I Hope again
God of the hills and Valleys • Sermon • Submitted
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Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
Intro: So thankful to be here together. My name is Hans Rasmussen, I’m one of the evangelists here in the Denver Church of Christ. In case you missed last week, for our new year kick off. Our theme for this year is Rise UP! Our theme scripture is from
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
The New International Version Psalm 20
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
We don’t put our trust in things, not in our job, our career, our investments, not our past or our religiousness. We trust in the lord our God. We rise up and we stand firm!! And he answers us when we call!
We trust in the lord our God. We rise up and we stand firm!! And he answers us when we call!
Much like a hiking trail, it seems like we’re always going up or down, doesn’t it? Every day has its high spots and low points, and every year has its peaks and its valleys. Sometimes we’re on the mountaintop; sometimes in the pits. Sometimes we’re high on life, and then we’re down in the dumps.
Life isn’t ideal; troubles hit us hard; we can be cast down. But God is faithful; His compassions never fail, for great is His faithfulness. He is all we need, our All-Sufficient Savior, our All-in-All. Whether we’re up or whether we’re down, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is truly the God of the Hills and Valleys. We want to draw Close to God this year. Get one of the prayer handout or go to the website and download it.
Is it easier for you to feel close to god when things are going well or when things are tough? For me it depends. On the hilltops sometimes its great, in the valleys I can get discouraged and loose heart. There are times when its going so badly I have to dig deeper in my relationship with God and I get closer, and then there are times its going well and I forget the God who created me. Let’s look at this scripture together in 1 kings.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
“And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”” (, ESV)
The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
NIV
El hombre de Dios se presentó ante el rey de Israel y le dijo: «Así dice el Señor: “Por cuanto los sirios piensan que el Señor es un dios de las montañas y no un dios de los valles, yo te voy a entregar este enorme ejército en tus manos, y así sabrás que yo soy el Señor.” »
He is the God of the hills, the good times, and the valleys; the tough times. Slide
When is it easier for you to draw near to God? Good times or tough times?
He is the God of the hills and valleys
He is the God of the hills and valleys
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
El hombre de Dios se presentó ante el rey de Israel y le dijo: «Así dice el Señor: “Por cuanto los sirios piensan que el Señor es un dios de las montañas y no un dios de los valles, yo te voy a entregar este enorme ejército en tus manos, y así sabrás que yo soy el Señor.” »
Because he is the god of both, we can hope again. We don’t have to stay stuck when we are and stay struggling in the same rut. God wants us to find hope in him. For each week we are taking one line from the song Julia just sang. This week is I hope again. SLIDE
Hope. An expectation or belief in the fulfillment of something desired. Present hurts and uncertainty over what the future holds create the constant need for hope. Worldwide poverty, hunger, disease, and human potential to generate terror and destruction create a longing for something better. Historically people have looked to the future with a mixture of longing and fear. Many have concluded that there is no reasonable basis for hope and therefore to hope is to live with an illusion. Scripture relates being without hope to being in the world without God: “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12).
Hope is
remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
recuerden que en ese entonces ustedes estaban separados de Cristo, excluidos de la ciudadanía de Israel y ajenos a los pactos de la promesa, sin esperanza y sin Dios en el mundo.
“El hombre de Dios se presentó ante el rey de Israel y le dijo: «Así dice el Señor: “Por cuanto los sirios piensan que el Señor es un dios de las montañas y no un dios de los valles, yo te voy a entregar este enorme ejército en tus manos, y así sabrás que yo soy el Señor.” »” (1º Reyes 20.28, NVI)
without God, we lack hope. In this series we are going to dig into the book of Psalms. Today we are going to focus on . First a little background. It’s a psalm of David, and its an Acrostic Psalms
The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
Psalms that follow an acrostic pattern begin each line with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. follows the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet very closely.
So it’s written by david, and its an acrostic. So how old was David when it was written? He tells us in vs 25.
“El hombre de Dios se presentó ante el rey de Israel y le dijo: «Así dice el Señor: “Por cuanto los sirios piensan que el Señor es un dios de las montañas y no un dios de los valles, yo te voy a entregar este enorme ejército en tus manos, y así sabrás que yo s
“El hombre de Dios se presentó ante el rey de Israel y le dijo: «Así dice el Señor: “Por cuanto los sirios piensan que el Señor es un dios de las montañas y no un dios de los valles, yo te voy a entregar este enorme ejército en tus manos, y así sabrás que yo s
“El hombre de Dios se presentó ante el rey de Israel y le dijo: «Así dice el Señor: “Por cuanto los sirios piensan que el Señor es un dios de las montañas y no un dios de los valles, yo te voy a entregar este enorme ejército en tus manos, y así sabrás que yo soy el Señor.” »” (1º Reyes 20.28, NVI)
I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
He sido joven y ahora soy viejo,
pero nunca he visto justos en la miseria,
ni que sus hijos mendiguen pan.
