The God Who is There

The God Who is There | Psalms 120-121 July 23, 2023 Logistically, it is difficult for our family to take road trips or long car rides. We normally have to download a series of movies and/or TV shows for Gabrielle, as she needs them to stay distracted on the long ride. This is the case too when we are sitting for a long period of time, like at a doctor's office, or even church. For the driver, it's usually different. Nowadays, we can put on our daily Bible reading, an audiobook, a podcast or music to keep us occupied. Sometimes ... sometimes, too, we'll just engage in conversation with the person in the passenger seat. What if I told you that God put together some songs for a road trip, too? We're beginning a series this morning called "Song's for the Journey" in which we will study what's known as the Psalms of Ascent. Our journey, of course, is the lives we're living out right now. If you are a follower of Jesus, then we are looking forward to eternity with the Father. If you are not a follower of Jesus, my prayer is that the Lord will speak to you during this sermon series and lead you to a life in which there is hope to look forward to. I want to begin this morning with an ... Introduction to the Psalms of Ascent: * This section of the Psalms, called the Songs of Ascents are found in Psalms 120-134. Unfortunately, we won't be able to get through all of these in this series, but we've chosen some that we feel will be useful for us. * These Psalms are a collection of Pilgrimage Songs, or as one pastor called it, the soundtrack for the journey. o I can remember when I first came out to Tucson, I bought a couple of brand-new CD's for the long drive. If I remember correctly, I listened to Michael Jackson's greatest hits on the drive from LA to Tucson. If you think about it, I too was travelling through the desert to my destination - a stretch, I know. o Nevertheless, music has a way of helping you focus, relax, remember, and entertain, which is well needed on a long drive through the desert. o If you think about it, God's people have always been a pilgrim people, a traveling, a people with a destination, going all the way back to when God called Abraham, and called him to leave his home to a place that God had for set aside for him. The Promised Land, as it would later become known. o We're too, on a journey, and our desire in this series is that these songs will give us encouragement in this journey, as we look forward to eternity with the Father. * These songs are widely believed to be recited or sung during their journeys to Jerusalem for the designated feasts, rooted, likely, from this command from the Lord from Exodus 23:14-17: o 14 "THREE TIMES IN THE YEAR YOU SHALL KEEP A FEAST TO ME. 15 YOU SHALL KEEP THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. AS I COMMANDED YOU, YOU SHALL EAT UNLEAVENED BREAD FOR SEVEN DAYS AT THE APPOINTED TIME IN THE MONTH OF ABIB, FOR IN IT YOU CAME OUT OF EGYPT. NONE SHALL APPEAR BEFORE ME EMPTY-HANDED. 16 YOU SHALL KEEP THE FEAST OF HARVEST, OF THE FIRSTFRUITS OF YOUR LABOR, OF WHAT YOU SOW IN THE FIELD. YOU SHALL KEEP THE FEAST OF INGATHERING AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WHEN YOU GATHER IN FROM THE FIELD THE FRUIT OF YOUR LABOR. 17 THREE TIMES IN THE YEAR SHALL ALL YOUR MALES APPEAR BEFORE THE LORD GOD. * These three feasts were held during different times of the year: * In the Spring, they observed Passover * Ine the Summer, the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost * And in the Fall, the Feast of Tabernacles o The writer of Hebrews may have had this journey in mind in Hebrews 11:13-16: 13 THESE ALL DIED IN FAITH, NOT HAVING RECEIVED THE THINGS PROMISED, BUT HAVING SEEN THEM AND GREETED THEM FROM AFAR, AND HAVING ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY WERE STRANGERS AND EXILES ON THE EARTH. 14 FOR PEOPLE WHO SPEAK THUS MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THEY ARE SEEKING A HOMELAND. 15 IF THEY HAD BEEN THINKING OF THAT LAND FROM WHICH THEY HAD GONE OUT, THEY WOULD HAVE HAD OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN. 16 BUT AS IT IS, THEY DESIRE A BETTER COUNTRY, THAT IS, A HEAVENLY ONE. THEREFORE GOD IS NOT ASHAMED TO BE CALLED THEIR GOD, FOR HE HAS PREPARED FOR THEM A CITY. * The present day application for us, as stated by Matt Erickson is that these Psalms, "remind us that our life with God is a journey. It is a journey with God, but also a journey with his people on the way to God's eternal kingdom." Here's the main idea that we're going to unpack as we begin our series with Psalms 120-121: In our journey, God gives us peace, and He protects us. o The key word, as we'll see shortly in Psalm 120 is "peace" and the key word, as we'll see in Psalm 121 is "keep" (or protect, as noted in our main idea) * The ESV uses the term "keep" which means to protect, to guard, to watch over, to care for, to observe. o These two psalms remind us that the Lord God is active and present in our lives as believers. Let's begin with Psalm 120: 1 IN MY DISTRESS I CALLED TO THE LORD, AND HE ANSWERED ME. 2 DELIVER ME, O LORD, FROM LYING LIPS, FROM A DECEITFUL TONGUE. 