Where Does Your Help Come From?

Invocation and Lord’s Prayer

HF, You made all things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful. We come to You on this Lord’s Day to worship You. We pray that You would give us eyes to see and lips to tell of how great You are, for You are Almighty, and have made all things well. And now let us together with one heart and voice pray the prayer that Your Son taught us to pray by praying, “Our Father...”

Silent and Pastoral Prayer

Silent Prayer - Pray for the city of Statesville (about 2-3 minutes?)

For the good of the city (giving thanks to God for Statesville).

For the gospel in the city (giving thanks for the wonderful gospel opportunities we have in being a downtown church).

For the bad of the city (lament that so many people reject God and seek hope in anything but Jesus) (pray that the HS would turn their hearts to Himself).

For the ugly of the city (bring before God the sins of Statesville, confess your sins, and pray for God’s restrainting hand over all forms of violence, corruption, and oppression).

For the hope in the city (praise God for Jesus Christ and that His good news would ring out and transform Statesville).

Pastoral Prayer

HF, our help comes from no other place but You. You made heaven and earth. You neither slumber nor sleep. You are our Keeper, the shade on our right hand.

God, we pray you would keep us from all evil, the trials, difficulties and sins we face in our lives. Help us to know that even when we do face evil, You are with us and equip us for these times. For those dealing with illnesses and surgeries, help them to heal, recover, and be strengthened by You healing hand. For those grieving, provide them with hope and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. For all others, may they be directed to look to You for help above all other things.

Father, keep our lives, preserve our souls. Keep us in the straight and narrow. And if any be here that are on the wide road that leads to death we pray that You would make Yourself known to them and that they would believe in Christ as their Lord and Savior and repent of their sins. O Lord, keep our going out from this time and forth and forevermore. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Offertory Prayer

HF, in Your Word You tell us, each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. May we be cheerful givers on this day as we return a portion of what we have received back unto You, Your tithes and our offerings. Use them for the promotion and spreading of Your gospel throughout Statesville, NC through the witness You have given to us in being a downtown church. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Prayer of Illumination (After Scripture Reading)

Most Merciful Lord, Your Word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. Today, we pray that by this Word You would sanctify us in the truth for Your Word is truth. Help us to live not by bread alone but by every word that comes from You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Introduction

Band of Brothers (TV Series) - follows the history of “Easy” Company (2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division) during WWII. It begins with their paratrooper training and follows its participation in the Western Front of WWII.

In this series, you start to understand the need for a good soldier who can be composed enough to lead his platoon despite the chaos that surrounds him.

That confidence can stem from knowing their commanding officer has a solid plan.

Much like that brave soldier, our confidence in tackling life's battles should rest on the assurance that our help comes from the Lord, who has the ultimate plan for our lives.

Lament (Ps. 120) to confidence (Ps. 121).

A song of confidence for the pilgrimage. The traveler’s psalm.

A Q you should ask yourself during the pilgrimage of life (as mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.)…

Main Question: Where does your help come from?

The Psalmist looks & says – My help comes from the Lord: your Creator, Watcher, & Keeper.

1. The Lord: Our Creator (vv. 1-2)

a. Our Eyes Lifted to the Hills (v. 1)

Hills around Jerusalem & on the journey to Jerusalem.

Dangerous roads and pathways.

Sandals, robbers, thieves, hazards, no paved roads or sidewalks.

Symbolic of the difficulties we face in life.

Places to be feared. Challenges and obstacles you face in your own life.

Seek help and guidance (eyes looking up).

Ascent - psalmist lifts his eyes to the hills.

Descent - Easy to feel vulnerable, weak, and defenseless.

Satan will try to keep your eyes on your sorrows to be discouraged.

Look – can sometimes imply prayer (for help).

Lifting up our eyes – Hope, expectancy, desire, and confidence.

b. We Lift Our Eyes to The One Who Created the Hills (v. 2)

Looking to the hills, psalmist looks beyond them to the One who created them. Knowing that He would be his help.

A sense of confidence in the LORD – our covenant-keeping God.

He is personal, knowable, trustworthy, and powerful.

The work of creation is God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of His power, in the space of six days, and all very good.

Your help comes from no other place than this Lord who made heaven and earth.

Heaven and earth are at His disposal – created all and has power over all.

You and I are to look to Him as our only true source of help.

It is vain to trust the creatures; it is wise to trust the Creator.

c. Illustration/Application (Painter/Painting): The Lord: Our Creator.

Imagine a painter meticulously creating a masterpiece. Each stroke carries purpose and thought, revealing the artist’s vision.

Now picture the same masterpiece left to chance, where chaos guides the brush—what would it look like?

As absurd as that sounds, many treat our existence in that way. Any worldview that introduces chance/probability as the origin of our existence leads to hopelessness and worthlessness.

Understanding that God is our Creator allows us to appreciate that our lives are intentional and filled with purpose, leading us to trust in His plan, rather than believing that our journey is an accident of fate.

His creative power should give you hope as you look forward in faith through the rough, steep, and rocky paths ahead.

Where is your help? In what do you find security?

2. The Lord: Our Watcher (vv. 3-4)

a. Watchful Lest We Stumble (v. 3a).

