Psalm 121

KEPT BY GOD

 

When Rod Cooper was growing up the family raised pigs on the family farm. They raised about a thousand pigs a year. In one field they had two or three hundred little oinkers running around. Every day, at four in the morning, as Rod would walk into the field to feed those guys, they'd scatter. Once a little pig came up and began to chew on his foot, so he picked him up and began to pet him. Soon he wanted down.

   He said, "No, I'll let you down when I'm ready." At that moment, he let out an unbelievable squeal. In about two seconds, thirty mama pigs weighing five to six hundred pounds each were headed Rod’s way. He put the pig down and headed for the fence. He barely made it over, and all the mama pigs were snorting and walking back and forth, daring him to come back over and bother one of their kids.

Cooper says, “I look back at that and realize the little rascal wasn't intimidated. He was out of control, but he wasn't intimidated. Why? Because one squeal away he had resources.

    “Now let me ask you something. If one of God's creatures is that sensitive to the cry of its own, how much more sensitive is the heavenly Father to the cry of his own? Just one squeal away we have resources.”

   -- Rod Cooper, "Worship or Worry?" Preaching Today, Tape No. 108. Bible Illustrator 3.0

When W. B. Davidson was a young boy, he walked with his father 3 miles from his rural home to his grandmother's house. While they were visiting, the sun set. Davidson writes, "Between our home and grandmother's house was a swamp. That night the croaking of the frogs, the chirping of the crickets, and the shadows of the trees frightened me. I asked my father if there was any danger of something catching us, but he assured me that there was nothing to dread.

And so, taking me by the hand, he said, 'I will not allow anything to harm you.' Immediately my fears passed away and I was ready to face the world." Our Daily Bread, April 6, 1999

 

As the mothers pigs protected one of the piglets, and as a father comforted a son, so our Heavenly Father brings protection and comfort to those who are His children.

 

·        Very soon some of you are going to Iraq.  It is possible for you to have a sense of God’s keeping power over you and the loved ones left behind.

·        Very soon some of you will be sending your loved ones off to Iraq. It is possible for you to have a sense of God’s keeping power over you and the loved ones left behind.

·        Very soon some of you will be facing troubles and trials. It is possible for you to have a sense of God’s keeping power in the midst of your trials.

·        Some of you are facing troubles and trials right now. It is possible for you to have a sense of God’s keeping power in the midst of your trials.

 

The text that I’ve chosen for this Serviceman’s Appreciation Sunday is Psalm 121.  When I was in the hospital about 6 ½ years ago my family was visiting.  I asked our son Mark to read something from the Bible. Mark said something like this, “Dad, if you were reading to someone else you would be reading Psalm 121.”  And it’s true, many of you have heard me share this Psalm with you or with someone else.

 

Psalm 121 is a Psalm that tells those who are born again Christians, that they are Kept By God!

 

In this Psalm we discover that,

GOD’S KEEPING IS A CHOICE – Vss. 1-2

GOD’S KEEPING IS CONSCIENTIOUS - Vss. 3-4

GOD’S KEEPING IS COMFORTING - Vss.  5-6

GOD’S KEEPING IS COMPLETE - Vss. 7-8

 

GOD’S KEEPING IS A CHOICE – Vss. 1-2

 

This morning you are trusting someone or something to keep you and to give you a sense of worth.

The choice is yours.  There are many bad things to trust and only one good one.

 

Psalm 121:1 - I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

 

It is possible that this is the song of a traveler who is approaching the great city of Jerusalem which was surrounded by hills.

He is actually asking a question here. “I see the hills, but is this where my help is coming from?”

 

·        Hills are strong things. They offer protection. They offer security.

·        Hills are high things. They were often places of worship often of idols, false gods.

·        Hills are fallible things.  The hills don’t always protect us the way we want them to. The hills are often not sufficient to meet our needs.

 

We all have hills that we look to.

In spite of hills, Jerusalem was often defeated.  Hills are not the ultimate source of help.

 

What are some of the “hills” that people look to today?

·        There is the hill of my own ability and my own self effort.

     I can make it on my own. I will be comforted by my own

     ability to control things.

 

·        There is the hill of friendship - I will depend on my friends to comfort, keep, and help me

 

·        There are the hills of religion including the hill of law keeping.

If I’m religious, attending church, being baptized, taking communion, doing religious things, then I am kept securely.

 

·        There is the hill of morality.

If I live a good, clean, moral life, that will help through my problems and make me acceptable to God.

 

·        There is the hill of good works.

So I know I’m not perfect, but if I just do lots of good things for people, I will be kept and secure.

 

·        There is the hill of being born into the right family.

If I have been born into and/or baptized into a Christian family, then I am kept by God and secure.

 

·        There are the hills of hobbies and sports.

I have lots of toys and play lots of games.  I’ll just trust these for comfort and diversion when things are bad.

 

·        There is the hill of popularity.

As long as I am loved and accepted by others, I’m okay.

 

Are these hills where my help is coming from?

 

·        The hill of friendship – friends often fail us, disappoint us, and even die.

·        The hill of religion – there are many false religions out there, and just being religious never got anyone into Heaven. 

Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

  

Ezekiel 18:4 - the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

 

·        The hill of my own ability and self effort – I am human. I am fallible. I am a sinner. I have failed God.

 

Isaiah 64:6 - But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

 

·        The hill of morality – Every person has broken the 10 commandments.

One example - Matthew 5:21-22 - Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: [22] But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

 

Every one of us has gotten angry without cause.  Therefore we have all broken God’s commandments.   

 

·        The hill of family – They will fail me too.  And just being born into a Christian family doesn’t make me a Christian any more than being born in a garage would make me a car.

