Good God Sunday Morning …. Be Sure It’s God You Are Hearing
Good God Sunday Morning …. Be Sure It’s God You Are Hearing
January 10, 2010
As we go into this new year let us rely on God’s Word
"I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from where comes my help” Psalms 121
True safety is from God alone. His protecting care is portrayed in attractive colors. May they win us to place all confidence in Him!
1-2. "I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from where comes my help. My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."
The pious child of Israel turned in devotion to the hill on which the Temple stood. He saw in it a type of Jehovah's presence. The lesson is here taught that all protection comes directly from our Heavenly Father. With confidence let us uplift our eyes to Him. He is the fountain of all grace. He, whose omnipotent word called heaven and earth into existence, can by the same word make all providences to promote His people's good.
3-4. "He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."
The believer often moves on slippery ground. Various enemies, also, dash against him. Left to himself, how quickly will he fall! But the Lord upholds him, so he stands as a rock against the lashing billows. The care which preserves him never relaxes its watchful guardianship. The eyes of the Lord, through day and night, from the opening to the closing of the year, are fixed immovably on His waiting people.
5-6. "The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade upon your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night."
Volumes are contained in the words, The Lord is your keeper. It is re-echoed by the Apostle—We are kept by the power of God through faith unto eternal life. They are indeed securely kept who are encircled by their omnipotent God. In their Zionward march they are exposed to scorching rays. But as the pillar of cloud spread sweet refreshment over Israel's hosts, so the Lord wards off the adversary's piercing darts. To His people He is as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
7. "The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul."
All strength and joy are included in the promise that God shall preserve us from all evil. The believer may exult in the assurance that all the assaults of Satan and the powers of darkness shall inflict no deadly wound. The soul shall live unharmed. It shall be brought in safety to the heavenly home.
8. "The Lord shall preserve your going out, and your coming in, from this time forth, and even forevermore."
The pilgrimage may seem tedious. We may have many changes. We may be emptied from vessel to vessel. But final rest is secured. Through God's protection, heaven shall be attained. Let us lift up our heads with joy, and shout thanksgivings.
http://www.gracegems.org/LAW/psalm_121.htm
Psalm 121 comes from a section of psalms known as the songs of ascent. These
fifteen psalms were sung by pilgrims to Jerusalem during the great feast days of ancient
Israel. Taken together, the songs progress from the start of the journey in a foreign land to
the worship of the covenant God in His temple in Jerusalem. The second in the series,
Psalm 121, tells the story of the travel to Jerusalem. I invite you this morning to look back
over the centuries and imagine yourself as part of the pilgrim caravan.
You’ve packed provisions and money for the road. You’ve loaded up your pack
animals and set out. Perhaps you are traveling with a band of your kinsmen, making the
long and dusty journey to Jerusalem. Yes, you go through some towns, but most of the
trip is through long, dry stretches of uninhabited land. As you pass by the hill country, you
look up to see the dark and shadowy valleys, places where bandits and cutthroats hide.
You hope that your caravan is large enough to deter thieves, but you’re not entirely
confident. You know of people who have never returned from their trips. Your ears strain
at every sound; your eyes search the shadows.
The hills bring another thought to mind: the religions of the Canaanites. You know
the high places where they worship. You have heard that they call down special favors
from their gods through the magical formulae in their rituals. You’ve heard rumors about
the sensual pleasures in practiced by the priestesses. For a moment – a brief fleeting
moment – the thought crosses your mind to seek out one of these priests or priestesses. It
couldn’t hurt to have a charm, an extra protection, just in case.
Then, you remember the pilgrim song. You open your mouth and sing, “I lift up
my eyes to the hills. From where will my help come?” As your voice echoes, another voice
answers with the familiar words, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and
earth.” You are reassured in the knowledge that your help does not come from
manipulating the elements, or from tricks and chants. Your help comes from the Lord, the
covenant God who orchestrates all events.
