1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:03,720 Well, good morning. If you have your Bibles, go 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:08,720 ahead and join me in turning to Psalm 121, Psalm chapter 121. 3 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:12,040 Please, if you don't have a Bible with you, feel free to 4 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:14,720 raise your hand. Michael will come gladly bring 5 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:16,480 you one. If you don't have one at home, 6 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,040 feel free to keep that as our gift to you. 7 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,240 We'd love for you to have a copy of God's Word. 8 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,040 As Joe mentioned earlier, it was our intention as a church to be 9 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:28,520 in First Thessalonians this morning, Pastor Michael 10 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,040 preaching. But as you all know, plans often 11 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:33,640 change. And so we'll continue to lift up 12 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:36,000 the Abrahams today and pray for good recovery. 13 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,560 And we'll also trust the Lord's Providence and His timing and 14 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,000 having us in Psalm 121 this morning. 15 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:48,120 So as you make your way there, consider the phrase, help is on 16 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:51,960 the way. Sometimes that phrase or a 17 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:56,080 version of it could be comforting, like if you need the 18 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,720 fire department to come and you hear the sirens in the distance. 19 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,879 Other times, that phrase could be utterly meaningless, like if 20 00:01:04,879 --> 00:01:09,120 you're on a company's website and you see the bubble pop up, 21 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:12,000 It's like ask for help. And you know if you click on 22 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:15,400 that, you're going to be entered into the black hole of Internet 23 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:19,400 domains and chat bots and FAQs that really are not going to 24 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:25,560 give you the help that you need. Help is only as good as its 25 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:30,280 ability to meet the real need, and to meet it soon. 26 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:38,200 Do you need help this morning? Do you know where to turn to 27 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:43,200 find it? Sometimes in life, things can be 28 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:46,680 running smoothly. Worldly helps may seem to be 29 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:48,440 getting the job done for the time being. 30 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:56,080 But then an unexpected trial hits a season of suffering 31 00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:59,920 that's out of your control. It's a constant burden. 32 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:05,800 Or maybe you just come face to face with the evils of our 33 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,400 world. What happens then when you come 34 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,800 to realize that you can't help yourself through this problem? 35 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:19,200 What happens whenever you turn for help in this world can't 36 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:24,080 actually solve it. If that's you this morning in 37 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,080 any sense, then our passage this morning is for you. 38 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:34,200 The promises of this Psalm can be yours if you would lift up 39 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:38,840 your eyes to heaven, to the God who can be your helper, the 40 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,320 church. The promises of Psalm 21 are 41 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:45,800 incredible, are glorious. Listen as I read God's 42 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,240 incredible promises to us as a church. 43 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:57,920 Psalm 121 a song of a sense. I lift up my eyes to the hills. 44 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:04,360 From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord who 45 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:09,080 made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be 46 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,680 moved. He who keeps you will not 47 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,760 slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will 48 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:20,360 neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper. 49 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,000 The Lord is your shade on your right hand. 50 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,960 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 51 00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:34,880 The Lord will keep you from all evil. 52 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:41,480 He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going 53 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:47,520 out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. 54 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:55,600 Amen. As you can see, Psalm 121 is a 55 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:58,960 Psalm of great comfort. It's a favorite for so many of 56 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,280 us because it provides such triumphant hope for whatever 57 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:04,680 trial or uncertainty you're facing in life. 58 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:07,400 Look at the superscription before verse one. 59 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,400 It says it's a song of a sense. If you kind of glance around the 60 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:13,280 Psalms in this area, these are mostly all songs of ascent. 61 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:18,680 These would be songs psalms that Jewish pilgrims would sing as 62 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:21,320 they make their journey up to Jerusalem, usually three times a 63 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:25,400 year for some of the three big festivals can think about this 64 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:28,720 as like your Spotify worship playlist on a long road trip, 65 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:33,320 constant yearly psalms of these pilgrims would sing and they're 66 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:36,080 songs of ascent because Jerusalem is situated at the top 67 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:38,520 of multiple hills. So no matter which way you're 68 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:40,960 coming from, you're ascending an elevation, you're always going 69 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:46,800 up to Jerusalem. And these psalms are handcrafted 70 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:51,600 promises for these pilgrims to cling to as they journey toward 71 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:56,040 the earthly city of Jerusalem. And they're handcrafted promises 72 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:59,640 for you and I this morning, Church, as we journey toward the 73 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:04,600 heavenly city. That last phrase in our Psalm 74 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:07,240 clues us into the spiritual and heavenly realities the Psalm 75 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:09,880 points to. Look at verse 8 real quick from 76 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:15,880 this time forth and forevermore. This is a forever Psalm. 