Praise Brings Help

Intro:

Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Feasts and Festivals of Israel

anticipated a greater fulfillment of the symbolism of the feasts. It is not surprising that each of the major feasts is in some way alluded to in the New Testament

Psalm 121:1–2 NKJV

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

Today we will continue our series entitled, [Praise in Progress]. The subject of today’s message is, [Praise Brings Help].

I am going to ask a question, and I would group participation. Answer honestly. Who LOVES to travel?

Who can say, the idea of packing, driving, and being away from home more than a night or two sounds terrible?

For five years I traveled full-time as an evangelist. I loved getting to the places where I needed to be, but the travel was what I disliked. I wanted to wake up and be there and when it was time to leave, I wanted to be translated home.

Looking back, my travel experiences were not too bad. The most I drove in a day was six to eight hours. If it was farther then that, I would fly in relative comfort.

Even if I attempted to describe my worst travel day, it would not compare to what we are going to study this morning. In ancient times, the faithful Jewish man was required to travel to Jerusalem three times a year.

That is not too bad if they lived in Jerusalem, but imagine the ones who had to travel for days or weeks to get there. It makes me glad I live on the hill behind the church!

These feasts were important to them. They were a time of:

communication- people would gather together and celebrate all God did in their history.

commemoration- it was a way to keep God’s story alive in the hearts of His people.

theological- during their celebration, they observed themes of sin, judgment, and forgiveness.

To make the journey easier, they had a collection of fifteen Psalms, known as the Psalms of Ascent or the Psalms of Degrees. These Psalms were similar to our Christmas Carols or Patriotic Songs.

They were sang at specific times of the year and when they started, everyone knew, it is time for our three festivals where our presence is required in Jerusalem.

These three feasts were, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

At Passover, they remembered when God sent the angel of death to Egypt, but He passed over the Israelites who had the blood of the lamb applied to their door.

At Pentecost, which was seven weeks after Passover, they would bring an offering based on last years harvest. The feast of Pentecost is also known as the festival of harvest. It was a time to give thanks for God’s supernatural blessing, knowing that ALL they had was a result of God’s blessing.

At Tabernacles, which was in the fall. It was a time where they would live in huts made of palm trees and leafy branches to remember the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. They did this to remind future generations that God is the provider.

En route to these feasts, the travelers would sing the Psalms of Ascent. This particular Psalm began, I look to the mountains, does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.

Knowing the Jewish people were people who loved their history, as they journeyed through the mountains and hills to get to Jerusalem, they had to remember the times God met with His people on the mountain!

Mt. Moriah- God spared Isaac’s life and confirmed His covenant with Abraham.

Mt. Sinai- God spoke to Moses, gave him the law, and promised to travel with the Israelites to the Promised Land.

Mt. Ebal- God renewed His covenant with His people after they entered the Promised Lan.

Mt. Zion- God gave it to David, leading David to make it the capital city of Jerusalem. The Tabernacle of David was on Mt. Zion, where the Ark dwelt!

Mt. Carmel- God defeated the prophets of Baal by sending His fire when Elijah called on Him.

These are a few instances where God met with His people on the mountain. But the traveler also knew the dangers of the mountains and hills.

Criminals and thieves would hide in the mountains to rob and mug people on their way to Jerusalem.

Perhaps they also remembered their backslidden relatives who had worshipped false gods on various mountains. Maybe they remembered the high places that littered Israel and Judah’s hilltops as unbelieving people called to false gods.

Whether they remembered the good or bad events that occured on the mountain they sang a question, I look to the hills and mountains, does my help come from there?

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 3:23 NKJV

23 Truly, in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, And from the multitude of mountains; Truly, in the Lord our God Is the salvation of Israel.

Jeremiah 3:6 NKJV

6 The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot.

Whether they remembered the good or bad events that occured on the mountain they sang a question, I look to the hills and mountains, does my help come from there?

Absolutely not! My help comes from the Lord, the maker of the mountains, the heavens, and the earth! As they ascended to Jerusalem to remember God’s faithfulness, they sang on the way.

We could say they Praised in Progress. They knew the journey would be difficult, but they looked up to God and knew three truths about God’s help. They knew the Lord would help because, [The Lord is Awake], [The Lord is Alert], and [The Lord is Active.]

Let’s begin

1. The Lord is Awake

Psalm 121:3–4 NKJV

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Because God made heaven and earth, He will not allow us to stumble. Since creation, Satan has had one goal, to cause God’s people to turn their back on God.