·        The hills of hobbies and sports – At the end of life, what will they be worth?

·        The hill of popularity – It is temporary, and fallible.

 

If these things are my “hills”, I don’t have much help.

1 John 2:17 - And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

  

Psalm 121:2 - My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

 

What qualifies the Lord to help us?  He has all the power needed as creator of the universe!

 

I already mentioned how human, and flawed, and sinful we are.

If a righteous God is going to have anything to do with us, He has to do something to help us with our sin problem.

He did.

He sent His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God to earth.

On earth the Sinless Son of God died in your place and mine for our sins.

 

Isaiah 53:5-6 - But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 

2 Corinthians 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

 

The Good News is that Jesus didn’t stay dead. He arose!   

   

Notice in the Psalm that a decision was made on the part of the author. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

 

You need to make a similar decision.

You need to decide to stop looking to the “hills” for your help and to put your trust in the Lord Jesus.

To be kept by God is a decision you make.

You make that decision when you put your trust in the Lord Jesus as your Savior.

 

Romans 10:9-10 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 

Romans 10:13 - For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

If you haven’t made Jesus your choice, you are in trouble.

John 3:18 - He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

 

If you have made the choice to believe on Christ you are kept by God. You are His child!

John 1:12-13 - But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: [13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

 

Now if you are a Christian, if you have trusted Christ as Savior, where is your help coming from?

 

Is your help coming from the approval of others?

Is your help coming from sports and hobies?

Is your coming from government?

Is your help coming from your family?

Is your help coming from your own self effort?

Whatever you spend time with is an indication of where you sense your help is coming from.

 

Make sure you help is coming from the Lord.

Make Him your choice.

 

GOD’S KEEPING IS A CHOICE – Vss. 1-2

GOD’S KEEPING IS CONSCIENTIOUS - Vss. 3-4

 

Psalm 121:3-4 - He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. [4] Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

 

Let’s see. I got out of the army in 1972.  That was 32 years ago this April.  I suppose the Statute of Limitations has run out! J   

I didn’t mean to do it.  But there were a couple of times while on guard duty that I dozed for a minute or two.  I didn’t mean to, but my eyes got heavy and I slumbered.

I’m sure I wasn’t the first or the last to do that.

 

Christian, God has made a commitment to keep you.

Christian, The Lord Jesus has made a commitment to keep you.

John 10:27-30 - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: [28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. [29] My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. [30] I and my Father are one.

   

Almighty God is watching out for you 24/7.

He doesn’t take a nap. He doesn’t take a vacation.

He is too conscientious.

What does that mean to us?

When the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. He means it!

 

I can cast everything on Him, because He’s on 24 hour guard duty over me and my loved ones who are also Christians

    

GOD’S KEEPING IS A CHOICE – Vss. 1-2

GOD’S KEEPING IS CONSCIENTIOUS - Vss. 3-4

GOD’S KEEPING IS COMFORTING - Vss.  5-6

 

Psalm 121:5-6 - The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. [6] The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

 

I’ve done some keeping in my time.

I’ve kept a class of 6^th graders during school hours.

I’ve kept a slew of pets including 3 cats and at least five dogs. Not all at once!

I’ve kept a wife, and she’s kept me.

I’ve kept three children and a father in-law.

Keeping these meant that I was responsible for their well being.

Not only did I protect them in many ways, but I sought to provide for their needs.

 

Being human, I was not always good keeper.

But God however is a great Keeper!

He has all the resources of the universe at his disposal to meet my needs.

 

He has all the power of omnipotence to protect me, so that nothing under the Sun or under the moon can hurt me, unless it is in his perfect will for my life.   

 

If we had time this morning we could have testimonies of just how God has kept each one of us.

He has kept us when finances were low.

He has kept us when we were in danger.

He has kept us from the slander of others.

He has kept us during times of sickness and health.

He has kept us alive, and even when we die, he will still keep us alive.

 

John 11:25-26 - Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: [26] And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

 

And I want to give a reminder to Cher and Jodie and any wife whose husband is leaving.  It is natural to wonder who will keep you while he’s gone, and how will you hold up, and who’s going to help the children?

 

God will keep you.

And in many cases He will call on your own family and your church family to help.

I think I’m speaking for the whole church family when I say that we will try to be sensitive to your needs and to how God would use us to help.

 

GOD’S KEEPING IS A CHOICE – Vss. 1-2

GOD’S KEEPING IS CONSCIENTIOUS - Vss. 3-4

GOD’S KEEPING IS COMFORTING - Vss.  5-6

GOD’S KEEPING IS COMPLETE - Vss. 7-8

   

Psalm 121:7-8 - The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. [8] The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

 

God will take care of you even as you face evil.

How does he do this?

He promises that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God.   

 

Romans 8:35-39 - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. [37] Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. [38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, [39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Can I promise that God not allow our soldiers to face any harm in Iraq?

No I can’t.

But I can promise that the love of God will surround and keep the Christian man, no matter what.

Even if that Christian man faces the ultimate disaster, it is no disaster at all.

For the Christian man has his soul kept by God.

And every Christian man and woman will one day be in the presence of Jesus for all eternity.   

 

And those of us who are left behind after others go on ahead are assured by the last promise in this Psalm.

    The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

 

If you know the Lord as Savior, you are kept by God.

If your loved ones know Jesus as Savior they are kept by God.

GOD’S KEEPING IS A CHOICE – Vss. 1-2

GOD’S KEEPING IS CONSCIENTIOUS - Vss. 3-4

GOD’S KEEPING IS COMFORTING - Vss.  5-6

GOD’S KEEPING IS COMPLETE - Vss. 7-8