77 00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:19,320 And we need to keep that in mind as we walk through this morning, 78 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:23,200 because we'd be missing the point if we try to interpret 79 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:25,640 this Psalm only through the lens of our current world. 80 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,400 Now, of course, you can use this Psalm. 81 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,840 You can cling to this Psalm when you need real help and real 82 00:05:31,840 --> 00:05:34,600 protection from real problems in this world. 83 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:40,040 But if we stop there, we're going to miss the incredible 84 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,520 gospel truths that this Psalm highlights. 85 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:47,480 Listen, if you're in Christ this morning, then God is your 86 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:50,520 eternal keeper. You are safe in his arms 87 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:55,560 forever. Brothers and sisters, you need 88 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:58,840 Psalm 121 as you journey through this world. 89 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:04,280 You need Psalm 121 as you face down whatever trials and 90 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:08,240 uncertainties lie ahead. Here's our one big take away 91 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:11,440 from the Psalm this morning. Our main point, we could say, 92 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,880 keep your eyes on the one who always keeps you. 93 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:21,800 Keep your eyes on the one who always keeps you. 94 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:26,360 That's what we'll seek to do together as a church as we walk 95 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:27,960 through our passage. Three points. 96 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:34,320 Keep your eyes on #1 the helper who's all powerful #2 the 97 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:39,960 protector who's ever watchful #3 the preserver who's eternally 98 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:42,200 good. The helper who's all powerful 99 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:44,960 verses 1 and 2. The protector who's ever 100 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:49,840 watchful 3 to 6 the preserver who's eternally good 7 to 8 101 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,640 point #1 the helper who's all powerful verses one and two. 102 00:06:55,160 --> 00:07:00,480 Look back with me at verse one, I lift up my eyes to the hills. 103 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:04,360 From where does my help come now? 104 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,800 The journey to Jerusalem would often be very dangerous. 105 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:11,600 There's no Honda Odysseys with, you know, climate control at AC. 106 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:14,840 They're walking by foot. Maybe if you're wealthy, you've 107 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:16,960 got a donkey or something. Blazing heat. 108 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:21,280 There's often robbers along the way, so you can imagine how the 109 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:26,320 need for practical help would be real. 1 interpretive question to 110 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:29,840 ask right away is what do these hills here represent? 111 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,480 When the psalmist lifts up his eyes to the hills, do the hills 112 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:37,440 scare him, or do they fill him with hope? 113 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:41,640 The latter seems to make more sense in context. 114 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:45,320 The fills the hills fill fill him with hope. 115 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,800 Whenever this phrase is used in the Bible, someone lifts up 116 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,440 their eyes. It's usually used in a feeling 117 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,680 of desire and hope, like Psalm 123. 118 00:07:54,680 --> 00:08:00,680 One just a few chapters later. To you I lift up my eyes, O you 119 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:02,240 who are enthroned in the heavens. 120 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:05,760 Or the phrase could sometimes just be used neutrally in the 121 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:09,480 Bible, like I can't see where I'm going, so I lifted my eyes 122 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:12,320 to see the path ahead. This phrase is never used to 123 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:14,400 bring about fear in the Scriptures. 124 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:19,480 Furthermore, these hills are significant because, as I 125 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:22,400 mentioned a minute ago, they're likely the hills of Zion, of 126 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,000 Jerusalem. And I think the surrounding 127 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:26,800 songs of ascent make that clear as well. 128 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:29,080 You can imagine the long hard journey. 129 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:33,000 You might be asking why? Why am I even going to Jerusalem 130 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,799 again? It's hot, I'm in constant 131 00:08:35,799 --> 00:08:40,240 danger, I'm tired. And then you can kind of see it 132 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:43,679 in the distance. Kids, look, wake up. 133 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:45,800 Do you guys can see the Temple Mount? 134 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:48,280 You can see the buildings. Look, there's Jerusalem. 135 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:52,280 This would fill you with adrenaline and hope, not because 136 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:56,400 your help comes from the literal hills, but you know you have 137 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:58,720 help because of what those hills represent. 138 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:01,240 This is where Yahweh is worshipped. 139 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:04,360 This is where His covenant promises and blessings are 140 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:06,840 experienced most intimately by his people. 141 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:11,520 Think of it like if you're on your way to a football game, a 142 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,160 big concert or something, you know, a long time on the 143 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:16,760 highway, you're sitting in traffic, you're getting bored, 144 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,880 and then you kind of, you can see the stadium pop up over the 145 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,560 highway. It's huge, it stands out, it 146 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:27,440 wakes you up, it fills you with excitement. 147 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:29,880 Again, there's not anything significant about the concrete 148 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:32,640 of the stadium. It's what that stadium or 149 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,680 concert venue represents. This is where you have an 150 00:09:35,680 --> 00:09:37,840 experience with your favorite artist. 151 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:40,160 You get to watch your favorite player. 152 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:46,200 The weary Pilgrim lifts up his eyes to these hills, and he 153 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:48,280 knows his help comes from the Lord. 154 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:51,680 The weary Pilgrim lifts up his eyes to these hills and his eyes 155 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:55,920 keep going to the One who made the hills to the God of heaven 156 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:59,640 and earth. Verse 2 My help comes from the 157 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:03,880 Lord, from Yahweh who made heaven and earth. 