Several voices pick up the song, “He will not let your foot be moved; he who
keeps you will not slumber.” You smile, remembering the roughness of this road filled
with rocks and holes. You join the others, “He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor
sleep.” As you sing this verse, you laugh, remembering Elijah’s battle with the priests of
Baal. As the pagan priest called to Baal, Elijah mocked them, asking if Baal were asleep.
Baal, the god of the harvest and vine, was often in a drunken stupor. Baal sleeps, but not
the God of Israel. Your God, the God of Abraham and Isaac, is always attentive to his
children.
Soon the whole caravan sings with you, “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is
your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by
night.” You remember how the people of Egypt worshipped the sun and the moon as
gods, as ultimate beings. But you know that the sun and moon were created and are
subject to the Lord. You remember the story of creation. The sun may blaze down upon
you, the moon may haunt your imagination, but the Lord who made them both is on your
side. The Lord, the God of Israel, will stand beside you no matter how hard the sun beats
down.
You are filled with joy because of your special relationship with the God of Israel.
You are excited about this Lord, this keeper, this preserver, this shepherd God who keeps
you in the palm of his hand, who watches your every step, and who does not allow you to
be challenged beyond your strength. You and your companions burst forth the last verse,
“The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your
going out and your coming in from this time and forevermore.”
Brothers and sisters, as we come back to the present, I want you to know that
those pilgrims who sang that song thousands of years ago are your brothers and sisters in
the Christ. The God they sang about is the God we worship. They sang to remind
themselves that God guided their steps; they sang to remind themselves that God ruled
creation; they sang to remind themselves that every moment was lived under God’s loving
care.
We live in different times. We live in an era where our life can dramatically change
in an instant and where the frequency of such changes is high. In a time of such abundant
change, we are tempted to grasp about us for some kind of security. The ancient Israelites
were tempted to look to pagan rituals and magic for security.
That temptation traded their personal relationship with a loving God for the quick results
of tricks and techniques. The problem is that quick results never last.
Today, our temptation is to place security not in magic, but in the markets. In the
recent economic boom thousands have entered the stock market thinking it a sure way to
riches. These people were not investors, but gamblers. They worshipped at the alter of the
“dot com,” thinking they could have security. But like Baal, the economy slumbers. Many
have gotten burned.
Today, our temptation is to place our security not in the sun and moon and stars,
but in ourselves. Our culture tells us to look to ourselves. “If you follow these seven habits
or take this particular self-improvement course, you’ll make yourself happy.” Personal
development is the goal for many. But like the sun and moon, we are creatures; we do not
belong to ourselves.
Today, our temptation is to think for the moment. “Live in the now, because
tomorrow may not come.” But, brothers and sisters, like our fellow pilgrims, we have a
grand destiny ahead.
This psalm tells us, the church, that no matter what the circumstances, we are
secure in God’s hands. It does not promise an easy life. Rather, it proclaims such
confidence in God that nothing will shake it. We have this confidence because the grace of
God through Christ has given us an identity that we carry wherever we go. Ephesians 2:4-
10 states that those who are in Christ have already been raised up to the heavenlies. We
who are in Christ are seated in this moment and for every moment evermore next to Christ
in the heavenlies. Do you see the magnitude of that statement? Nothing can shake you
from that seat. Like the pilgrim of old, you are so firmly in God’s hand that none of the
circumstances of the journey will cause you to lose that position.
Yes, the rapid pace of change can lead to a sense of rootlessness. But with Christ
there is no rootlessness. Christ gives you the identity that you carry for the rest of your
days. If you are in Christ, there is nothing you can do to make God love you any more or
any less. You are secure in your standing with God; you are seated in the heavenlies. God
is your keeper. No matter what happens, he will not let you go.