3 WHAT SHALL BE GIVEN TO YOU, AND WHAT MORE SHALL BE DONE TO YOU, YOU DECEITFUL TONGUE? 4 A WARRIOR'S SHARP ARROWS, WITH GLOWING COALS OF THE BROOM TREE! 5 WOE TO ME, THAT I SOJOURN IN MESHECH, THAT I DWELL AMONG THE TENTS OF KEDAR! 6 TOO LONG HAVE I HAD MY DWELLING AMONG THOSE WHO HATE PEACE. 7 I AM FOR PEACE, BUT WHEN I SPEAK, THEY ARE FOR WAR! If I were to summarize this psalm in one sentence, it would be: * God, deliver me from my enemies o So, here is how the format is going to work, at least for these Psalms today. First, I'll give some explanatory notes on the passage, then we'll discuss some principles and applications from the Psalm. First, let's look at the Psalm as a whole: * Explanation: * This particular Psalm seems to be personal. * The psalmist speaks of a liar, a deceiver. * One that is causing him great distress. * What we don't know is if the Psalmist is speaking of someone specific, or a group of people specifically, but we can determine that he was personally affected by it. * If nothing else, we can determine that the Psalmist was tired. Sick of the day to day. Sick of being lied to, deceived, and even slandered. * Great preacher CH Spurgeon said, and I paraphrase, that silence to man, and prayer to God are the best cures to those who slander, lie and deceive. * I think it is fair to say that life is sometimes difficult, we can be under great distress from everyday life. * We don't have to look far for our first principle: * In your distress, call to the Lord. * The first thing the Psalmist does in his distress is call to the Lord. * It's no coincidence that many of the men are studying a book called "Live no Lies" that focuses on three enemies that the Christian is fighting: the world, the flesh, and the devil. o One of the weapons we've been reading about, that the devil uses is lies and deceit. o So, while the Psalmist is likely speaking of a person, we can easily draw a principle of calling out to the Lord in times of distress, and protection from the enemy. o We see this in the book of Philippians 4:6-7, where Paul says: 6 DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN TO GOD. 7 AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS. o I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I've tried to do it on my own, and I've failed time and time again. o We must call to the Lord. o Next, the Christian must: * Pursue peace. * First, let's look at verses 5-6, which speaks of Meshech and Kedar. o While these are both physical places, one is located to the north, and the other to the south. Kedar, from the south, was known as a barbaric people, often hostile to Israel. o Eugene Peterson, widely known for his Message paraphrase of the Bible, related Meshech and Kedar as representative of living in a doomed world, and the antidote is repentance and migrating to the dwelling place of the Lord. * Isn't it true, like the Psalmist, Christians in the world today are seeking peace, yet the world around us is seeking war? * I can't help but think of Romans 8:31-35, where Paul again reminds us: 31 WHAT THEN SHALL WE SAY TO THESE THINGS? IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US? 32 HE WHO DID NOT SPARE HIS OWN SON BUT GAVE HIM UP FOR US ALL, HOW WILL HE NOT ALSO WITH HIM GRACIOUSLY GIVE US ALL THINGS? 33 WHO SHALL BRING ANY CHARGE AGAINST GOD'S ELECT? IT IS GOD WHO JUSTIFIES. 34 WHO IS TO CONDEMN? CHRIST JESUS IS THE ONE WHO DIED-MORE THAN THAT, WHO WAS RAISED-WHO IS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, WHO INDEED IS INTERCEDING FOR US. 35 WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST? SHALL TRIBULATION, OR DISTRESS, OR PERSECUTION, OR FAMINE, OR NAKEDNESS, OR DANGER, OR SWORD? * Last week, Pastor Pat gave us this definition of peace from a Hebrew mindset: peace is not just the absence of conflict, it is a wholeness of life, both individually and corporately. It is about relationships rather than a state of being because right relationships impact every area of our lives. * Notice how it was these relationships that were causing the Psalmist distress. The antidote to distress, is to have peace, the kind of peace that comes with surrendering to the One who cares. Because as we will see in the next psalm, the Lord cares enough, that He will not only give us peace, but He will also protect us. * Let's read Psalm 121. 1 I LIFT UP MY EYES TO THE HILLS. FROM WHERE DOES MY HELP COME? 2 MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD, WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH. 3 HE WILL NOT LET YOUR FOOT BE MOVED; HE WHO KEEPS YOU WILL NOT SLUMBER. 4 BEHOLD, HE WHO KEEPS ISRAEL WILL NEITHER SLUMBER NOR SLEEP. 5 THE LORD IS YOUR KEEPER; THE LORD IS YOUR SHADE ON YOUR RIGHT HAND. 6 THE SUN SHALL NOT STRIKE YOU BY DAY, NOR THE MOON BY NIGHT. 