158 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:08,240 Now we aren't told precisely what sort of help is in view 159 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,080 here. And this is a a corporate song. 160 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:13,640 We should remember that all of God's people across time would 161 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,440 be singing. You can imagine year after year 162 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:19,320 travelling to Jerusalem, bringing with you on the journey 163 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:21,440 whatever trials and difficulties you might be facing. 164 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,280 And I think the fact that we aren't told what sort of help is 165 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,240 needed is a significant silence from the text. 166 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:32,600 Because it doesn't matter what help you might be needing this 167 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:37,800 morning, God is totally powerful enough to provide it for you. 168 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,560 He made all things, He sustains all things. 169 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:48,160 Christ upholds the universe by the word of his power. 170 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,160 Dear friend, Christ is going to hold on to you this morning. 171 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:58,480 There is no situation you will face this year in which God 172 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:00,800 won't give you the help that you need. 173 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:03,960 You won't be separated from His love, you won't have to fend for 174 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:07,480 yourself, and there's nothing that can stop God's powerful 175 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:13,600 help from coming to you. Some of you likely went through 176 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,480 some incredibly hard things this year. 177 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:22,080 Still are. You may have wondered at times, 178 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:26,720 where is God? Is He going to help me? 179 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:34,840 If you're suffering, be reminded this morning that God is a very 180 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:37,840 present help in times of trouble. 181 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:42,160 He is sovereign over your suffering and He's compassionate 182 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:44,600 enough to meet you in your darkest hour. 183 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:51,000 That's what we see in Scripture. We see a God who gives help to 184 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:55,600 his people in all sorts of ways, usually very surprising, often 185 00:11:55,680 --> 00:11:57,360 how his people don't at all expect it. 186 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:06,800 A pregnancy at 100 years old, a sea split in two, the bottom of 187 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:10,600 a pit sold into slavery by your own brothers to ascending the 188 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:14,400 second in command of Egypt and then saving your whole people 189 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:19,120 from starvation? How about a baby born in a 190 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:23,240 Manger? Brothers and sisters, if you're 191 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:28,400 in Christ, remember that God has already provided you with the 192 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,040 greatest help that you really need. 193 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:32,920 He paid for your sins on the cross. 194 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:35,960 He secured your eternal life and His resurrection. 195 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:39,640 He's filled you with His Holy Spirit, who, remember, Jesus 196 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:41,480 calls the Helper when He goes away. 197 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:44,600 He's sending you His help to be with you at all moments of the 198 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:47,360 day. The God who saved you is not 199 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:50,280 going to stop helping you. His mercies are new every 200 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:55,320 morning, and He has a fresh batch of His loving Providence 201 00:12:55,920 --> 00:13:00,600 handcrafted for you, handcrafted for you, handcrafted for you, to 202 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:03,640 help you through every day no matter what you're facing. 203 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:08,200 TBC, the Lord knows what you need, and He knows exactly how 204 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:12,880 to provide it for you. Some of you though, might be 205 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:17,640 tempted to look to other sources of help besides God. 206 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:22,400 I don't need to tell you that the triangle, or really our 207 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:27,160 modern world in general, is a place of self-sufficiency, self 208 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:30,360 dependency. If our area was going to make a 209 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,720 parody of a Psalm of this Psalm, it may say something like this. 210 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:38,480 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 211 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:45,120 Comes from myself. It's my degree, it's my 212 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:48,360 intellect, it's my fit body, it's my access to the best 213 00:13:48,680 --> 00:13:50,840 medical treatment. It's the social networks I'm in. 214 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:54,240 I keep my own life. From where does my help come? 215 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:59,640 It comes from myself. As Christians, we can be tempted 216 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:03,080 to believe that the world is constantly pressing in on us to 217 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,680 be conformed to it. Krishna, are you tempted to 218 00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:09,320 believe that this morning? Yeah, sure, God helps me some. 219 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:13,200 But honestly, if we kind of remove God from the picture, I'm 220 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:17,120 doing pretty OK on my own. What's that old phrase? 221 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:20,200 God helps those who help themselves? 222 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:26,440 Well, that phrase is a lie. It's nowhere to be found in the 223 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:30,000 Bible. If you think you get God's help 224 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,120 by offering some of your help first, that's a dangerous place 225 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:35,680 of pride to be. OK. 226 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:37,120 Maybe for you it's more spiritual. 227 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,760 Yes, faith in Jesus. But surely as I walk with the 228 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:43,760 Lord, I have to cooperate with God's grace. 229 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:46,160 Surely He gives me some help to save me. 230 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:49,000 But surely the Lord is waiting on me to give some help in 231 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:52,800 return as I get myself through the pearly gates. 232 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:58,640 Friends, there is no both. And for the Christian, there are 233 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:03,200 no other ultimate helpers besides the Lord in this world. 234 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:06,000 He is our hope. He is our salvation. 