1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 Hi, my name is Alyssa and I am the office admin 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,000 here at Village. 3 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,000 Today's scripture reading is from Psalm 121. 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:11,000 I lift my eyes towards the mountains. 5 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Where will my help come from? 6 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,000 My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. 7 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,000 He will not allow your foot to slip. 8 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,000 Your protector will not slumber. 9 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,000 Indeed, the protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. 10 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:25,000 The Lord protects you. 11 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,000 The Lord is a shelter right by your side. 12 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,000 The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. 13 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,000 The Lord will protect you from all harm. 14 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,000 He will protect your life. 15 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,000 The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever. 16 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,000 This is God's word. 17 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:46,000 Good morning, everyone. 18 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,000 So you're supposed to start a sermon with an illustration, 19 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,000 a story to draw you, the audience in. 20 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,000 But we just heard a story read. 21 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:00,000 It probably didn't sound like it, probably not our normal story, 22 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,000 but today we're going to be on a dirt road with a traveler. 23 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,000 He's concerned about something. 24 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:12,000 But before we start, I want to do a little background. 25 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,000 We've got a long hike in front of us, so let's do a little background 26 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,000 into Psalm 121, where we're at. 27 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:19,000 We're just jumping into this big, large book of Psalms. 28 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:23,000 So Psalm 121 is the second psalm in this section called 29 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,000 The Songs of Ascent. 30 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:29,000 The large book of Psalms, 150 chapters, is actually divided into 31 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:34,000 five different books or scrolls, which tell a story through their 32 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,000 arrangement and their design. 33 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:37,000 It's one big story. 34 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,000 The Songs of Ascent are no different. 35 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:44,000 They are arranged to tell an overarching story through the 15 36 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,000 individual songs. 37 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,000 And I want you to be keyed into this, this idea of a story, because 38 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:53,000 we're going to be studying the Songs of Ascent for the next four 39 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:55,000 weeks, and they're going to be stories. 40 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,000 So what is the story being told in this one? 41 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,000 Psalm 121. 42 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,000 These are story songs. 43 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:03,000 Let's keep that in mind. 44 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,000 These are stories that are supposed to draw us closer to the Lord. 45 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,000 They're supposed to draw us in. 46 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:12,000 Now, let's chat a little bit about The Songs of Ascent, the title. 47 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:16,000 This line in our Bibles is actually part of the original scrolls. 48 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,000 We've got those headers above most of our chapters, and they kind of 49 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,000 give us an idea of what's there. 50 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,000 And that's just the publisher trying to cue you as the reader. 51 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,000 But this is part of the original scroll. 52 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,000 The title is self-explanatory. 53 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:34,000 And these songs were sung by traveling caravans while ascending up to 54 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:38,000 Jerusalem for the Jewish high festivals. 55 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:40,000 Jerusalem sits on a hill. 56 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,000 It's not the highest hill in Israel, but it's on a hill. 57 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:44,000 It's in a mountain range. 58 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:49,000 So to go up to Jerusalem on any way, you always have to go be going up. 59 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:53,000 You're always ascending, which is why in the Bible it says go up to 60 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:54,000 Jerusalem even when it's south. 61 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,000 It kind of sounds weird, but that's why. 62 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,000 So we have three festivals. 63 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,000 You probably haven't recently studied Leviticus, so I'm just trying to 64 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:06,000 remind you that there are three festivals in the Torah that tell the 65 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,000 Jews, hey, come and assemble at the temple. 66 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,000 Come and join in and worship. 67 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,000 And these were celebratory festivals. 68 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,000 These were not sad and drudgery times. 69 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:18,000 These were excitement. 70 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,000 These were feasting with a lot of barbecuing. 71 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,000 This is more Fourth of July than tax day. 72 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,000 We often think of it the other way around, but these were exciting times 73 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:28,000 for the Jews. 74 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,000 Everybody was coming together. 75 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:34,000 Now that we have our footing, let's dive in. 76 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:39,000 Let's see what we can find out why this song, over and over again, has been 77 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,000 looked to for hope for centuries. 78 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:43,000 Let's start with verse one. 79 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:48,000 I lift my eyes toward the mountains. 80 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,000 Where will my help come from? 81 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:56,000 This song starts with the voice of a traveler pondering the road he is about 82 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:57,000 to travel. 