Excerpts from
Russell Smith/PILGRIMS TO JERUSALEM A Sermon on Psalm 121
http://www.thirdmill.org/newfiles/rus_smith/OT.Smith.R.Ps.121.pdf
As always your sister in Christ,
January 10, 2010
As we go into this new year let us rely on God’s Word
"I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from where comes my help” Psalms 121
True safety is from God alone. His protecting care is portrayed in attractive colors. May they win us to place all confidence in Him!
1-2. "I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from where comes my help. My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."
The pious child of Israel turned in devotion to the hill on which the Temple stood. He saw in it a type of Jehovah's presence. The lesson is here taught that all protection comes directly from our Heavenly Father. With confidence let us uplift our eyes to Him. He is the fountain of all grace. He, whose omnipotent word called heaven and earth into existence, can by the same word make all providences to promote His people's good.
3-4. "He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."
The believer often moves on slippery ground. Various enemies, also, dash against him. Left to himself, how quickly will he fall! But the Lord upholds him, so he stands as a rock against the lashing billows. The care which preserves him never relaxes its watchful guardianship. The eyes of the Lord, through day and night, from the opening to the closing of the year, are fixed immovably on His waiting people.
5-6. "The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade upon your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night."
Volumes are contained in the words, The Lord is your keeper. It is re-echoed by the Apostle—We are kept by the power of God through faith unto eternal life. They are indeed securely kept who are encircled by their omnipotent God. In their Zionward march they are exposed to scorching rays. But as the pillar of cloud spread sweet refreshment over Israel's hosts, so the Lord wards off the adversary's piercing darts. To His people He is as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
7. "The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul."
All strength and joy are included in the promise that God shall preserve us from all evil. The believer may exult in the assurance that all the assaults of Satan and the powers of darkness shall inflict no deadly wound. The soul shall live unharmed. It shall be brought in safety to the heavenly home.
8. "The Lord shall preserve your going out, and your coming in, from this time forth, and even forevermore."
The pilgrimage may seem tedious. We may have many changes. We may be emptied from vessel to vessel. But final rest is secured. Through God's protection, heaven shall be attained. Let us lift up our heads with joy, and shout thanksgivings.
http://www.gracegems.org/LAW/psalm_121.htm
Psalm 121 comes from a section of psalms known as the songs of ascent. These
fifteen psalms were sung by pilgrims to Jerusalem during the great feast days of ancient
Israel. Taken together, the songs progress from the start of the journey in a foreign land to
the worship of the covenant God in His temple in Jerusalem. The second in the series,
Psalm 121, tells the story of the travel to Jerusalem. I invite you this morning to look back
over the centuries and imagine yourself as part of the pilgrim caravan.
You’ve packed provisions and money for the road. You’ve loaded up your pack
animals and set out. Perhaps you are traveling with a band of your kinsmen, making the
long and dusty journey to Jerusalem. Yes, you go through some towns, but most of the
trip is through long, dry stretches of uninhabited land. As you pass by the hill country, you
look up to see the dark and shadowy valleys, places where bandits and cutthroats hide.
You hope that your caravan is large enough to deter thieves, but you’re not entirely
confident. You know of people who have never returned from their trips. Your ears strain
at every sound; your eyes search the shadows.
The hills bring another thought to mind: the religions of the Canaanites. You know
the high places where they worship. You have heard that they call down special favors
from their gods through the magical formulae in their rituals. You’ve heard rumors about
the sensual pleasures in practiced by the priestesses. For a moment – a brief fleeting
moment – the thought crosses your mind to seek out one of these priests or priestesses. It
couldn’t hurt to have a charm, an extra protection, just in case.
Then, you remember the pilgrim song. You open your mouth and sing, “I lift up
my eyes to the hills. From where will my help come?” As your voice echoes, another voice
answers with the familiar words, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and
earth.” You are reassured in the knowledge that your help does not come from
manipulating the elements, or from tricks and chants. Your help comes from the Lord, the
covenant God who orchestrates all events.