He is crafty and cunning in the way he causes people to stumble into sin. He knows our weak spots and he know how and when to tempt us.

When we walk through this journey in life, there will be times when we feel like we are on shaky ground. Perhaps the ground is shaking because of temptation or situations beyond our control.

When these feelings erupt, worry, panic, anxious feelings, concern, and confusion are soon to follow. I am sure many of us have had trouble getting a good night’s sleep because of the problems that surround us.

I have this in my mind when the Psalmist speaks of God keeping us from stumbling. He will not let us stumble into a pit of despair, why? Because He is awake!

He watches over us and never sleeps or slumbers! Six times in this Psalm we read the word “keep.” In Hebrew the word keep means, to watch, to observe, to guard, to set aside, to secure, to cling to, or to preserve.

In Hebrew the word keep means, to watch, to observe, to guard, to set aside, to secure, to cling to, or to preserve.

As they journeyed to Jerusalem looking toward the mountains, they knew up in the sky was the God of heaven and earth. He never sleeps. So when they needed to camp over night, they could rest easy knowing God was watching!

I heard the story of a Methodist leader who was working into the morning hours trying to finish a project. At a moment of intense pressure, when he felt so tired and overwhelmed, he read and he was reminded that the Lord does not sleep nor slumber.

It was at this moment that he was reminded how defeated his efforts to work for God rather than letting God work through him. He heard in his spirit, “There’s no need for both of us to stay up all night. I’m going to stay up anyway, so you go to bed and get a good night’s sleep.”

We can praise God through the journey of life, knowing He helps us, because He is awake!

2. The Lord is Alert

Psalm 121:5–6 NKJV

5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.

Psalm 121:5–6 NKJV

5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.

Alert is defined, quick to notice any unusual and potentially dangerous or difficult circumstances.

There are many reasons I am thankful for Bekah, but one reason is she is very alert, especially when we drive. If we passed ten deer on the road, she saw nine of them.

At various times she will ask did you see that deer? Of course my answer is ALWAYS yes, but it is mostly because she is watching and tells me THEN I see the deer!

There are situations in life that will catch us by surprise. Just like a deer running in front of the car unannounced, sickness, suffering, attacks, and struggles can seem to come out of nowhere.

Except one thing, it is NEVER a surprise to God. He sees what we do not. He knows what we do not. Therefore, we can and should praise Him because He is alert always ready to help us in times of danger.

NLT, “the Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.”

Notice how God has the entire day covered. He helps us in the morning, in the day, and in the night. The travelers to Jerusalem had to be comforted with this knowledge.

They had a long trip to get to Jerusalem, they did not know what lied ahead of them in the days to come, but they knew they could praise Him! Why? Because He is ALWAYS alert, watching over us.

3. The Lord is Active

Psalm 121:7–8 NKJV

7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Psalm 121:6–7 NKJV

6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.

Today, we know God, who has been revealed through Jesus and is active by the Holy Spirit. He is a personal Savior. We know Him because He speaks to us and reveals Himself to us!

Those who traveled on the road to Jerusalem worshipped the same God, but they knew Him in a different day. God had yet to take on flesh and walk with humanity.

He had yet to pour out His Spirit and empower His people with supernatural ability from heaven. They knew God from the law and the prophets.

God chose to reveal Himself to a few people who would then share Him with others. Though they did not know the entire plan of salvation, they knew He was real and they knew He was active in the life of Israel.

They could survey their history and see God’s faithfulness. Even when they were faithless, He would send a prophet to rally them back to Him.

There were inexplicable miracles. Let’s think of a few: Moses Parting the Red Sea, Joshua and the walls of Jericho, David and Goliath, or Daniel and the Lion’s Den to name a few.

They knew they served a God who was active in their history, active in the present, and would be active in the future. Because He was and is active, they trusted that the Lord would preserve them!

Other people worshipped false gods and they were continually disappointed. But the Israelites witnessed God come through for them time and time again.

Why? Because He was active in their lives, so He would watch them and keep them from this time forth and forever!

Close:

We have help in God when we praise Him because He is awake, alert, and active in our lives.

I absolutely love this have sang it to God many times when I have felt under pressure. I would lift my eyes and know my help comes from Him.

Today, I want to conclude where I began. Imagine being a Jewish traveler who had to get to Jerusalem three times a year. Imagine packing the bags, saying goodbye to the family, and making the long journey.