83 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:02,000 His path leads into the mountain, past where his eyes can see to the hill of 84 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:03,000 Jerusalem. 85 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:07,000 As he is about to set off, his heart stops with a question. 86 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,000 Can I make it all the way? 87 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,000 What if I need help? 88 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,000 There's no gas stations. 89 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,000 There's no pit stops. 90 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:17,000 There's no rest stops. 91 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:22,000 All good stories have conflict, and here is ours. 92 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,000 How will our traveler make this trip? 93 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:27,000 Where will he turn to for help? 94 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:33,000 There are actually two problems facing our traveler. 95 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,000 Both are found through the road in the hills. 96 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:41,000 The first problem is that the road the traveler is going on is not safe. 97 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:46,000 He is wise in recognizing the dangers before him. 98 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:52,000 Those hills on the horizon, they contain scary things, robbers, animals, just 99 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,000 general wilderness things. 100 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,000 I don't know about you, I'm not a country boy, I'm a city boy. 101 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,000 I don't know how to go trekking through the wilderness. 102 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:04,000 All those things are around him, and they're ready to pounce on an unsuspecting 103 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:05,000 traveler. 104 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:07,000 They're ready to capture him. 105 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:11,000 Even the worshippers of false gods live in the hills. 106 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:15,000 This is the subtext for why our traveler is seeking help. 107 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,000 He needs protection and support. 108 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:22,000 He's going to be climbing real hills and going into real danger. 109 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:27,000 The second problem is even bigger, and why this traveler's question is so 110 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:28,000 weighty. 111 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:30,000 Where to go for help? 112 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:36,000 As I just mentioned, hills were a common place for false gods to be worshipped. 113 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:42,000 Such as the fertility god or Baal, the weather god, the hills were the place to 114 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:43,000 do that. 115 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:48,000 Altars to these gods were set up on top of the hills, everywhere across Israel. 116 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:53,000 The book of Kings describes Israel as having an altar to a false god on every 117 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:54,000 hill. 118 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:59,000 So it would be common to see the smoke rising from these hills all over Israel, 119 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:00,000 as you're traveling. 120 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:05,000 And just the smoke above reveals the sin below. 121 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,000 It's idolatry below. 122 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:13,000 It's not a safe place for somebody who's worshipping Yahweh. 123 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,000 So maybe our traveler gets a little tired. 124 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:18,000 Maybe he needs a little rest stop. 125 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,000 Maybe he's low on a supply of some sort. 126 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:25,000 Maybe he could just stop for a little bit through all of these different 127 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:26,000 communities. 128 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,000 Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he didn't stay so long. 129 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:34,000 I mean, if he gets his sacrifice to Jerusalem, why not? 130 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:37,000 That may sound ridiculous to you. 131 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:42,000 This guy is going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, to give a 132 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:44,000 sacrifice to the Lord. 133 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,000 Why would he be distracted by anybody else? 134 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:51,000 Don't think yourself about this, though. 135 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Do you ever turn to a thing to help you through a hard time? 136 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:00,000 Do you ever find a backup option in case the Lord doesn't come through on your 137 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:01,000 first plan? 138 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:02,000 What about this one? 139 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:03,000 I'm guilty of this one. 140 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:08,000 Do you ever look for a little extra security away from the Lord just in case 141 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:12,000 he doesn't answer according to your timeframe? 142 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:17,000 These people we read about in Scripture, the pilgrims in the songs of ascent, 143 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,000 they're no different than us. 144 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,000 They are us. 145 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,000 This book describes our human condition. 146 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:30,000 They may use weirder words for their gods or fancier materials for their gods, 147 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,000 but they're me and you. 148 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,000 So how does our traveler deal with this challenge? 149 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,000 What does he do? 150 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:40,000 Verse 2. 151 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:45,000 My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. 152 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,000 I mean, that's a sermon. 153 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,000 We're done right there. 154 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,000 Our traveler's heart is set on the Lord. 155 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:53,000 He's choosing him. 156 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:55,000 My help comes from the Lord. 157 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:59,000 The traveler won't be distracted by those things around him, right? 158 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,000 No fear of man. 159 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:06,000 No danger is going to dissuade him from reaching his goal, which is Jerusalem. 160 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,000 Don't skip over the pronoun here. 161 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:12,000 Pronouns are really, really important in the book of Psalms. 