235 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:09,280 He is our comfort. He is our joy. 236 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:13,520 If you're struggling with your true source of help this 237 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:17,600 morning, you need to be reminded that you don't keep your own 238 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:22,360 life. You didn't save yourself. 239 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:28,040 You don't sustain yourself. Plus, all their sources of help 240 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:34,280 are fleeting. Money, possessions, jobs can be 241 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:37,040 lost. Our bodies can be harmed. 242 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:41,360 Our reputation can be tarnished. A friend or leader can let you 243 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:48,200 down and in the end we've all got a date on our calendar in 244 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:52,640 the future with death. What earthly help can save you 245 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:59,360 from that? Only God is an all powerful, all 246 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:03,600 sufficient helper. You know, God has a way in His 247 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:07,400 mercy over time of weaning us off of the other helps we look 248 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:10,920 for in this world and getting our eyes back on Him as our only 249 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:13,640 true source of help. The Lord may do that by 250 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:15,920 disciplining you. It may be painful. 251 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:19,360 The Lord may do that just through the normal ebbs and 252 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:22,480 flows of progressive sanctification over time. 253 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:27,520 But make no mistake, God will prove Himself to be your only 254 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:32,720 true helper. Let's think briefly. 255 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:36,400 How do we access God's help? What does it look like to rely 256 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,360 on Him practically? Well, a couple things are not 257 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:42,680 exhausted, but I think the first thing you do, as you do what the 258 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:44,760 psalmist does, you lift up your eyes to heaven. 259 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:48,160 You remember that's your real home. 260 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,360 You're just passing through this world like a quick stay in a 261 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:53,600 hotel. Don't even bother unpacking your 262 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:57,640 bags when you have access to the heavenly throne room. 263 00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:01,520 You don't need access to the other false helps of this world 264 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,200 to access God's help. You have to be disciplined to 265 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:10,079 commune with God. If God's going to be your 266 00:17:10,079 --> 00:17:11,960 helper, you got to know where to find His help. 267 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:15,400 He's united his help to His Word. 268 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:19,599 He's united his help to the help you get by relying on Him in 269 00:17:19,599 --> 00:17:21,000 prayer. You have to store up His 270 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:25,480 promises in your heart. And as you do that, you need to 271 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:28,800 identify these false helps by letting the Spirit search your 272 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:32,240 heart. One way to do that, you know, 273 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:35,080 because if you ask me, if you ask you, you know what, what 274 00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:36,200 false helps. Are you running to? 275 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:38,760 It's probably pretty difficult to discern upfront. 276 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:43,920 Here's what I think we can do to search out our hearts when a 277 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:46,880 problem hits. What's your first instinct? 278 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:52,080 What's that first urge, that first inclination of my heart? 279 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:55,400 What makes you feel really safe or secure in the moment? 280 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:57,400 Yes, you know God is there, but He can, He can wait. 281 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:04,440 It might be another grab of your phone or obsessing over an 282 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:07,600 entertainment or show another mindless scroll. 283 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,560 It might be working more hours when you know you don't need to. 284 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:17,240 Could be a substance that you've been keeping hidden. 285 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:23,160 Or maybe you just you just let your mind continue to snowball 286 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,840 with thoughts that are taking you captive instead of 287 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:30,120 submitting those thoughts to the Word of God, Whatever it is for 288 00:18:30,120 --> 00:18:35,560 you, you then need to ask the Lord to help you retrain the 289 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:38,960 muscles of your heart so that you rely on God instinctively, 290 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:44,000 so that that first urge, that first inclination is to go to 291 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:46,720 God, your only refuge in times of need. 292 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:49,960 And that's a prayer of the Lord will answer. 293 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:56,280 Friends, TBC, keep your eyes on the helper who's all powerful. 294 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:03,320 Your help comes from the Lord. But the psalmist doesn't stop 295 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:06,520 there. The God who's our helper is also 296 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:11,480 our tireless protector. Point #2 Keep your eyes on the 297 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:17,000 protector who's ever watchful. The protector who's ever 298 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:19,000 watchful. Verses three to six. 299 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:24,800 Look at verse three with me. He will not let your foot be 300 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:28,200 moved. He who keeps you will not 301 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:32,560 slumber again. Remember that Israel's a 302 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:36,160 mountainous, rocky terrain, lots of cliffs. 303 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:39,000 You could you can imagine how this image sinks in immediately. 304 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:42,320 One slip of your foot on this journey could be catastrophic. 305 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:47,400 I remember a few years ago me and some buddies went out to 306 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:52,960 Zion National Park in Utah and this is before I had kids to 307 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:55,280 make sense in a minute. We did a hike there called 308 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:58,080 Angels Landing. Maybe some of you guys have done 309 00:19:58,080 --> 00:19:59,440 it or heard of it. It's. 310 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,320 One of those hikes that is you're walking up the mountain. 311 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,920 There's literally signposts that say like this many people have 312 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:08,840 died on this hike. Great. 