How old is old? Well according to David, not young…
There is great wisdom and insight that can come with age. David was this great teacher of God’s heart. It helpful to be taught by someone who has gone through the ups and downs and who has experienced God’s hand We have some amazing seasoned, experienced, faithful followers of Jesus Christ. I’m so thankful for your maturity, insight and longevity. I can’t even imagine where we would be as a church and a community without your faithful service to God. As seasoned, experienced disciples I think we sit at David’s feet because,
experience is the best teacher…and David has a wealth of experience to certify him as a qualified teacher, so this morning, for the next little bit, let’s all sit and learn from David.
experience is the best teacher…and David has a wealth of experience to certify him as a qualified teacher, so this morning, for the next little bit, let sit and learn from David.
All of is full of wisdom and the calm of a seasoned man, who was able to reflect back and realize that it is senseless to become agitated by what will soon cease to exist. All of life’s challenges and ups and downs
did not sour him or make him lose heart. He learned to hope again and see God in the hills and the Valleys of life.
So how do we keep hope, when all hope seems lost? How do we find peace, when the storm is raging? How do we look to the future with hope and promise when we are frustrated and the disappointments of life are beating you down? For those of us who want to hold on to Hope, that expectation and belief in the fulfillment of what we desire, I see David giving us 3 keys to holding on to hope.
Let’s all read together
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish:
Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be destroyed.
23 The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
Key Number 1
Don’t Fret
Don’t Fret
3 times in the Psalm David in is wisdom and maturity, says don’t Fret. Don’t be uneasy, this same word can be translated as burn, anger or “incensed” or kindled. For me it’s don’t get hooked. It can be easy for me to get hooked and fret over a situation. I can worry and get frustrated and then get anxious in my heart. This Psalm talks about thing that can get us to fret to hook us, evildoers, people who prosper in the wicked devices, the fact that wickedness seems to triumph or when evil triumphs over good. These plus so many more things can hook me and I’ll fret. and yet, these are the very things that I am told I am not to fret over. God is in control, therefore I am not to fret over the evildoers nor be envious of them. Why? vs 2 tells us. for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
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2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
2 porque pronto se marchitan, como la hierba;
pronto se secan, como el verdor del pasto.
like green plants they will soon die away.
The day of the wicked is short. He is going to be cut off. Therefore, don't be envious of him because, man, he has about had it. Why envy a person that is about ready to get cut off? So don't be envious of the wicked. Don’t get hooked. But rather, ()
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
3 Confía en el Señor y haz el bien;
establécete en la tierra y manténte fiel.
Put your trust in God. Better to put your trust in the Lord than your confidence in man. God knows your situation. God knows your limitations. God loves you. God will take care of you. Just trust in the Lord. Don't sit there and worry and fret over the situations of your life. Don't fret because it seems like everything is going down the tubes. Maybe you are in the valley, I would encourage you to Just trust in the Lord. and do good. I was so encouraged yesterday as so many served all throughout the area helping the poor and needy. What a great way for us to do good. Then vs 4 gives us the second key to helping us in our hope.
“incensed
Key 1 Don’t fret.
Key 2-
Delight in the Lord
Delight in the Lord
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
4 Deléitate en el Señor,
y él te concederá los deseos de tu corazón.
tells us to delight in the lord
tells us to delight in the lord. Delight, take pleasure, enjoy God. The second key to help us say I hope again is delighting in the Lord. Such a simple statement and yet it can be so difficult to live out. Have you ever tried to just delight yourself in the Lord? This comes through praise and through times of thanksgiving. I believe it’s thanking him in the valleys as much as the hills. We need to thank him even when it doesn’t seem like we should. I know I can look back at life through the lens of time and see that God was working and that God was blessing me the whole time, especially in the valleys. It helps me to hope in the times where it appears he is not working for my good. David says delight in him and he will give you the desires of your heart. I know for me, I need to look at what delights me. What is the focus of my desires?
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
1 Answer me when I call to you,
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
3 Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 Tremble and do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the Lord.
6 Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.
7 Fill my heart with joy
when their grain and new wine abound.
8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.
It can be hard to not look at others and feel they are getting the good things I deserve… We wish we had something different.
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
1 Answer me when I call to you,
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
3 Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 Tremble and do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the Lord.
6 Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.
7 Fill my heart with joy
when their grain and new wine abound.
8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.
So many times I stop and reflect in the goodness of God that He has blessed upon me. And as I think of God's goodness and as I look upon God's blessings, I just rejoice in the Lord. I just praise Him. I just delight myself in Him. "Oh God, it is so good to walk with You. It is so good to serve You. It is so good to know You. It is so good to be a child of the King. It is so good to have the hope of eternal life." And just delighting myself in the Lord and in the blessings and in the goodness of God is an experience that I indulge in too little. We should be indulging in this much more.
