SPEAKER_01: A summer in the Psalms.
SPEAKER_01: That's where we are in this series.
SPEAKER_01: It's a pleasure to be back.
SPEAKER_01: I missed you so much, so much.
SPEAKER_01: And I want you to know that that you are on my heart every time I have to travel, every every time I have to leave.
SPEAKER_01: But I know that God is going to use you.
SPEAKER_01: God is going to do something special.
SPEAKER_01: And I can't wait to hear the testimony of what God is going to do while you're away.
SPEAKER_01: And something special happened.
SPEAKER_01: Something really special happened.
SPEAKER_01: And and uh as I was away, I was at a big, massive exhibit hall, uh 100,000 square feet, uh, and it's lunchtime.
SPEAKER_01: And so they serve lunch on either extremes.
SPEAKER_01: So on one extreme, let's call it the the the west side and the east side, okay?
SPEAKER_01: On the west side, they're they're serving lunch, and uh, and I'm I'm getting my food, I'm getting my plate, and there's uh there's tables that are available for us to sit down to eat.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, but all the tables are full.
SPEAKER_01: They're all full.
SPEAKER_01: So I have this secret space that I reserve just for myself all the way on the east side, like way over there.
SPEAKER_01: So I have to cross the entire exhibit hall, the entire exhibit hall just to get just to get to the place where I want to have lunch.
SPEAKER_01: And and nobody knows this place, just me, because I I made it myself, so nobody knows it's there.
SPEAKER_01: Um and somebody found it.
SPEAKER_01: Somebody found it, and I was like, oh no, now I have to eat standing up, and it's gonna be super uncomfortable.
SPEAKER_01: And all of a sudden I turn around, I I head back west, so I'm heading back, and there's this seat that is available at a table.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm sitting at that seat, uh, I go to it and I sit there, and I'm all excited because uh I don't know if you've been to the States recently, but in the States they have something that we don't have: plastic forks and knives.
SPEAKER_01: Plastic forks and knives.
SPEAKER_01: They got me so excited, they got me so excited for plastic forks and knives that I was like, oh my god, we have plastic forks and knives.
SPEAKER_01: Um, and in that moment, uh uh somebody asked me, Why are you so excited?
SPEAKER_01: I said, because I'm from Canada and we don't have that.
SPEAKER_01: And and the gentleman that was sitting right next to me is like, what part of Canada are you from?
SPEAKER_01: Uh and I said, uh, well, I'm I'm from Montreal.
SPEAKER_01: He said, I'm from Montreal.
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, no way.
SPEAKER_01: He said, yeah.
SPEAKER_01: And and and then he says, Can I ask you something?
SPEAKER_01: Are you a Christian?
SPEAKER_01: I was like, Am I a Christian?
SPEAKER_01: Of course.
SPEAKER_01: You have no idea how Christian I am.
SPEAKER_01: And and and so we got to talking and we got to talking, and and it's so amazing that that after everything we spoke about, the the the conclusion was um that God, we are in the summer of Psalms, and Psalm 23 says, The Lord is my shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus in his parable says, I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd leaves the 99 to go look for the one.
SPEAKER_01: And in that moment, as as heartbroken as I was to not be here, there was one that needed to hear the word of God, and he's here with us today.
SPEAKER_01: Rod, thank you for being here with us.
SPEAKER_01: So we went all the way to Vegas to meet.
SPEAKER_01: I wasn't supposed to tell you the city.
SPEAKER_01: Um uh we went 4,000 kilometers.
SPEAKER_01: We'll edit that out.
SPEAKER_01: Uh uh, we went 4,000 kilometers, that's where we met, and God has brought him here, and God is speaking to him.
SPEAKER_01: God is faithful, he is calling you by name.
SPEAKER_01: Wherever you find yourself, however you find yourself, he is calling you, and he will leave the 99 to come search for you, your heart, your situation, wherever you are living, whatever position you find yourself in, God is faithful and he is here for you.
SPEAKER_01: Let's give him one more offering.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Jesus, for all that you do.
SPEAKER_01: You are our good shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: You never leave us nor forsake us, and in in you we have lack of nothing.
SPEAKER_01: In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
SPEAKER_01: So um I'm really excited, and uh that worship session was awesome, and I don't know, I don't know how we're gonna get uh past that.
SPEAKER_01: Um but but we're in the Psalms, and there's a a really specific Psalm that I love.
SPEAKER_01: And the the the last message uh that I brought, we were talking about Jesus being our king.
SPEAKER_01: And we talked about Jesus being two things, in fact, three things.
SPEAKER_01: If you remember, he is a prophet, he is our king, and he is our high priest, yes, high priest, thank you.
