Sermon in ElkRiver 19.09.2010

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Let's begin our Sunday evening service this evening.

The Lord's Prayer.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

For our study this evening, I shall read here from the Book of Psalms, Psalm one twenty-one. And the words are as follows, in Jesus' name:

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. Amen.

God's people have always been a singing people, a singing nation. And we realized as we were singing this evening that, yet once again, a song that I have never heard before, and I'm sure it probably wasn't too familiar for many of you either.

It's a great blessing that here in God's kingdom, we have now this new book of Psalms and Zion that we can use for our gatherings when we sing. We can use those songs in our daily lives. We can learn them, we can sing them, we can read them, and we can think about the message that is in those songs.

God's children have sung songs throughout time, and so did the people in the Old Testament. And in that songbook that they used was the Book of Psalms. These songs were used often in the worship service, but these also were songs that people in their daily life remembered, and often recited or sang.

And many of these psalms, as is the case for the Songs to Zion that we currently have in our brown books, many of those very closely seem to speak about those experiences and feelings that we experience as children of God here as we travel.

And if you look at the songs in our books and also the Psalms, many of them are the prayer unto the Heavenly Father. And just like you and me, those brothers and sisters in Old Testament times approached their Maker, their Creator, God, in prayer.

And that is a privilege that God has given to us, that one can always turn to God in prayer: in time of need, in time of distress, for help, and in time of joy and rejoicing, in thanksgiving.

This Psalm one twenty-one talks about God's protection and God's guidance. The songwriter knows where the help comes from.

And I don't know who wrote this psalm, and what time it was written. Some believe it was written when the people of Judah returned from captivity in Babylon, and they came to reestablish the country where they came from.

I don't know when this was written, but I know that the person who wrote this knew where the help came from, and he was expressing it. And he said, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”

In one of the songs in our book that is based on this psalm, it says, “Unto the mountain holy, I raise my longing eyes.” And it certainly isn't foreign to the Scriptures or teachings of the Bible that this person who wrote this might have been speaking of that holy mountain, Mount Zion.

Later, in the letter to the Hebrews, it talks about another mountain that the people who wandered in the wilderness were very familiar with, that mountain, Mount Sinai, where Moses was given the law. And he speaks of that atmosphere, or how it was there at that moment, and that can also be found in the Book of Moses, where the ground was shaking, and there was thunder, lightning, a loud noise, and it was fearful. It was very fearful.

Later, in the letter to the Hebrews, the writer writes, “For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.” And then later on, the writer says, “And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, ‘I exceedingly fear and quake.’”

That was the Mount Sinai, the mount that represents the law. But then the letter writer continues, and concerning God's kingdom, how it is. He first says that “we have not come unto that mountain,” that Mount Sinai. “We have not come to that scary place where one is not helped, where one is fearful.” And he says, “But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.”

Talks about Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, God's kingdom. “And to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

So this is the mountain that this songwriter is talking about, and we know that God's kingdom has often been called different names and expressed in different ways to highlight certain parts of this kingdom.

My brothers and sisters, you know what this kingdom is all about, even without these pictures of what it is supposed to be. You know that in this kingdom, one is loved, one is cared for. In this kingdom, people's needs are supported, weary hands are lifted up. In this kingdom of God, we help one another.

And God does not come and present Himself in a visual way so that we can see. When we gather here in these services, we do not see Jesus Christ walk in, in a human body.

But brothers and sisters, it is yet true what Jesus has said: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I shall be with them, there I shall be with you.” And so it is, even today.

And brothers and sisters, when they are gathered together, they are being cared for with the best care of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And such is the life in the kingdom of God, and from that Mount Zion, that place of forgiveness, we receive new strength.

The psalm writer continues, “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”

This is a kingdom where we do have a King, where we do have a God. It is not an assembly of people who get together and determine what is a good way to live, where men and women decide, “This is it. This is what good living is all about.” This is a kingdom of God.

The kingdom the Creator of this world established. And this kingdom has always existed here on earth.

Many have gone before us. There have been members and partakers of this kingdom and its righteousness, and many are yet together with us traveling. It is a kingdom that yet organizes itself, and there are many different congregations and forms of gathering.

But God's kingdom is not the organization that man established according to the laws and statutes of a country. Rather, it is just a way of doing the work.

God's kingdom is a kingdom that God has established, and wherein God has called each and every one of us to be as members and partakers.