Several voices pick up the song, “He will not let your foot be moved; he who
keeps you will not slumber.” You smile, remembering the roughness of this road filled
with rocks and holes. You join the others, “He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor
sleep.” As you sing this verse, you laugh, remembering Elijah’s battle with the priests of
Baal. As the pagan priest called to Baal, Elijah mocked them, asking if Baal were asleep.
Baal, the god of the harvest and vine, was often in a drunken stupor. Baal sleeps, but not
the God of Israel. Your God, the God of Abraham and Isaac, is always attentive to his
children.
Soon the whole caravan sings with you, “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is
your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by
night.” You remember how the people of Egypt worshipped the sun and the moon as
gods, as ultimate beings. But you know that the sun and moon were created and are
subject to the Lord. You remember the story of creation. The sun may blaze down upon
you, the moon may haunt your imagination, but the Lord who made them both is on your
side. The Lord, the God of Israel, will stand beside you no matter how hard the sun beats
down.
You are filled with joy because of your special relationship with the God of Israel.
You are excited about this Lord, this keeper, this preserver, this shepherd God who keeps
you in the palm of his hand, who watches your every step, and who does not allow you to
be challenged beyond your strength. You and your companions burst forth the last verse,
“The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your
going out and your coming in from this time and forevermore.”
Brothers and sisters, as we come back to the present, I want you to know that
those pilgrims who sang that song thousands of years ago are your brothers and sisters in
the Christ. The God they sang about is the God we worship. They sang to remind
themselves that God guided their steps; they sang to remind themselves that God ruled
creation; they sang to remind themselves that every moment was lived under God’s loving
care.
We live in different times. We live in an era where our life can dramatically change
in an instant and where the frequency of such changes is high. In a time of such abundant
change, we are tempted to grasp about us for some kind of security. The ancient Israelites
were tempted to look to pagan rituals and magic for security.
That temptation traded their personal relationship with a loving God for the quick results
of tricks and techniques. The problem is that quick results never last.
Today, our temptation is to place security not in magic, but in the markets. In the
recent economic boom thousands have entered the stock market thinking it a sure way to
riches. These people were not investors, but gamblers. They worshipped at the alter of the
“dot com,” thinking they could have security. But like Baal, the economy slumbers. Many
have gotten burned.
Today, our temptation is to place our security not in the sun and moon and stars,
but in ourselves. Our culture tells us to look to ourselves. “If you follow these seven habits
or take this particular self-improvement course, you’ll make yourself happy.” Personal
development is the goal for many. But like the sun and moon, we are creatures; we do not
belong to ourselves.
Today, our temptation is to think for the moment. “Live in the now, because
tomorrow may not come.” But, brothers and sisters, like our fellow pilgrims, we have a
grand destiny ahead.
This psalm tells us, the church, that no matter what the circumstances, we are
secure in God’s hands. It does not promise an easy life. Rather, it proclaims such
confidence in God that nothing will shake it. We have this confidence because the grace of
God through Christ has given us an identity that we carry wherever we go. Ephesians 2:4-
10 states that those who are in Christ have already been raised up to the heavenlies. We
who are in Christ are seated in this moment and for every moment evermore next to Christ
in the heavenlies. Do you see the magnitude of that statement? Nothing can shake you
from that seat. Like the pilgrim of old, you are so firmly in God’s hand that none of the
circumstances of the journey will cause you to lose that position.
Yes, the rapid pace of change can lead to a sense of rootlessness. But with Christ
there is no rootlessness. Christ gives you the identity that you carry for the rest of your
days. If you are in Christ, there is nothing you can do to make God love you any more or
any less. You are secure in your standing with God; you are seated in the heavenlies. God
is your keeper. No matter what happens, he will not let you go.
Excerpts from
Russell Smith/PILGRIMS TO JERUSALEM A Sermon on Psalm 121
http://www.thirdmill.org/newfiles/rus_smith/OT.Smith.R.Ps.121.pdf
As always your sister in Christ,
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