Psalm 125 (3)
Psalms of ascent • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning Rivertree. It is a joy to be with you this morning. If you have your bibles go ahead and open up to Psalm 125 as we continue our series on the Psalms of Ascent.
Last week Ross taught out of Psalm 124 and reminded us of the help we have that comes through Christ.
One of my take aways was this idea that when trouble comes there are times we would rather go around then through the trouble. But as Ross reminded us the Father willed that Jesus went through trouble so we could make it.
and it’s in the momnents when we feel hopless that we must look to Jesus to not take our eyes off him and be reminded of his work on our behalf
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
and as Hebrews reminds us Jesus went through death to destroy death and all it’s power over us. He made a mockery of Satan on the cross and disarmed him completly as COlossians reminds us
This morning I want to read Psalm 125 today and talk abut what you do when you find yourself in the middle of trouble. Because if you are anything like me once you realize you are walking through the trouble and the trail you want out as soon as you can get it. you feel like you need relief and help. But it’s threre as we go through the trouble we discover Jesus is right there with us and we have a chance to be fortified, to be safe, to be secure
to relax in the middle of whatever trouble might come our way.
Read
A Song of Ascents.
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts!
But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
the Lord will lead away with evildoers!
Peace be upon Israel!
A reminder these Psalms are songs the people of Isreal would sing as the pilramed to Jeruslam. Imiagine for a moment you are on this journey to Jesursalm you are going to celbrate a feast with friends and familys and as you move up towards Jersulam you start to sing about Mount Zion and Jerusalem as the city comes into sight.
The songs weren’t just teaching the people about the city of God and the Charcther of God they were showing the people the city of God and his Chracther.
As they ascending they would see what they sung about. I imiagine that must have been encourging and it’s here today in the psalm I pray we would also find courage and encouragment knowing that whatever we might be facing or face in life the worst will not last.
that there is a safety and secure that comes through CHrist that is prfound and transformationl
if you’ve ever been to Isreal you know the geography someowhat and you can imagine what the Psalm is saying but for those who haven’t been it’s good to know why Mount zion was
The old city Jerusalem was built on mount zion. Threee sides theere were valleys but on the other side of the valleys was a ring of mountains or hills that provided a natural defense for the city.
Mount zion wasn’t the highest point. In fact a place you might remember from the NT the mount of olives was around 200 feet higher in elevation.
and then there was Mount scopus which was 250 higher. all that say zion is neslted in between thse mountains
This is what the song was reminded the people of God of. As you look at mountain zion you can be sure if you trust in God you are just like that mountin. You are surronded and secured by something bigger then yourself.
What the psalmist is saying is your security can never be in ourselves or our circumstances. We must find secucity completly from the Lord.
He riminds the people how the mountains surrounded Jersulam and the Lord surronds his people.
I am so ecouraged by this truth. When we are walking through troubles and difficluty. When we feel like our feet could slip what we need the most is the assurance and security that comes from knowing that we are surronding by God.
and when we realize God surronds us we are drwan to trust in him and become like mount zion which conveys stregth, secutriy and durbility in life.
there is this sense of parrelism happening in this passage. The writer of this psalms says just like the mountains are around ZION. God is around his people. We are more secure in God then we can even imagine.
Here is why this is so profound. If God surronds us. If he is around us Petersoon says “we don’t always have to be looking over our sholder lest evil overtake us unawer. We don’t hlways have to keep our eyes on our footsteps lest we slip and fall into temptaion. God is on our side.
If i am not careful I can live my life as a Christian like i’m on a tightrope.
think about a tight rope. YOu are always watching yoru next step. You are alwasy trying to keep balance. Once small step and you are gone. you fall and unless there is a net underneath that one small step can kill you. And while we must be careful how we walk.
what seems to be held out by the psalmist instead living life like you are on a tightrope what if you lived life like God surronded you. What if instead of trying to spend all of your life and energy on not faling you spent your life on resting in the truth GOD IS ON OUR SIDE>
If you left worship today beliving God was on your side I wonder what Monday might look like for you. Because if you just live like you are on a tightrope thinking everyone is watching waiting for you to fall you will be frozen and crippled.
but if you belive what this Psalm teaches that God is all arround you. That God is as Psalm 139 reminds us before and behind us then there is a new snese of freedom in your life.
there is a strength and courage as you are invited to realize the christina life is as much about what we gain as believes as it is what we’ve left behind(col 3/ put off and on)
The write of hebrews tells us in chapter 12 we should lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entagles us so we can run the race with endurance
and as we run this race we fix our eyes on JESUS.