And we are asked to be, as Jesus said, those priests of the Holy Spirit. Through every one of us, little boys and girls, and brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers—you elderly and young people—you’re all called by our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ to be priests of that most important office, preaching the forgiveness of sins.

What a wonderful kingdom it is that provides such an opportunity to a mere traveler, to put one's trust into something else than his own success, own endeavor.

We are free to preach the gospel there at home. We are free to preach the gospel when we gather together. And it is so often that parents are being taught by our dear children the power of the gospel: how at one moment there can be a great argument, but then those things are being talked about and are being washed away. “She's forgiven,” or “they are forgiven,” and those little ones sure do not remember what had happened.

That teaches us to also, from our heart, to forgive, and also to believe that forgiveness is in our own heart. Because when something is forgiven, God does not remember it anymore.

The psalm writer writes about it: “As far as the east is from the west, so far did you remove our transgressions from us.”

That is our strength during our daily life, and at home, in our marriage, in our families. Let us not grow weary in using it.

It certainly isn't something that this world, and at this time of the world, emphasizes or recognizes. Because when that forgiveness is not preached by someone who has the Holy Spirit in their heart, it does not have the same effect.

Yes, it may make somebody feel better if I confess that I haven't done something right, and I said, “Well, sorry about that.” Yeah, it feels better, and it's easier to get by.

But in His kingdom, we have forgiveness of sins, that is of God. And so often we forget and don't realize truly that is how God wants us to take care of matters, and that is how God gives His power.

The psalm writer continues, “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”

As humans, we have times when we don't—I guess at school, there might be some times when we're not really actively listening. At work, we might be in a meeting and realize that for the last ten minutes, I was thinking something else.

At home, we might have discussions. It has happened to me where I'm telling a story, and somebody else is telling me a different story, and we're both happy telling our stories, but don't really hear what the other person said.

We do not always hear what we are being told.

But God, here as the psalm writer said, God is not asleep. God is always awake. God does not need rest in such a way as we humans do, and no matter what time of the day we sigh unto our Heavenly Father, we can be sure about it, that He will hear.

Many sighs go unto our Heavenly Father from different parts of the world, but yet God hears them all.

Jesus taught the people of His time of how almighty God is, and He said that “He will know if a hair falls out of your head.” And that happens a lot, and that happens to a lot of people, but God knows.

So almighty is our God that He knows our ways. He also knows our struggles. He knows our difficulties.

And we first heard this morning how God loves man that He created, and He loves especially His own, and He wants to help us in our distress and in our need.

And of that care, the psalm writer writes to us that he wrote: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.”

When Jesus prayed unto His Father in behalf of His own, during His farewell speech, He said those very precious words of encouragement. He said to protect them from evil, and God does protect His own.

It does not mean that as children of God, we would never have temptations or trials. It doesn't mean that we never sin, but God has ways to protect us.

He protects us through this congregation, where we as brothers and sisters can grow in unity and love, and we are being helped. We are being protected.

He protects us through our conscience. We know if we are in bad ways, bad paths, that we're not supposed to take. We also know even beforehand if something is good or not. That is God's way of protecting us.

And our conscience, when it can be tied to the Word of God and to that understanding that comes through the Holy Spirit in God's gifts, that is a wonderful way of how God protects us day and night.

And He protects us with His care when we have fallen. If we did not have a merciful God, we would not be believers for very long. But God, who is righteous, merciful, loves His own, and He forgives sin.

So we can join as the songwriter, can we, my brothers and sisters: “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.”

And it is care of our dear Heavenly Father. It is safe to be, even we as free believers, free children of God.

We know that we carry our corrupt portion, and we know that we so often are deceived by the enemy, and we sin. But in this great kingdom, we are being carried, and God protects us and carries us.

And that good work that He began in us when granting us an undying soul, He will complete when we cross that boundary of time, and we are called to be there with God and His own in an eternal kingdom in heaven.

So it is safe even tonight to put our trust in God and dwell in His kingdom.

And even now, my brothers and sisters, that we will take the gospel, the power of God, and the salvation, and it is available for you; your own, my brother and sister, you can believe all your sinful humanity—Jesus paid in full.

And you can feel good cheer. God protects us today. God will protect us in the future, and in the end, when we remain as obedient children, He will call us home.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

We will close with the Lord's benediction.

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make His face shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up His countenance upon us and give us peace.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.