313 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:14,960 And you know, the last half mile of the hike is literally you 314 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:18,280 walking on this narrow ledge with like 1000 foot drop offs on 315 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:20,920 each side. I mean, the ledge is no wider 316 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:22,960 than a a highway lane or something. 317 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:25,960 At some places it's about as wide as my wingspan, but you've 318 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:28,400 got this metal chain that you're, you're you're gripping 319 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:30,080 that's attached to the mountain. Thank the Lord. 320 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:35,480 And I, I just remember thinking as we got up there, you have, 321 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:38,160 you get to a point where you have to submit your permit to do 322 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:39,440 it. So you have kind of a plateau 323 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:42,040 where you have to wait. I remember thinking, alright, if 324 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:45,600 we're going to do this, and as I'm doing the hike, just like, 325 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:49,920 you know, my palms are sweating. If I just watch for my next step 326 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,240 is going. If I just hang on as tight as I 327 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,480 can to this rope, then I'll be OK, I'll make it. 328 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:02,600 But even with me watching every step carefully, it's still true 329 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:06,280 that one slip could have been catastrophic. 330 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:09,240 That's the image here in verse 3. 331 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:13,560 Verse 3 is saying you can think you're watching every step you 332 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:17,880 take in life, but if it's left up to you, you have no guarantee 333 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:20,840 that you won't slip and fall. And there's a moral component 334 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:22,320 for this idiom in the Bible as well. 335 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:26,600 For your foot to slip in the Bible is to fall off the path of 336 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,600 righteousness. And if it's left up to you, 337 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:35,560 you'd have no guarantee that you won't slip and fall morally fall 338 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:39,440 into some grave sin, something you never thought you would do 339 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:44,440 in life. You can't watch every step you 340 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:46,280 take in life. It's impossible. 341 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:53,640 But God can. God can with God as your helper, 342 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:57,360 your foot won't be moved. He's not going to let it happen. 343 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:01,920 Why? Because verse 3, the God we 344 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:04,760 serve never falls asleep on the job. 345 00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:06,520 He who keeps you will not slumber. 346 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:10,920 Behold, he who keeps Israel when neither slumber nor sleep. 347 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,480 It's funny if you remember Elijah's showdown with the false 348 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:17,800 prophets in First Kings 18. It's a really funny encounter, 349 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:21,360 actually, but the it's the false prophet's turn to kind of call 350 00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:24,000 down their gods in the competition and it's not 351 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:26,440 working. And so Elijah's like, hey, your 352 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:28,960 God might be, he might be using the bathroom, he says, but your 353 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:31,280 God might be asleep. You might want to go wake him 354 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:36,280 up. The one true God never sleeps. 355 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:40,720 He never needs a shift change. He never takes his eyes off you. 356 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:45,760 How is this possible? Because God is totally 357 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:50,080 sufficient in himself, He doesn't rely on anything outside 358 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:53,080 of himself to exist. He doesn't need emotional help, 359 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,520 He doesn't need time to rejuvenate his power, and he 360 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:59,720 doesn't need to be woken up and reminded that you need help. 361 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:06,960 We spend a large part of our existence awake and alert, 362 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:11,120 eating food, putting on clothes, putting gas in the tank. 363 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:16,360 But then there's this one third or so, depending on how much 364 00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:21,080 sleep you get of our lives. We're we're not watching a 365 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:23,120 thing. We're not alert at all. 366 00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:24,720 We're almost completely unconscious. 367 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:30,960 And God says I'm watching over you with intimate and love and 368 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:35,120 care, not only every night when you sleep, but in all the 369 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:36,920 moments when you don't care much for God. 370 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:39,560 He's delighting and caring for you. 371 00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:45,120 Not only you, but all of God's people. 372 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:47,160 That's what he says in verse 3 as well. 373 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:50,280 Behold, He who keeps Israel when neither somber or sleep. 374 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:54,160 Behold, it's an intensification. He's raising the bar. 375 00:23:54,360 --> 00:23:56,120 Listen up, I'm going to say this again. 376 00:23:56,720 --> 00:24:00,880 I take care of you individually and I take care of all of my 377 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:04,520 people corporately, all of my people making this journey up to 378 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:08,800 Jerusalem. Members of TBC, God watches over 379 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:13,560 you individually and God watches over our body corporately. 380 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:18,480 He protects us from harm. He leads us over the highest 381 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:21,640 hills and he leads us through the darkest valleys. 382 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:25,360 God is not going to fall asleep on his church. 383 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:31,360 If you look back at verse 3, it's helpful to note this word 384 00:24:31,360 --> 00:24:33,720 keep that pops up there. It's the most prevalent word 385 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:36,560 used in our passage is used six times in the Psalm. 386 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:40,040 It means to protect, to watch over, to guard. 387 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:44,080 You might recognize it as the same word that God charges Adam 388 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:46,360 with in the garden. He is supposed to work the 389 00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:49,040 garden and to keep it. He's supposed to be on guard. 390 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:54,080 But Adam fails. And what Adam failed to do, God 391 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:56,440 will never fail at with his people. 