SPEAKER_01: Um listen to the message if you missed it.
SPEAKER_01: Um He is also our high priest, and as a high priest, the Bible says in Hebrews that he lives forever to intercede for us.
SPEAKER_01: And so the question then becomes okay, he's up in heaven, he's interceding, and and in the last message we saw how David opened up the heavens, and we could hear the the the Lord speaking to his Lord.
SPEAKER_01: We could hear the conversation that was happening in heaven.
SPEAKER_01: Now, today I want to tell you what it is he is praying.
SPEAKER_01: Because that's that's going to change our lives, and and and that's what today's all about.
SPEAKER_01: And so uh we see that that there all of us we we go through uh a season in our lives where where there are mountains or hills in our lives, and and this this one psalm, Psalm 121, speaks of looking higher.
SPEAKER_01: And and and looking higher still.
SPEAKER_01: And so Psalm 121 says this I lift up my eyes to the mountains.
SPEAKER_01: Where does my help come from?
SPEAKER_01: My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
SPEAKER_01: He will not let your foot slip.
SPEAKER_01: He who watches over you will not slumber.
SPEAKER_01: Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord watches over you.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord is your shade at your right hand, the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord will keep you from all harm.
SPEAKER_01: He will watch over your life, the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: Have you prayed this prayer before?
SPEAKER_01: This psalm?
SPEAKER_01: I know that that oftentimes what happens is we pray this psalm uh when when we go on a trip.
SPEAKER_01: Uh before we go on a trip, you know, we we buy the plane tickets, we we buy the reserv, we do the reservations, and after all is said and done, we say, okay, now God bless me.
SPEAKER_01: Um instead of doing it the opposite, you know, God bless my vacation before I take it.
SPEAKER_01: But we we we do it opposite, and we're like, okay, God, here are my plans.
SPEAKER_01: Now bless them.
SPEAKER_01: And and and please, Lord, may the Lord watch over your coming and going uh both now and forever.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: And we're like, okay, these vacations are happening.
SPEAKER_01: Uh and and and sometimes we're like, okay, hold on, that's just one part.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, that's the last part of the whole chapter.
SPEAKER_01: And in this chapter, David says something really interesting.
SPEAKER_01: I lift my eyes up to the hills.
SPEAKER_01: I lift my eyes up to the mountains.
SPEAKER_01: See, David knew something that scientists just recently figured out.
SPEAKER_01: Uh this was a thousand, this was three thousand years ago, a thousand years ago.
SPEAKER_01: Uh David knew something that scientists are just finding out.
SPEAKER_01: The Washington Post, they uh they they ran an article um uh uh few years ago, and it was uh this this phenomenon called text neck.
SPEAKER_01: Text neck.
SPEAKER_01: And and it is this idea that as you look down, your head actually weighs a little bit more.
SPEAKER_01: So so your head is about is about 10 pounds uh when it's straight up and down.
SPEAKER_01: So when you're looking straight, your head weighs about 10 pounds.
SPEAKER_01: And then as as you start looking down, uh you start to create more pressure on your spine.
SPEAKER_01: Uh at 15 degrees, it's about 30 pounds, at 30 degrees, you're about 40 pounds, at 45 degrees, you're at almost 50 pounds.
SPEAKER_01: At 60 degrees, parents, you can take a picture of this, show your kids.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, at 60 degrees, looking down like this, your head is is projecting 60 pounds, uh, 60 pounds of weight, of pressure on your spine.
SPEAKER_01: And this is a big deal, and it's a syndrome called text neck.
SPEAKER_01: And I wonder how often that translates into the spiritual as well.
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes, sometimes we we're carrying a weight that is 10 to 12 pounds, but we are so fixated on it, we're looking down on it, and all of a sudden it feels like that 10 pounds became 60 pounds.
SPEAKER_01: And and we're just so fixated on it, and and and we we look down at our circumstance, we look down at the diagnos the diagnosis, we look down at the bank account, we look down at our relationships, we look down on people, and then all of a sudden this weight just comes on our shoulders, and we're wondering what's going on, where did that come from?
SPEAKER_01: And yet, David says, I lift my eyes onto the hills.
SPEAKER_01: Psychology Today, a medical journal ran another article about the joys of looking up.
SPEAKER_01: And you're probably thinking, uh, I I got a great sky on my phone.
SPEAKER_01: Um, but but there is a joy, an actual joy of looking up.
SPEAKER_01: And the psalmist knew that way back then, and he said, I lift my eyes onto the hills.
SPEAKER_01: Where does my help come from?
SPEAKER_01: And I had the the privilege last year of being in in Calgary and seeing the Rocky Mountains.