162 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,000 My. 163 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:16,000 My help. 164 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:20,000 This is a personal assurance and expectation for me. 165 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:26,000 The Lord's acts in creation are the evidence that he is trustworthy to provide this 166 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,000 personal help. 167 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:33,000 It's as if the traveler's eyes, this is how I imagined it as I was reading this 168 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:34,000 over and over. 169 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:38,000 It's as if the traveler's eyes were looking at the hills and then they just kept 170 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,000 going up and then they saw the sky. 171 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:44,000 And as he's looking at the sky, maybe it's night, maybe it's day, I don't know. 172 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,000 And he just starts meditating on Genesis one. 173 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:53,000 God made the expanse and God called it called the expanse sky. 174 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:59,000 The handiwork of the Lord and all of creation provides hope and assurance to this 175 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:01,000 one person. 176 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:07,000 The traveler's expectation is that he would receive the personal help, personal 177 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:11,000 protection from the creator of everything that's around him. 178 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:15,000 That is a wild claim. 179 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:17,000 Just sit in that. 180 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:21,000 The God keeping everything together, ordering everything is going to provide 181 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:26,000 personal protection to one dude who's just a random pilgrim. 182 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:31,000 An individual expecting support and care on his trip from the creator of the 183 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:32,000 universe. 184 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:36,000 But does the traveler know the extent of this help? 185 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,000 Is he really firm in this expectation? 186 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:41,000 I don't think so. 187 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,000 And I think that's what the rest of the Psalm explores. 188 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,000 We don't have a lot of indication of where his heart was at, how much hope he 189 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:47,000 had. 190 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:52,000 But it seems to me that he's trying to convince himself. 191 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:55,000 So let's see how the story unfolds. 192 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:59,000 Verse three introduces us to another voice. 193 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,000 Again, notice the pronouns. 194 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,000 Verse three. 195 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:07,000 He, speaking of the Lord, will not allow your foot to slip. 196 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:10,000 Your protector will not slumber. 197 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,000 A new voice enters our story song. 198 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:16,000 This new speaker is firming up the traveler's heart and hope. 199 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:22,000 This companion, as I'll refer to her, has encouraging words that are directed 200 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,000 at the core of the traveler's question. 201 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:27,000 She won't allow the traveler to waver on the road. 202 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:32,000 So she takes the opportunity to preach a hope soaked six verse sermon. 203 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:35,000 It's as if she is pleading for the traveler. 204 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,000 Yes, he will. 205 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:39,000 He will help you. 206 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:40,000 You can trust him. 207 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:42,000 Just listen to me for a moment. 208 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:47,000 Listen to these promises the Lord has for you. 209 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,000 We need friends like this. 210 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:55,000 We need friends close enough to us to see our doubts and struggles, to see the 211 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:58,000 things that are going on that we're not willing to talk about. 212 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:02,000 We need friends who are close enough to preach to us God's promises to our 213 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:11,000 souls loudly, really clear, with lots of words. 214 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:17,000 This may be a strange point to make here, but I feel it really critical and an 215 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:20,000 easy problem to have today. 216 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:24,000 The story of the Psalm is built upon one follower of the Lord preaching, 217 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:30,000 encouraging another follower of the Lord to stay the course and to trust him. 218 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,000 That's how the story unfolds. 219 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:36,000 That's why I keep referencing this as a story, because there are people in a 220 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:40,000 conflict dealing with the situation, and this is how they deal with it, 221 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,000 preaching the gospel, preaching a sermon to each other. 222 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:48,000 This is how the conflict in verse one gets resolved. 223 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:55,000 King David, the apostle Paul, the prophet Elijah, all needed to be renewed by 224 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:58,000 hearing God's word from other humans. 225 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:02,000 We need friends close enough to see our doubts and struggles. 226 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:08,000 We need friends close enough to preach God's promises to our souls. 227 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,000 Do you have those friends? 228 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,000 Are you that friend? 229 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,000 Do you know God's promises? 230 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:18,000 Are you sharing them with your friends, enlightening them, encouraging them? 231 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:22,000 John brought up the mission statement of our church this morning. 232 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:27,000 It's wrapped up in the phrase, bringing the gospel to life. 233 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:31,000 This includes bringing the gospel to a life. 234 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:35,000 If you don't have a type of friend and want to start out, do what John said. 235 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:39,000 Get that connection card, fill out one-to-one mentorship, turn it into the 236 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:40,000 Welcome Center. 237 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:41,000 Do it today. 