392 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:02,120 In fact, if we jump ahead to John 17, this is what Jesus 393 00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:04,400 prayed for his people the night he was betrayed. 394 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,280 Jesus says, I'm not praying for the world, I'm praying for them. 395 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:13,120 What a comforting image, Church, that Jesus prayed for you. 396 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:17,400 You were in his mind in the garden that night. 397 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:21,440 He prays that they'd be kept by the Father. 398 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:25,480 He prays that you'd be guarded from the evil 1. 399 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:29,920 The promises of Psalm 21 point to Christ. 400 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:34,000 They're fulfilled in Christ. You are kept from the evil 1 401 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:37,200 because Christ is keeping you. You're united to Him. 402 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:42,080 Your eternity is safe and secure, and not even the most 403 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:45,880 seemingly extreme dangers in this life can change that, which 404 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:48,360 is what the psalmist points us to in verses 5 and 6. 405 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,840 The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your 406 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,520 right hand. The sun shall not strike you by 407 00:25:54,520 --> 00:26:01,200 day, nor the moon by night. Shade means protection, shelter 408 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:02,720 from harm. It's a similar image in Psalm 409 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:05,560 91. He who dwells in the shelter of 410 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:09,640 the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 411 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:12,840 We all know how vital shade can be. 412 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:15,520 We don't remember much as now when it's been a little colder 413 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:17,400 in the winter. But when you're waiting in line 414 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:21,440 in the summer and it's blazing hot, or maybe you're out at a 415 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:24,760 Saturday Sports Complex or something, the most coveted spot 416 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:29,280 in the world is shade. But God's not like shade that we 417 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,200 have to go and find just for some temporary comfort. 418 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:36,400 God's always at our right hand. He's always protecting us from 419 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,000 harm. He's that close to us. 420 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:43,520 It's the same idea basically, with the sun and the moon not 421 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:45,960 striking you. The sun and the moon's not 422 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:49,480 literally going to take a sword and, you know, strike, strike 423 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:50,960 you. The image is used in Revelation 424 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:52,800 as well for the new heavens and new Earth. 425 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:56,920 It's an image of protection. You've got extreme desert heat, 426 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:00,200 or the dangers of the day under the sunlight, and you've got 427 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:03,960 extreme desert cold, the dangers of the night under the 428 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:06,880 moonlight. Basically, the psalmist is 429 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:10,320 saying all evil is either done under sunlight or under 430 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,200 moonlight. And at all those times God is 431 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:16,800 watching your steps. God is protection, protecting 432 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:20,400 you. What should these truths do to 433 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,680 our souls? That God doesn't fall asleep on 434 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:26,240 you, that he doesn't stop protecting you? 435 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:33,800 They first should humble us. We know it to be true, but it's 436 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:37,560 often helpful to say it out loud that we are not God. 437 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:44,480 You know, in a day where transhumanism and AI feels like 438 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:48,080 it's running out of control. And those things are are viewing 439 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:50,840 human limits as a bad thing to be overcome. 440 00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:55,080 Not only, I mean not only is God in control of all those things, 441 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:58,640 but friends, we need to be reminded with a Christian 442 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:03,080 worldview that our human limits are a good gift from God to be 443 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:05,160 embraced, not to be pushed back against. 444 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:10,600 You can't be ever at once. You can't try to play God and be 445 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:14,920 everyone's helper all at once. You can't ultimately keep your 446 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:18,040 life safe or the lives of your loved ones. 447 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:21,800 Friends, don't try to do God's job. 448 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:25,640 Humble yourself under His sovereign hand. 449 00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:30,680 They should humble us. These truths should also comfort 450 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:32,040 us, though. They should comfort us. 451 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:36,600 It's no news to you that we live in an incredibly anxious 452 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:39,920 society. Maybe this morning you've come 453 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:45,600 in anxious. And here's what anxiety says. 454 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:50,160 Anxiety says you have to be the one to stay awake. 455 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:53,160 You have to be the one to keep your own life. 456 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:56,440 You, you, you can't fall asleep with a white knuckle grip on 457 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:58,320 your future. If you do something back, we 458 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:00,200 don't know. You've got to stay awake. 459 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:03,160 You've got to get the job done. And God says, no, you don't. 460 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:07,760 No you don't. I will never fall asleep on you. 461 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:10,560 I will never stop caring for you. 462 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:17,120 Friends, when you're anxious, go to God at all times of the day, 463 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:21,640 all times of the night, with all your problems, with all your 464 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:24,160 fears, with all the ways you need help. 465 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:28,680 God never gets tired of hearing from you. 466 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:32,560 He loves to provide the help and comfort that you need. 467 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:39,600 Passages like these should be death flows to our anxiety. 