are to be united in our purpose of getting the Gospel out and magnifying the name of the Lord (Psalm 34:3).

   3. Let us exalt His mighty name. Let us lift it up and give it the place of honor it desires. Proclaim His name; acclaim His name; worship His name; applaud His name.
      
      1. Exalt His name from A to Z.
         
      2. Exalt his name from Genesis to Revelation.

   4. His name is a strong tower that will not fall, fail, or collapse!

3. SING PRAISE TO THE NAME OF THE LORD
   1. We are to exalt to the Lord in song. (Ephesians 5:18-20: "Be not drunk with wine.....").

   2. Sing praises to His name (Psalm 7:17). Music that does not magnify Christ is not Christian.

   3. He is a strong tower!

4. REVERENCE THE NAME OF THE LORD
   1. We are to respect; we are to fear; we are to reverence the name of the Lord (Psalm 61:5; 86:1 1).

   2. Psalm 11 1:9 says: ". . . Holy and reverend is his name."
      
      1. The Hebrew word for "reverence" means to have a healthy respect for the consequences of misusing and polluting that which is holy.
         
      2. We are not to blaspheme His name.

   3. See His name as a mighty strong tower that will not fall, fail, or collapse.

5. DECLARE HIS NAME
   1. We are to preach the Gospel; for there is no greater way to declare His name.

   2. To declare is to give testimony of the benefits of the Lord (Psalm 22:22).

   3. Psalm 145:10-13, we are to make known His mighty acts.

6. CONQUER IN THE NAME OF THE LORD (Psalm 44:5).
   1. There is power in the mighty name of the Lord.
      
      1. His name represents the victory that has already been won over death, hell, and the grave.
         
      2. David had confidence in the name-of the Lord when he faced Goliath. Let us have confidence in God's name as we face our enemies (I Samuel 17:45)

   2. We conquer in the name of Jesus realizing that the weapons of our warfare are might through God (II Corinthians 10:4-5).

   3. We have a strong tower that will not fall, fail, or collapse!