238 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:46,000 This is an opportunity to be encouraged and be knit together, just like the 239 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,000 Bible has people doing. 240 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:49,000 Okay. 241 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:50,000 Sorry. 242 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:52,000 Let's get back on track. 243 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:58,000 I spent two weeks reading this Psalm every day, twice a day, and it wasn't 244 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:02,000 until two days ago that I finally understood it. 245 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,000 So let me explain that to you this morning. 246 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:06,000 It's really simple. 247 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:10,000 I think there are three types of promises that are laid out in this Psalm. 248 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:16,000 There's one, the mundane, two, terrestrial, and three, ceaseless. 249 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,000 These are promised protection for us. 250 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:24,000 The structure is important because it reveals that the companion, this person 251 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:31,000 speaking the sermon, as I have called her, has a promise for each part of our 252 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:35,000 being, the physical, the emotional, the spiritual, our whole person. 253 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,000 Nothing is left out. 254 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:39,000 Let's listen to these promises. 255 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,000 We're going to read verses three through eight. 256 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:44,000 He will not allow your foot to slip. 257 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,000 Your protector will not slumber. 258 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,000 Indeed, the protector of Israel does not sleep or slumber. 259 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,000 The Lord protects you. 260 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,000 The Lord is a shelter right by your side. 261 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,000 The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. 262 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:00,000 The Lord will protect you from all harm. 263 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,000 He will protect your life. 264 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:09,000 The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever. 265 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,000 The first promise of protection is for the mundane. 266 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,000 The promise is grounded in verses three and four. 267 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,000 These verses are a pair. 268 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,000 Verse three is actually best understood. 269 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:23,000 It's not translated in our Bibles this way, but it's best understood as kind of 270 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,000 a request with an answer in four. 271 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,000 So it reads a little bit more clearly if you say this. 272 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,000 May he not let your foot slip. 273 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,000 May your protector not slumber. 274 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:33,000 Then verse four answers. 275 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:37,000 Indeed, the protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. 276 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:41,000 The summary of these verses is for basic human needs. 277 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,000 The mundane parts of life. 278 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:47,000 For the traveler, it's sure footing and sleep. 279 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,000 Why these two things? 280 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:50,000 Why these two? 281 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:57,000 First, and here's a major insight for you, travelers walk. 282 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,000 They take steps on roads. 283 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,000 I know, it's deep. 284 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:06,000 But it's in the walking of the road that a need is revealed. 285 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,000 The traveler has to have sure footing. 286 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:11,000 He has to keep taking steps. 287 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:15,000 The Lord doesn't overlook this simple mundane need that the traveler himself 288 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,000 probably didn't even consider. 289 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:21,000 But the Lord sees it and promises to protect it. 290 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:26,000 The Lord is not keeping his help for those big dangers, the smiting of the false 291 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:29,000 prophets or the silencing of a raging storm. 292 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:34,000 But it's the promise to protect every footstep. 293 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:36,000 The next is sleep. 294 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:40,000 These two are kind of contrasted in verses three and four. 295 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:43,000 Sleep is the other part of the traveler's need on a journey. 296 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,000 He will get tired. 297 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,000 But not the Lord. 298 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:49,000 The traveler may need to sleep in an unsafe surrounding. 299 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:51,000 He may not be able to choose. 300 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:54,000 So the Lord will provide protection, of course. 301 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:58,000 When the traveler starts moving, the Lord will be there, protecting every step. 302 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:05,000 The Lord cares for the needs night and day, day and night, over and over again. 303 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:07,000 These are the mundane. 304 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,000 These are the simple things. 305 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:13,000 This promise speaks to our immediate physical needs. 306 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:18,000 The needs of today, this hour, this minute, will you be able to do those dishes 307 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:20,000 that are sitting at home? 308 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:22,000 Will you be able to get out of bed tomorrow? 309 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,000 Will your heart keep beating? 310 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:29,000 The monotonous, forgettable parts of our lives are not overlooked by the Lord. 311 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:31,000 He offers his protection over these parts. 312 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,000 He promises it. 313 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:37,000 The Lord, the traveler, has made his immediate needs addressed. 314 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:41,000 Let's move on to the second promise. 315 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:46,000 The second promise is for protection in the terrestrial, found in verses five and six. 316 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:52,000 I will explain what I mean by terrestrial here shortly, but let's read verses five and six. 317 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:54,000 The Lord protects you. 318 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:58,000 The Lord is a shelter right by your side. 319 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:02,000 It's actually, the exact translation is, at your right hand. 320 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,000 It's always right there. 