468 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:43,480 Whatever you're afraid of whatever what if scenario is 469 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:46,760 twirling around in your mind right now, Remember that God 470 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:50,160 doesn't fall asleep on you. He loves to stay awake and 471 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:55,480 protect His children. So TBC, keep your eyes on the 472 00:29:55,480 --> 00:30:02,640 protector who's ever watchful. Last point .3, Keep your eyes on 473 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:04,720 the Preserver who's eternally good. 474 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:08,520 The Preserver who's eternally good. 475 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:15,040 Verses 7 and 8, if you thought the psalmist had made his point 476 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:20,160 clear by now, he actually ramps it up even more in verses 7 and 477 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:23,360 8. The Lord will keep you from all 478 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:26,320 evil. He will keep your life. 479 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:32,440 Like I mentioned earlier, if we view this Psalm only in light of 480 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:34,840 the events of this current world, we'd have to say God's a 481 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:38,920 liar. Really kept from all evil. 482 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:43,720 Look around us, God. Every week evil is running 483 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:49,160 rampant in our society. Not only that, but evil plagues 484 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:52,560 many of you has played you. This week evil and sin and 485 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:56,440 suffering comes our way. How can God say this? 486 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:00,680 He can say it because of the reality of heaven. 487 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:09,720 If your hope lies only in this world, then you will experience 488 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:11,800 evil and you'll have no answer for it. 489 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:19,280 If your hope lies only in this world, then Psalm 21 is not for 490 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:23,120 you. But it can be. 491 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:28,320 It can be. Look at the phrase in verse 7. 492 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:32,360 He pairs us with He will keep your life. 493 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:36,400 It's the same word used for soul in the Bible. 494 00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:41,600 Your life is not just the years the Lord gives you on this 495 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:44,160 earth. You have a soul, you're headed 496 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:47,520 for eternity. Your life will go on forever and 497 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:50,960 nothing could be worse than forfeiting your soul. 498 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:56,520 Jesus says in Matthew 16, What will it profit a man if he gains 499 00:31:56,640 --> 00:31:59,000 the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? 500 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:03,960 The rhetorical answer is nothing. 501 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:08,280 It profits you nothing. You gain nothing. 502 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:12,200 You lose it all. You spend eternity in hell. 503 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:18,480 If your only hope is in this life, then the worst evil that 504 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:21,040 can happen to you is one that you've earned for yourself. 505 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:26,600 So how can you be kept from all evil? 506 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:31,960 What's your hope? You do what the psalmist does. 507 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:37,280 You lift up your eyes to heaven, to the hills. 508 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:43,320 Hundreds of years after this Psalm was written, there was a 509 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:49,320 man named Jesus of Nazareth who marched up a hill outside of 510 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:51,640 Jerusalem, a hill called Golgotha. 511 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:56,480 He had a cross on his back, and on that hill he's raised up 512 00:32:56,920 --> 00:32:58,480 nails between his wrists and his feet. 513 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:02,320 And the greatest evil in the history of the world fell upon 514 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:09,040 the God man, Jesus Christ. He paid the penalty for sin in 515 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:11,720 full. He drank the cup of God's wrath 516 00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:14,920 every drop. And then God the Son died. 517 00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:21,760 He was put in tomb, but he rose three days later. 518 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:26,160 The greatest evil that we could eternally face had been paid 519 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:31,480 for, and His resurrection guarantees the promises of this 520 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:34,040 Psalm. They can be yours this morning 521 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:37,440 if you would just trust in Christ. 522 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:42,680 If you want eternal security from evil, then you need to 523 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:45,760 repent of your sins and trust in Christ today. 524 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:50,480 If you want your life, your soul to be saved, all your sins to be 525 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:53,600 wiped clean, to be united to Christ, to have a reconciled 526 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:56,920 relationship to God, then you need to turn from sin. 527 00:33:57,160 --> 00:33:59,080 Turn from all the false helps you've been looking for in this 528 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:01,240 world. Turn from yourself as a helper 529 00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:06,000 and turn to Christ. If you want God to be your 530 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:11,440 helper and your keeper now and forever, they come to Christ 531 00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:20,159 today and church, the God who showed his good love for you on 532 00:34:20,159 --> 00:34:25,840 the cross will continue to be good to you in this life and 533 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:31,679 forevermore. The Psalm closes by emphasizing 534 00:34:31,679 --> 00:34:36,920 this truth again in verse 8. The Lord will keep your going 535 00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:42,040 out and you're coming in from this time forth and forevermore 536 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:47,760 going out and coming in. It's just an expression used in 537 00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:50,120 the Bible. It stands in for it means all 538 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:52,920 normal activities of life, the nitty gritty stuff of life. 539 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:55,159 You could think of it like you go out in the morning for work, 540 00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:57,600 you come back in in the evening, Everything that happens in 541 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:00,200 between, all the normal business of life. 542 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:02,400 God's guarding it all. He's guarding it all. 543 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:08,680 Couple months ago, I was leading a student Bible study on campus 544 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:15,320 and this guy asked me, Brian, what's what's the thing you've 545 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:19,200 learned the most since leaving college and going on to get 546 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:24,880 married, have children? And I share the story because my 547 00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:29,360 answer is likely what many of you would answer, I said. 548 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:35,040 And the greatest thing that I've learned in my 30 years is that I 549 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:36,520 am not in control of my own life. 550 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:45,080 In fact, just a few weeks ago, doing some work at a coffee shop 551 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:49,360 in Chapel Hill, it's broad daylight, packed shopping 552 00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:54,720 centre. And I hear a car alarm, a car 553 00:35:54,720 --> 00:35:56,960 alarm going off in the distance. I have my headphones in, you 554 00:35:56,960 --> 00:36:00,880 know, it's a packed parking lot. And I kind of glance outside and 555 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:02,240 I see my truck lights are blinking. 