Not let your foot be moved – not let you slip and stumble as you walk.

Sandals on rough road to Jerusalem (slippery when wet) (Crocs).

Everyone is walking on some path: You are on a path. I’m on a path.

Which path are you walking on?

The path of life (straight and narrow way) or the path of death (wide road that leads to death).

The Lord, in watching over you, promises to preserve you. He will give you sure footing on the path of life.

b. He is Ever Watchful (individually and corporately) (v. 3b-4).

He watches constantly (never stops).

Motif – god/goddesses sleeping = divine inactivity or neglect.

Yahweh is not like the false nature gods and goddesses (Baal) who need to be awakened from their seasonal sleep, He is the living, ever-present, and ever-watchful God.

1 Kings 18:27 – “And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, ‘Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.’”

The Lord is always alert, never drowsy.

The Lord watching over us individually - Psalm 3:5 – “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.”

The Lord watching over us corporately (keeping Israel) - Matthew 16:18 - “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

When dangers are awake around you, you are safe; your Watcher is also awake and will not permit you to be taken off guard.

c. Illustration/Application (Sailing on the Sea): The Lord: Our Watcher.

The fear of others does not have to become your own (a struggle in today's culture).

A captain commanded a vessel sailing from Liverpool to New York. On one particular voyage, he had his family with him on the ship.

One night, when everyone was asleep, there arose big gusts of wind and a storm that struck the vessel on its side, tumbled and crashed everything that was moveable, and awoke the passengers with fear.

Everyone on board was alarmed and uneasy, and some sprang up from their beds and began to dress, that they might be ready for the worst.

The captain had a little girl on board, just 8 years old, who, of course, awoke with the rest.

“What’s the matter?” said the frightened child. They told her about the storm that struck the ship. “Is father on deck?” she asked. “Yes, father’s on deck.”

The little girl dropped herself on her pillow again without a fear, and in a few moments was sleeping sweetly in spite of winds, storms, or waves.”

Do you take hold of the truth that the Lord is your Watcher?

3. The Lord: Our Keeper (vv. 5-8)

a. Keeping Us Day and Night (v. 5-6)

A promise mentioned 6 times in this Psalm. Keep – guard, watch over, and attend to you.

Down the Jordan Valley southwards – then turning west to ascend the steep roadway to Jerusalem.

The sun would be on their left side. Therefore, the Lord is likened to the shade on their right hand.

Shade gives protection from burning heat and glaring light.

An ever-present protection.

The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will not let you suffer from the dangers of day and night.

Day – extreme heat; Night – extreme cold.

Trust God with the details of your life.

Sometimes, we let fears get an irrational grip on us.

John Calvin – “Even when we seem to have largely experienced what this protection of God implies, we yet instantly tremble at the noise of a leaf falling from a tree, as if God had quite forgotten us.”

b. Keeping Our Life (v. 7)

Look to the Lord, even when this care is not visible to you.

Evil – harm, trouble, calamity. Keep – He will guard us and protect us when we face troubles.

Derek Kidner – “In the light of other Scriptures, to be kept from all evil does not imply a cushioned life, but a well-armed one.”

Kept from: dominion of sin, infection of error, the puffing up of pride, etc.

Kept for: holier and greater things, the love of God, the eternal kingdom and glory.

Life – souls. If you lose anything through the troubles and evils that you face in this life, you shall not lose what is most precious: your soul.

This is an absolute promise of what God will do—He will bring you and me safe to glory.

c. Keeping Us Forever (v. 8)

We will persevere through His strength, which will keep our going out and our coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

There is proof on a hill. A hill called Calvary. There, Christ was slain on that cross. He was truly vulnerable, defenseless, and exposed to everything, receiving the judgment we deserved.

He was overcome so we could walk through life knowing that we are God’s children & that no one will ever snatch us out of Hand hand.

Not just a past or present reality but also a future reality.

d. Illustration/Application: The Lord: Our Keeper.

He protects your exits and entrances; departures and returns.

Everlasting security.

When you go out into the world: jobs, school, grocery shopping, etc.

When you come back in to: your homes, your families, your personal time, etc.

Always look up to the hills to the gracious God who will keep your soul steady. Looking down will only cause more fear and worry.

Romans 8:38-39 – “Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God directs all our affairs and will never forsake us. Nothing in your life is outside the keeping hand of God.

What are some troubles you have faced in your life?

Have you turned to the Lord: our Keeper in these times?

Why or why not?

Conclusion

One day, you will go out for the last time. You will come in no more. Even then, the Lord will keep you and bring you into glory.

Main Question: Where does your help come from?

May your answer be The Lord: Your Creator, Watcher, and Keeper.

Prayer of Application

O Lord, our Creator - by the word of Your power heaven and earth were created. May we live in the reality of this truth to the glory of Your name.

O Lord, our Watcher - watch over us as we leave this place. Make us mindful of the things we have heard from Psalm 121 today and by the power of Your HS, guide us to live them out.

O Lord, our Keeper - we pray that You would keep us through this week. While we don’t know what lies ahead, You do. Keep us from all evil, preserve our lives in the light of Your truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Benediction

And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and always until the day of Christ’s return. Amen.