321 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:09,000 The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. 322 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:13,000 Let's take a second to look at this word that keeps showing up, protect. 323 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:18,000 The root of the Hebrew word means to hedge about, to have a hedge. 324 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:24,000 It could also be translated keep, regard, protect is a totally fine translation. 325 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:29,000 So in these two verses, we have this image of God being a protection around us as a hedge 326 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:35,000 and a protection over us as a shelter, an all-encompassing protection. 327 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,000 Why do we need this level of protection? 328 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,000 Why do we need this much shelter? 329 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:45,000 A shelter from even the sun and the moon, which are good things for us. 330 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,000 Living on earth is hard. 331 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,000 Anybody disagree with that? 332 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:54,000 The book of Ecclesiastes describes it this way, absolute fertility. 333 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:57,000 Everything is futile. 334 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,000 The problems of this world are many. 335 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,000 There is constant struggle and straining. 336 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,000 Then what do we get at the end? 337 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,000 Death. 338 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,000 We all get to look forward to it. 339 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:13,000 You can sum it up in this phrase, life's cruel, then you die. 340 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:19,000 Through the endless fertility of this world, the Lord offers us protection. 341 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:23,000 Protection in this terrestrial life under the sun. 342 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:27,000 This protection doesn't remove the nature of our terrestrial life. 343 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:31,000 The Bible promises that it will continue forever and ever until the Lord remakes it. 344 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:37,000 The sun is still hot, the night is still dark, and our work is still cursed. 345 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:41,000 But it provides hope and comfort through it. 346 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:47,000 The tone of these verses is an ever-present protection in the midst of our toil and struggle. 347 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,000 The Lord knows our struggle. 348 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:54,000 He doesn't remove it, but he will be there to meet our emotional needs, 349 00:18:54,000 --> 00:19:01,000 to sustain us every single day through the ups and downs. 350 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:09,000 So we've seen the promise of God's protection in the mundane activities of life. 351 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:15,000 And in his commitment for protection while we live on this terrestrial plane under the sun, 352 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:20,000 let's look at the last promise, ceaseless protection. 353 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,000 Verses seven and eight. 354 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,000 The Lord will protect you from all harm. 355 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:26,000 He will protect your life. 356 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:32,000 The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever. 357 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,000 Just breathe that in. 358 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:40,000 The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever. 359 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:44,000 We have reached the crescendo of this story song. 360 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:50,000 The Companions promises the Lord will provide a ceaseless protection to the traveler. 361 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:53,000 But there is a problem. 362 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:55,000 How can she say that? 363 00:19:55,000 --> 00:20:00,000 That promise sounds a bit absurd, doesn't it? 364 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:04,000 Protection from all harm? 365 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,000 How can she make such a claim? 366 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,000 Anybody else experience any harm recently? 367 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:12,000 Any evils assault you recently? 368 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:16,000 How can she extend this promise so far? 369 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:19,000 There's no like hidden meaning in the Hebrew. 370 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,000 That's what it says. 371 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:28,000 If you read this as prevention from all harm, the total prevention, 372 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:30,000 then you have a problem. 373 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,000 Then it is absurd. 374 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,000 Then it is unfounded. 375 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,000 But that's not what is meant here. 376 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:37,000 This is intentional hyperbole. 377 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,000 We all use hyperbole in our daily language. 378 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:43,000 This is here to prove a point. 379 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,000 I have written down here because you guys were all thinking this. 380 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,000 But Nick, how do you know? 381 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:50,000 Why is this point hyperbole and not the other ones? 382 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:56,000 Great question, everybody. 383 00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:01,000 The answer is in verse 3. 384 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:03,000 Have you ever slipped? 385 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:07,000 Ever twisted your ankle? 386 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:11,000 Verse 3 says the Lord won't let your foot slip. 387 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:15,000 So if you have slipped and fallen, then the Lord wasn't guarding your feet 388 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:17,000 and fulfilling his promise. 389 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:23,000 So obviously your life is outside the Lord's protection. 390 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:26,000 Yeah, I know, ridiculous. 391 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,000 That's the hyperbole. 392 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:34,000 It shows what happens when you take hyperbole incorrectly. 393 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:38,000 You get that twisting your ankle puts your relationship with the Lord in doubt. 394 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,000 That's not true. 395 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:42,000 That's not what's meant. 