556 00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:05,480 Am I OK? So I, I, I get up, maybe I sat 557 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:07,640 on my keys. I'm kind of fumbling towards the 558 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:12,120 door. And when I open the door, I mean 559 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:17,280 for me to you guys in the front row, there's a man in a ski mask 560 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:21,600 climbing out of my truck window with a gun. 561 00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:27,120 And by the time I see it jumps in the car with his buddy, they 562 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:29,560 speed off. I mean, with a car like right in 563 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:35,680 front of here, this close to me, I'm not in control of my own 564 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:39,080 life. You are not in control of your 565 00:36:39,080 --> 00:36:42,440 own life. It's an illusion. 566 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:46,920 I don't keep my own life. You don't keep your own life, 567 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:50,720 but God does. There's nothing stopping these 568 00:36:50,720 --> 00:36:52,760 men from shooting me if they wanted to. 569 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:57,400 Totally defenseless. There's nothing on this earth 570 00:36:57,640 --> 00:37:00,640 that can really keep you safe from ultimate harm. 571 00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:02,800 It doesn't matter what sort of security system you have in your 572 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:04,640 home. It doesn't matter how healthy 573 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:06,120 and strong you think you are right now. 574 00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:09,080 It doesn't matter how much you micromanage your schedule. 575 00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:13,200 You don't make life happen. It happens to you. 576 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:18,800 And yet God is in control. He's in control. 577 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:22,760 God is not running Plan B for your life. 578 00:37:25,320 --> 00:37:30,240 His good and loving plan for you is carrying on every day, minute 579 00:37:30,240 --> 00:37:31,920 by minute, as He watches over you. 580 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:39,400 I mean, if you really think about it, we have no idea all 581 00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:42,240 the ways God guards us and protects us from danger in this 582 00:37:42,240 --> 00:37:44,640 life. I mean, I think it would blow 583 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:48,480 our minds if we knew 1% of all that God does to protect us even 584 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,600 in this life right now. So when you think about this 585 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:56,440 Psalm, yes, think about all the ways that God has been and is 586 00:37:56,440 --> 00:37:59,720 your helper and your keeper in this life, both physically and 587 00:37:59,720 --> 00:38:02,840 spiritually. But before you ask God for 588 00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:06,600 future help, it might be helpful to remember all the ways He's 589 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:10,360 been your help in the past. So God's people are often told 590 00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:16,400 to do in the Word. And any temporary protection the 591 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:20,000 Lord offers you now is just a foretaste of you being kept safe 592 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:25,440 in his arms forever. One day you might think, OK, 593 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:27,760 yeah, what if? What if those guys did shoot 594 00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:30,000 you, Brian? Or what if something horrible 595 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:33,160 happens to me or my family or my job? 596 00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:36,280 What then? Is this Psalm still true? 597 00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:39,480 You better believe it. It's church you better believe 598 00:38:39,480 --> 00:38:44,360 it is. Nothing can snatch you out of 599 00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:46,880 the Father's hand. There is nothing that can 600 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:51,720 separate you from His love. People can kill the body, they 601 00:38:51,720 --> 00:38:56,000 can't kill the soul. If your soul, if your eternal 602 00:38:56,000 --> 00:39:01,560 life is kept by Christ, then come what may in this life Come 603 00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:08,280 what may, affliction, hardship, confusion, loss, their light and 604 00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:11,400 momentary. The sufferings of our present 605 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:15,080 age don't even compare to the glory that is coming for you. 606 00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:21,440 Church, we do grieve in life, but with hope. 607 00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:26,680 We do fight in life, but not with the weapons of the flesh. 608 00:39:28,240 --> 00:39:33,320 We do walk in life, but we walk by sight. 609 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:34,600 Excuse me? We walk by faith. 610 00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:41,400 We are a people like Paul who have learned the secret to 611 00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:45,200 contentment. We know how to be brought low. 612 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:48,320 We know how to abound in any and every circumstance. 613 00:39:48,320 --> 00:39:52,920 We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us from 614 00:39:52,920 --> 00:40:00,600 this time forth and forevermore. I know it's been said before by 615 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:05,040 many of us, but. Isn't the thing you love most 616 00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:08,720 about our church? The fact that we sing a lot of 617 00:40:08,720 --> 00:40:13,160 songs about heaven, It's so wonderful, it's so glorious. 618 00:40:15,160 --> 00:40:16,480 Church, don't look for help in this world. 619 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:20,840 Lift up your eyes, set your hope on heaven. 620 00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:25,080 One of the best things about our God is that before you can even 621 00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:29,160 say the words, I need help. He already knows a word before 622 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:34,200 it's on your tongue, and He always stands ready to provide 623 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:36,960 the help that his people need. Amen. 624 00:40:37,080 --> 00:40:43,200 Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your 625 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:47,160 wonderful promises in Psalm 121. Thank you that you are our 626 00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:51,400 helper, our keeper. Thank you that no matter what 627 00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:54,240 comes in this life, you'll never forsake us. 628 00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:57,960 You'll never abandoned us. You'll guard us safely all the 629 00:40:57,960 --> 00:41:00,280 way home and we'll be with you forevermore. 630 00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:03,280 We thank you in Jesus name, Amen.