7 THE LORD WILL KEEP YOU FROM ALL EVIL; HE WILL KEEP YOUR LIFE. 8 THE LORD WILL KEEP YOUR GOING OUT AND YOUR COMING IN FROM THIS TIME FORTH AND FOREVERMORE. If I were to summarize this Psalm in one sentence, it would be: God, protect me from the world * Explanation: o Many speculate on what these hills are, whether they are literal, or symbolic, or both. o We don't know for certain as the Psalmist is not identified, nor is the historical background given for us to determine when this event may have taken place. o So, when we come across Scripture like this, we have to see what the text itself is telling us. o This Psalm is a good reminder to us that the Lord is in complete control. o The Psalmist reveals that these great hills - whether they represented the gods, or greatness in general - could not help him, only the Maker, the Creator, the Lord Himself. o And if nothing else, this Psalm shows the Lord as very active and present in the lives of the believer. o I've shared this before, but I'm sure many of us can look back into our lives and see where the Lord directed your paths. I think of my parents and how they met, and even how Natalie and I ended up meeting. Those were not coincidences; it was the Lord at work. o First, this Psalm teaches us to ... * Seek the Lord who protects: o We first must look to the second half of this psalm, where the psalmist declares that the Lord will keep us from evil. o This is difficult to see, isn't it? * Because we can look in our own neighborhoods, city, state, nation, etc. and see the evil that abounds. o Recall from our main idea this morning: In our journey, God gives us peace, and He protects us. o In Psalm 120, we see that He gives us peace, here in Psalm 121, we are protected. o We are protected because of what the Psalmist emphasizes in this Psalm. In these eight verses, the verb "keep" or "keeper" appears six times. o This protection from God is He protected our souls. You see, when you become a Christian, you are changed from the inside out, and God protects us from the evil one. Paul affirms this in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, when he says: 3 BUT THE LORD IS FAITHFUL. HE WILL ESTABLISH YOU AND GUARD YOU AGAINST THE EVIL ONE o I know we say this all time, so I won't be-labor it, but when we don't spend time with the Lord, we become weak - spiritually, we become more distant from the Lord, and closer to the world. Sometimes we don't even know it's happening until its too late. o That's why we speak on the importance reading of the Scriptures, prayer, and fellowship with believers so often. We need one another. Finally, * Seek to understand how He protects us. o This part of the Psalm is difficult, as it implies that the Lord protects us from physical pain. I think most of us in this room can testify otherwise, myself included. I suffer from chronic headaches and migraines, often times they run into one another. I have arthritic knees (yes, plural) ... I can go on and on. Physical pain exists in the believer, trust me. o It is easy, as seen in verses 1-2, to look everywhere else, aside from the Lord when things begin to get difficult. I think that's part of the point of this Psalm. o The question for you and I is this: where do we look when the journey becomes difficult to bear? o Peterson again put it this way: * "The promise of the psalm - and both Hebrews and Christians have always read it this way - is not that we shall never stub our toes but that no injury, no illness, no accident, no distress will have evil power over us, that is, will be able to separate us from God's purposes in us" * He goes on to say, "No literature is more realistic and honest in facing the harsh facts of life than the Bible. At no time is there the faintest suggestion that the life of fait exempts us from difficulties" * So, what does God's protection mean? * If nothing else, we must acknowledge that nothing happens, has happened, or will happen without His knowing, and without His doing. * In other words, He is in complete control, and through the pain, He is still working. * As I wrote and prepared this sermon this past week, I was writing through a migraine. * We've seen all through the Scriptures, the purpose of suffering, and part of that includes drawing closer to the Lord. * I love this Psalm, because it does show that the Lord does protect us from even the elements. Many times, it's through His provisions that we get to enjoy every day. * It's easy to take for granted that God is our provider. Those shoes on your feet that protect you from the ground. That car you have that allows you from point A to point B. This covered building and AC that keeps us protected and cool. * So, as Paul and many others have encouraged us to do. Rejoice in all things, in all circumstances. We've seen this morning that: In our journey, God gives us peace, and He protects us. As we close this morning, we may be suffering spiritually, or physically. We may be victims of lies and deceit. Some of us may even feel sick of living in an environment and a world that celebrates wickedness and evil. Where are you looking for your peace? Your solution to this problem? Where are you looking for your help? Look to God. Allow Him to work in your life. Allow Him to protect you. Allow His peace to live inside you. Will you look to Him today? Will you throw away anything else that you've looked to in times of trouble, and look to Him? Will you acknowledge His hand at work in your lives, and respond in thanksgiving and obedience today? Will you join me, as I look to the Lord today? Let's pray. 2