and as we keep our eyes on Jesus we reconginze we know we need God to do exaclty what Jesus prayed he would do in the high preislty prayer. Days before Jesus would be killed he prayed for all who would be his disicples
And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
Jesus is praying the father would KEEP US. and that’s what he loves to do.
and even as we grow in our faith and trust of the Father there are moments the wickedness of the world begins to cause us to become anxious. To struggle with fear and maybe even feel uncertain and insecure.
if you are like me you desire strong faith and increadible courage but then all of a sudden I can become insucre.
and that inscurity I can feel doubt, depresseed and axnious and that seems so dark.
and I can look at Psalms like this saying that the person of faith is like a mountain. Strong unmovable, and unshakeable but depending on the day of the week, the news of the world, the docotrs appointment, the relatinonal disappointment and the fallness all around me I AM MOVED
which leads me to ask the question. What do I do with that?
Peterson in his book long obeidince in the same direction describes this so well.
“I am full of faith one day and empty with doubt the next. I wake up one morning full of vitality, rejoicing in the sun; the next day I am gray and dismal, faltering and moody. “Nothing can move it”?—nothing could be less true of me. I can be moved by nearly anything: sadness, joy, success, failure. I’m a thermometer and go up and down with the weather.”
When I read that I relate. Maybe it’s something we have in common and if it is we see the same thing with Gods people in the OT
Isreal who would sing this song was up one day and down the next
IN exodus they are delivered from slavery in egypt, cross the red sea and sinigng great songs of victory but when trouble came, when suffering happpend they were fearful, they grumbled and begged to go back to egypt.
but as you read the Bible you come to realize something was solid and steady for them.
no matter what they are always God’s people. HIs covenant, his faithfulness and his commentiment did not move.
As you read thier history you will realize that Gods steadfast love and faithfulness was on his people. He was a God who redeems his people.
and if that was true for them it must be true for those of us who are in Christ.
and sure there are ups and downs I think I have those everyday. and I must ask myself why I am feeling cretain things and certain ways…..my feelings are not what’s most true about me.
As a christian what is most true about me is God surronds me
that God loves me
that God is dependable
that God is unchanging
that I am safe with God and secure in Him.
we also become uncertain in our pain and suffering. That’s what verse 3 reminds us of.
The scepter of wicknedness was the wickndeness of ungodly leadership on the nation of isreal. This ungoldy leadership was causing hardship and suffering
and for us it might be something different that’s bringing hardship and suffreing but when unpleasent things happen to us our faith can be shaken.
It’s those moments when we lose what we think we can’t live without
or people we love dearly go through pain and there just seem to be no answers.
we wonder if GOd is real. and God is loving why does he allow bad things to happen? and when we start to question anxiety can take control. We hear about death, desire, or disater and we think when will this happen to me?
We think if someone like that person is expirencing this when is my disappointment coming.
the nation of Isreal faced this all the time. over and over whether it was the philistens or Pharro or nebuchadnezzare or ceaser but the pain each of those nations and leaders caused on them did not last
but what verse 3 says is the scepter of wickedness will not rest on teh land allotted to the righteous
in other words. EVIL WILL NOT LAST. Pain and suffering don’t have the final word or say in our lives
when the people sang wickndness shall not rest on what God has allotted to his peoiple what their song is proclaming is that wickndess cannot and will not cancel God’s purposes that are being worked out.
When reading through genesis I am contnully caputre by Jospehs life. If you aren’t famliar. Jospeh was sold into slavery by his brothers….They choose that over killing him.
Fasley accused, thrown in Jail 2 times and aliented from his family
and when famine came in the world God postiononed Jospeh to come up with a plan where people could have food.
and at the end of Geneisis to his suprise his family who he hadn’t seen in years shows up and look at the perspective Joseph gains
But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
That’s good stuff. That we could look at any sitation in our life and see what is meant for evil God can use for good
that can be true for us
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
because if evil does last. If it is permanent there is no hope and even those who are faithful will break.
but God doens’t let that happen. Instead he reminds us if he surronds us. WE become like mount zion and the evil we face will never be too much for Fatih.
Job, Jonah and Jesus overcame evil.
It’s temporary and as Gilbert Hignet says “the worst does not last’
peterson says “nothing conter to Gods Justice has nay enternity to it.”
I hope that encourages you. that if you are facing something in your life but it’s counter to Gods Justice it WILL END. It has no home, no place in eternity.
There is a day coming when God will wipe every single teaar, erase all injustice and all wrongs will be made right.
Paul put it this way in
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
and his way of escape is found in his love, in his faithfulness and in his Charcther.
it’s why the psalmist prayers in verse 4 to do good to those who are upright in heart.
He has this unwavering confidence in Gods charcther. That good will do good to his people.