In the spring, it was time for Passover. Come May or June, go back for Pentecost. Then in the fall, September or October, back again for Tabernacles.

They did this for centuries. Some scholars propose that these fifteen Psalms were compiled as the Psalms of Ascent around the time Judah returned from Exile.

If that is true, it means they sang the same fifteen songs for over 500 years. Each year it was the same songs, the same journey, and the same sacrifices.

Generation after generation this continued. Now, it is 29 AD, somewhere in fall and we make our trip back to Jerusalem. Only this time something peculiar happens.

A prophet/rabbi named Jesus is speaking at the Feast of Tabernacles.

John 7:37–39 NKJV

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 7:37–38 NKJV

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Those who heard the words did not know what he meant, but it caught their attention. With little evidence of change, everyone would return home.

Six months later, it is time once again to go back to Jerusalem. As they journeyed near, they notice the celebration is overshadowed by controversy.

There was a controversial man named Jesus who seemed to be wreaking havoc on the religious system. On this Passover the religious leaders seem more interested in killing this man instead of remembering the blood that protected them in Egypt.

On this passover celebration they crucified the man named Jesus. Bewildered many returned home. But seven weeks later they returned for Pentecost.

Those who did not live in Jerusalem heard a strange rumor. In the city were people who claimed that the man named Jesus died, but didn’t stay dead.

They gathered in Jerusalem to present their offerings for last year’s harvest., but coming from the upper room is a strange sound.

There are 120 people speaking in tongues appearing to be drunk. Then one of Jesus’ followers emerges and explains, they are not drunk but this is what the Prophet Joel promised would happen.

3000 men who had followed their ancestors for centuries, singing the same songs, offering the same sacrifices, heard about Jesus who was the sacrificial lamb.

He was killed but three days later He rose! Then they heard it was their sins who placed Him on the cross! The same man who praised God on their journey.

The same men who knew that they had help from God because He is awake, alert, and active, felt helpless.

Acts 2:37 NKJV

37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

Peter explained, it is simple, repent, be baptized and you will be filled with the Holy Spirit! These men had been to the feast of Pentecost their entire lives, but this time it was different!

Suddenly it made sense, for centuries they had praised God, trusting Him to protect them, to keep them, and to preserve them. And God did it through the most unlikely source.

The thought their sacrifices and offerings would help them. But the God who neither slumbers nor sleeps had a better plan. Instead of coming to Jerusalem three times a year to make a sacrifice, He would send the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE to Jerusalem for their sins!

His Son would be the ultimate sacrifice for the remission of the sins of humanity. No longer do we have to travel miles and miles to a particular place. No, He is as close as the mention of His name!

Perhaps they left Jerusalem with a new understanding of:

Psalm 121:8 NKJV

8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.

For centuries in obedience, they would go to Jerusalem and PRAISE in PROGRESS. They would praise the only God who was awake, alert, and active.

They praised God trusting that He would get them back and forth three times a year. But what they didn’t realize is their praise was prophetic.

They were declaring and ushering in a day when God would meet with men!

On Passover, they praised God for what blood of the lambs that protected them in Egypt. Unbeknownst to them, they praised God for the day His Sone would come and shed His blood once and for all!

On Pentecost, they praised God for the strength He gave them to gather in the harvest the previous year. But they also praised God for the day He would send Holy Spirit power from heaven to enable His church to gather in the harvest of lost souls into the Kingdom!

On Tabernacles, they praised God for when He helped them during their journey to the Promised Land. But they also praised God for the day that has yet to take place. The day when God descends in the clouds of glory, takes us from this barren land, and moves us to the city whose builder and maker is God.

And this morning’s message is more than a history lesson, it is a call from your pastor, speaking on the authority of the word, crying out, KEEP ON PRAISING GOD!

For our praise will bring help. When praise God, we know that He is awake, alert, and active in our lives.

And who knows, maybe our praise will bring God’s convicting presence and cause someone to have the blood of Jesus applied to our lives.

Maybe our praise will bring a Pentecostal outpouring of God’s Spirit and enable others to receive a prayer language and power to witness!

And there will be a day when our praise on earth will gather the attention of God. Maybe when we shout in praise, He will join in on the shout and we will be raptured out of this place!

My point is THIS, Keep praising God in progress. Our praise is prophetic and God knows what will occur when we praise Him!