5. Help for the Hazards of Life
Long Obedience in the Same Direction • Sermon • Submitted
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Good morning welcome to Iowa City Church and part five of our sermon series, Long Obedience in the Same Direction.
Every summer we take a group of students and adults out to Colorado for Nationwide Youth Round Up. It’s quite an adventure packing up a trailer full of camping gear and supplies, loading up vans and driving across Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado for about 800 miles to camp on a mountain off the grid. It’s quite the adventure, but it’s not without hazards along the way! For example, one year I was with Kaitlin Wheeler and we ran into a rather fierce thunderstorm in the middle of Nebraska. We had to literally pull off the road for a while with that one…and it was about 10:00 pm. Another hazard are the bathroom breaks. We try to remind everyone to not wait until the last second to let us know. Rest stops can be hard to find…so are trees for that matter. Sometimes, it’s just sleep. It’s exhausting not only breaking camp and loading it up, but then to drive back. For a long while we would just drive through the night. However, we have given up on that because too often we would get too tired and need to pull over and sleep. I remember on one of my first trips, I was riding shotgun and fell asleep. The next thing I know, I wake up and everyone is asleep parked at the Colorado welcome center in Julesburg, Colorado.
We’ve had car sickness; that’s always fun! However, probably the most common and frustrating hazard of driving to NYR are flat tires. So one year, we are driving through the night and I’m driving a van following the truck pulling the trailer. All of a sudden I see sparks flying up from the tire…it blew out. Brian pull over, off of interstate 80 and we try and fix the tire. We had problem after problem. Did I mention that it was like midnight or 1:00 a.m.? We couldn’t get the jack to work. We couldn’t get the lug nuts off of the tire. It was one problem after another. So frustrating! However, we eventually got it changed…when one of the guys made a crazy discover. He said, “Look over there!” Out in the field there was a billboard and here’s a picture of what was on the billboard.
SHOW PICTURE: Jesus I Trust You
We all just had a moment. Even though the moment was hard and frustrating and we didn’t want to go through it…Jesus was there and we got through it.
To this day when things are going hard on an NYR trip Brian will say, “Hey remember that time outside of York, NE when we got a flat tire?”
The life of a Christian is a whole lot like our road trip to Colorado. It’s a journey, leading to a precise destination. The journey is called discipleship; following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and living on mission with Jesus. So on this journey we are going to experience struggle, road hazards, bumps or even storms…but that’s a part of the journey.
Jesus even made it clear on more then one occasion, that following him was not always going to be easy. Jesus says this to his disciples:
John 16:33 (NIV)
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
So, some of you may be thinking: “Well, why would I ever choose to follow Jesus if following him will cause me trouble?” Great question! Let me say it this way:
Every road you choose in life will have trouble. By choosing to follow Jesus, you are choosing the road where roadside assistance is provided.
So, how does Jesus provide us “roadside assistance” when we hit the hazards of life? Well, let’s talk about!
If you have a Bible or device, find Psalm 124. For this series, Long Obedience in the Same Direction, we are studying the Psalms of Ascent, Psalm 120 to 134. These 15 Psalms were sung by Jewish pilgrims as they journeyed to Jerusalem for one of the three religious feasts; Passover, Pentecost or Tabernacles. They are called the Psalms of Ascent because, as they large groups of Jews would near Jerusalem, they would have to walk up hill. Jerusalem is literally the highest elevated city in Isreal. These Psalms they sang on their journey not only built community, but it reminded them of their journey of following God.
So each Sunday we are looking at one of these Psalms to help us on our journey of discipleship following Jesus. Stand with me as I read Psalm 124.
1 If the Lord had not been on our side— let Israel say— 2 if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, 3 they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us; 4 the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, 5 the raging waters would have swept us away. 6 Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. 7 We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Pray
So what is going on in this Psalm? First off, who wrote it? The heading in your Bible should mention David. This is King David. If the Jewish people had a Mount Rushmore, David’s face is on it. One of the reasons so many people resonate with David, and even with the Psalms for that matter is because they don’t “sugar coat” life. Especially life with God. When you read about David’s life, or his poetry or any of the Psalms for that matter you are going see life with God as it truly is.