We wish we had what someone else has.
We wish we could be what someone else has become.
We wish we could do what someone else does.
Wishes aren’t hope, a wish is fleeting thing you do a birthday party when you blow out a candle.
We can wish for any number of things, that pull us in all kinds of directions. It puts our desire on the earthly and external, and we give power over to perishable things, that have no lasting hope.
Remember what Ephesians says we didn’t have hope because we didn’t have God, but in Christ we can have hope, not simply wishes but a confidence that God is going to be there for us and help us.
I have to tell you I was so encouraged this week. Most of you know Shelly Limon, she was baptized into Christ 16 years ago. She told me she has been praying for her mom Betty to know God since then. Several years ago Betty started to come to church with Shelly and to the Sicklers bible talk. Josie Ledger asked her to study the bible and they have been doing studies on an off for 3 years. Well Wednesday night Betty was baptized in Christ and is now your sister in Christ. What an amazing thing to see God do. To mold and shape a heart, to save someone. Not because of their hard work or worthiness, but because of his love and mercy for us. It was a moving time with lots of tears, tears of joy. Why, because God was giving many people the desire of their heart, seeing someone they deeply love brought into God glorious kingdom!
Then David goes on ( ); Here a promise with a condition.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
5 Encomienda al Señor tu camino;
confía en él, y él actuará.
6 Hará que tu justicia resplandezca como el alba;
tu justa causa, como el sol de mediodía.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
I think its important to note here, he doesn’t just say that we have made a commitment to God in our hearts, but that we commit our ways to him. We can’t divorce our actions from heart and our soul. So we commit our ways and then we trust in him and he will do this. Literally the Hebrew word means he will assemble it. He will bring it into existence.
Maybe you don’t know what it is God is calling you to do, maybe you’ve never got into the bible to see what it says. ask the person that invited you or fill out a connection card. We would love to connect with you and share with you this kind of relationship with God.
Commit your way, trust in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. And then finally, when you've gotten to the place where you can commit your life and the affairs of your life into God's hands, then you have arrived at the place of that glorious resting in the Lord. "God, I'm just resting in You. Whatever comes, Lord. However. It's in Your hands."
Key 1 Don’t fret.
Key 2- Delight in the Lord
Key 3
Delight in the Lord
Be still before the Lord
Be still before the Lord
vs. 7, tells us to be still. Some translations use the word Rest. Be Still = be silent, cease, wait, rest, find rest
7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
7 Guarda silencio ante el Señor,
y espera en él con paciencia;
no te irrites ante el éxito de otros,
de los que maquinan planes malvados.
One of the greatest blessings of the Christian walk in life is to be able to rest in the Lord in the midst of the problems, in the midst of the trials, in the midst of a world of turmoil. Resting in the Lord.
The kind of rest that keeps you free from the anxiety of an unknown future. We know so little of what our future holds, there is uncertainty. All of our futures hold loss, sorrow and death. We live in a fallen world. and yet we can still have hope. There was another situation this week that was in stark contrast to Betty getting baptized, Liz and Terry adams oldest daughter in LA was in a hit and run accident and was paralyzed from the chest down, she is on a breathing tube. It’s heart breaking… Then on top of that Liz’ mother passed away Thursday night. Talk about a valley, a dark valley. and yet we have hope! They asked for prayer, so I posted on facebook and people from all over the world have said they are praying. Then facebook pops up a thing and says do you want to start a fundraiser for them, I thought thats a great idea. In less than 24 hours brothers and sisters from all over raised $1500 to help with their expenses. Disciples in LA have offered their homes, their cars, offered to make food or come visit. Even in the darkest valley God is there he is the God of the hills and the Valleys. No matter what you are going through, no matte what you have done. God want to be in a loving relationship with you.
Man knows so little of his future, and what we do know is so sad, that the ignorance of what MAY be, and the certainty of what MUST be, disturb us equally, with hopes that soon melt into fears, and with apprehensions which soon gather like blustering clouds on the horizon of certain storm. Man can be sure that the future holds loss, sorrow and death. But those who ‘belong to the Lord’, says David, are sure that He is in it! :
He is with us in every agonizing advent,
Every challenging confrontation
Every distressing dimension
One of the greatest blessings of the Christian walk in life is to be able to rest in the Lord in the midst of the problems, in the midst of the trials, in the midst of a world of turmoil. Resting in the Lord.
Every horrible happening
Every sorrowful season
Every stormy skirmish,
Every terrifying time;
And if we are sure that God is with us, Then we can say with Confidence. I hope again.
Key 1 Don’t fret.
Key 2- Delight in the Lord
Key 3- Be still before the Lord
Delight in the Lord
Delight in the Lord
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