396 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:44,000 Same thing here. 397 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,000 So let's ask the better question. 398 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:51,000 So what should we take from this poetic hyperbole in verse 7? 399 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,000 The answer is provided in verse 8. 400 00:21:54,000 --> 00:22:00,000 The extent of the Lord's commitment to the traveler and to us. 401 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,000 Let's read verse 8. 402 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:06,000 The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever. 403 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,000 That's the extent. 404 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:10,000 Ever. 405 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:15,000 The Lord is committing to a ceaseless protection, a never ending day in and day out, 406 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:19,000 far away and close at home protection. 407 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:24,000 And in the presence of your enemies and your friends protection, 408 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,000 the Lord is committed to this traveler on the way to Jerusalem 409 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:34,000 and on the way home and every day after. 410 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,000 That's what the Lord is saying. 411 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:41,000 The Lord has committed himself to be your shelter forever. 412 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:44,000 That's a wonderful promise. 413 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:50,000 The Lord has promised to protect you forever. 414 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,000 Now here's my final point of application. 415 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,000 How do we get to take hold of these promises? 416 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,000 They sound great. They sound amazing. 417 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:02,000 How do we get to make them ours? 418 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:07,000 How can the traveler and us ensure that the Lord keeps us kept, 419 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:13,000 that keeps us under his wing, under his shelter, surrounded by his hedge? 420 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:22,000 It's not how you would expect and it'll probably make you feel a little uncomfortable. 421 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:30,000 There is nothing in the psalm that indicates the Lord's protection is contingent upon anything the traveler is doing. 422 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,000 The quality of his sacrifice isn't mentioned. 423 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:39,000 His attendance record at the temple and the last festivals isn't mentioned. 424 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:44,000 The Lord is committing himself to the traveler while the traveler is on the road. 425 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:50,000 No sacrifice given, no obedience completed. 426 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:56,000 The Lord is protecting him because the traveler is his. 427 00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:06,000 The Lord's protection is given out of love and care, not obedience. 428 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,000 Don't miss the other crucial question though. 429 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:13,000 Why is the traveler going to the temple in the first place? 430 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:18,000 Because the traveler's desire to worship the God to whom he belongs. 431 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:25,000 He knows he is the Lord's and worship and sacrifice is how he shows this. 432 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:27,000 The Lord chooses the traveler. 433 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:29,000 The traveler doesn't choose the Lord. 434 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,000 The Lord was protecting the traveler before he started the journey. 435 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:42,000 And the traveler completing the journey and choosing to go on the journey just shows that he is the Lord's. 436 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,000 Here is the summit of our hike this morning. 437 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:48,000 The full display of the Lord's majesty. 438 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:50,000 And I want you to take it in. 439 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:54,000 God is committed to the people in his kingdom. 440 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:59,000 And he includes us, even us, as citizens. 441 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:06,000 The fragile, unreliable, inadequate citizens we are. 442 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:08,000 He calls us his own. 443 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:13,000 He provides his protection over our mundane, terrestrial days. 444 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:18,000 And commits to ceaselessly keeping us. 445 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:22,000 The response to these promises should be joy. 446 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,000 Fullness of joy. 447 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:28,000 Joy that compels us and motivates us outward. 448 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:32,000 To live lives according to his commands. 449 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:38,000 Joy that speaks this message to others who are in need. 450 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:45,000 First Peter says, speaking to a church who is under suffering. 451 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,000 Who is in exile. 452 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:52,000 Who is told in the same book that you'll probably die. 453 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:55,000 But make sure that you die for the right reasons. 454 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,000 He says, you are a chosen race. 455 00:25:58,000 --> 00:25:59,000 A royal priesthood. 456 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,000 A holy nation. 457 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:03,000 A people for his possession. 458 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:11,000 So that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 459 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,000 This is who we are. 460 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:15,000 We are the Lord's. 461 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:18,000 And it is great to worship the Lord together with you today. 462 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,000 Because this is how we show who we are. 463 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:25,000 By responding back to him in the ways that he has told us. 464 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:27,000 That's it. 465 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:33,000 And by doing that, we show that we have his protection for today and forever. 466 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:37,000 Let's pray. 467 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:41,000 Father, keep us kept. 468 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,000 Keep us with you. 469 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,000 We may wander. 470 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:48,000 We may get scared. 471 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:52,000 Keep us protected. 472 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:56,000 We are so grateful for what your son has done on the cross. 473 00:26:56,000 --> 00:27:02,000 To pay for our sins and to provide us our righteousness. 474 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:06,000 Please help us this week remember this song. 475 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:34,000 In Jesus' name, amen.