Eugene Peterson says it this way:
“There is no literature in all the world that is more true to life and more honest than Psalms, for here we have warts-and-all religion. Every skeptical thought, every disappointing venture, every pain, every despair, that we can face is lived through and integrated into a personal, saving relationship with God—a relationship that also has in it acts of praise, blessing, peace, security, trust and love.” ~ Eugene Peterson
This is why we study these Psalms, and why we appreciate David’s honesty about pursuing God. It’s not always easy, and it doesn’t always make sense in the moment, but God is still good and he wants to help us along the journey.
So what does David do in this Psalm to help his readers keep focused on their journey of following God?
He starts by being a hype-man or cheerleader. Look again at verse one.
1 If the Lord had not been on our side— let Israel say— 2 if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us,
Have you ever gone to a concert or an event where the host or artist came out and said: How’s everyone doing tonight? And they response was weak and feeble. So the host says, “I didn’t hear you!? Let’s try again, “How are you doing tonight?!” And the crowd responds much louder.
It’s kind of that way with David here in the opening. If the LORD had not been on our side…let me hear you! Whether they are experiencing difficult or oppression, David is trying lift their spirits, energize them, why? The LORD was on our side when people attacked us.
Notice how he’s doing it? He’s reminding them about past events. Look at every one of the examples in the Psalm. They are all past tense. We don’t know exactly what the examples maybe, it wouldn’t be hard to figure out some options with the descriptive words David uses. Maybe when Pharaoh's army had Israel backed up against the sea, and they had to pass through the waters to reach safety. Maybe some of the hazards could have been when different people’s opposed them, or set traps for them to get them to reject God. The options are many. David’s point though is clear: The journey hasn’t always been easy, but God has always helped us.
One of the first exercises I do with people when we begin a discipleship group is to do a life timeline and look at key God moments throughout one’s life; in the good times and in the bad times. It’s a very helpful exercise because life moves so fast forward that we never really stop and look backwards…look back at how God has been faithfully working in our lives.
Author and pastor Mark Moore says it this way: “The sovereignty of God is best seen not through the windshield of life, but through the rear view mirror.”
As a pastor, I find myself in an moment of tension. I am to preach with confidence that God will help, that he will provide and help us through the struggles of life…but then I have to walk into the hospital room and comfort someone who is struggling with pain. Or walk into the funeral home and comfort someone who is asking “why”. When I first began ministry I felt like I had to have all the answers, like I had to defend God. But it didn’t take very long for me to realize it was a pointless defense. Who am I to know and understand why God does what he does. Why things happen that seem to be roadblocks, potholes or flat tires in life. I had now clue.
What I began to do, instead of trying to defend God…was to take my cue from another psalm David wrote, Psalm 23. I read it or quote it often, especially the center of the Psalm.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
The promise is that no matter where the road takes us, even through the darkest valley of death and despair, we should not fear because God is there to help.
On the road of discipleship we will come upon hazardous hardships, however because of what God has done in the past, I know that He will help me.
So what is something that we can do to maintain our focus in the midst of hardship?
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
You notice right away that David writes this verse as present tenses. So what are we going to do today because of what God has done in the past?
Highlight the word: “Help”. We look to God because he is our helper. We don’t always know what that help looks like. God will help.
Highlight, “the name of the LORD”, this phrase means reputation. God is known for helping, that is his reputation. God isn’t going against his character or his reputation. He will help.
Highlight, “Maker of heaven and earth.” We just kind of blow by this phrase, but we shouldn’t. We instead take this very seriously because we are speaking to the maker, the creator of the sky, the stars, the planets as well as the amazing planet where we live. This same God will help his people because of his reputation…that is David’s point.
So what does that teach us about our journey of discipleship?
Because of what God has done in the past we can trust his help for the future.
Let’s wrap up with these reminders we need run into hazards on our journey of following Jesus?
Take some time this week and write down all of the ways God has worked in your life; good and bad. It will reminder you how much God has been helping you. In turn it will encourage you when you face your next obstacle.
Remember the cross & resurrection. One of the ways we do this is through sharing in communion. We pause and remember how our savior has helped us, in a real and tangible way. The cross where our sins were atoned. The empty tomb where death was defeated and hope was found.
Because of what God has done in the past we can trust his help for the future.