SPEAKER_01: And if you've never been to the Rocky Mountains, this is the next destination, okay?
SPEAKER_01: There is too much seaweed in the south, so you don't need to go to the beach, you need to go out to the Rockies and and travel in Canada uh because it's beautiful.
SPEAKER_01: And and as we're there and we're looking at the mountains, it is just the most inspiring moment just to look up at the grandeur of the mountains.
SPEAKER_01: And yet David says something that caught my eye.
SPEAKER_01: It just it just it's so interesting.
SPEAKER_01: He says, I lift my eyes up to the mountains.
SPEAKER_01: Where does my help come from?
SPEAKER_01: My help comes from the Lord, the maker of the mountains.
SPEAKER_01: No, he says, the maker of heaven and earth.
SPEAKER_01: And so what David is doing is he's he's he's got this mountain in front of him, and and this is called the songs of ascent.
SPEAKER_01: So three times a year, the people, anybody that lived outside of Jerusalem would go to Jerusalem, and Jerusalem was sitting on a hill, and so they would look up, but to get there, it was perilous, it was dangerous.
SPEAKER_01: There were there were bandits, there were thieves, there were snakes, there was there was nature, the cold, the heat.
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so it wasn't easy to get to Jerusalem from wherever you you were at outside of the actual city.
SPEAKER_01: So it's called the song of ascent.
SPEAKER_01: And and it is believed that the night that Jesus was was um betrayed, as he's eating the cup and and and taking of the uh as he's eating the bread and taking of the cup, that he's singing this song.
SPEAKER_01: That he's singing the Psalm 121.
SPEAKER_01: I lift my eyes up to the mountains.
SPEAKER_01: Where does my help come from?
SPEAKER_01: My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
SPEAKER_01: And so we have mountains in front of us.
SPEAKER_01: Yes, you're probably not physically looking down, or you may be, but there's there's two steps here.
SPEAKER_01: The first step is is let's stop looking down.
SPEAKER_01: Like look look up, look up.
SPEAKER_01: And then the next step is, Pastor, I'm looking up, I'm looking up, but all I see is this giant mountain in front of me, and there's no way around it.
SPEAKER_01: There's nothing I can do.
SPEAKER_01: And I know the the the verse that says, if you have faith like a mustard seed, then then you would tell the mountain to get up and move, and it would move, but I still see it, it's still in my way.
SPEAKER_01: I don't know where my next plate of food is coming from.
SPEAKER_01: I don't know where my children are, I don't know what's going to happen with my relationship, with my job.
SPEAKER_01: I have no idea what my future holds.
SPEAKER_01: That mountain is still there.
SPEAKER_01: And David is inviting us to look past the mountain.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, John 17:1, Jesus also has a great mountain in front of him.
SPEAKER_01: This is the moment Jesus is about to be crucified, and the Bible says that Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven.
SPEAKER_01: So faith looks past the mountains, faith looks even higher, faith looks higher still, past the mountain, past what you see here on earth, the maker of heaven and earth.
SPEAKER_01: Look to him.
SPEAKER_01: What is what is capturing your attention?
SPEAKER_01: And let me tell you, that is like like if if you want to see the enemy at work, like I don't know why you would want to, but if you want to identify the enemy at work in your life, the easiest way to identify the enemy working or operating in your life is what has your attention right now?
SPEAKER_01: When you don't know what's going on in your life, when you know when everything feels upside down, ask yourself this question: What has my attention right now?
SPEAKER_01: And that is the easiest, fastest way to identify what the enemy is trying to do.
SPEAKER_01: All the enemy wants, he doesn't care if you come to church or not.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it bothers him, but he can't stop you from coming.
SPEAKER_01: But what he can do is steal your attention.
SPEAKER_01: That even while in church, like your phone is going off with notifications.
SPEAKER_01: The idea is not where you are physically, but where your mind is, where your spirit is.
SPEAKER_01: That's what he's interested in, and that's the battle of your mind.
SPEAKER_01: Whatever captures your attention, whether it's the mountain that's standing in front of you or looking down at a prognostic, whatever is whatever is capturing your attention is stealing you away from what God has for your life.
SPEAKER_01: And David says, I look past the mountain.
SPEAKER_01: I lift my eyes up to the mountains, I lift my eyes up to that thing that I can't move.
SPEAKER_01: I lift my eyes up to where the danger is, and I can't move it, I can't change it, I have to go there, but but I lift my eyes, and where does my help come from?
SPEAKER_01: My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
SPEAKER_01: So we are looking past the diagnosis, we are looking past uncertainty, we're looking past disappointment.
SPEAKER_01: Can I say this?
SPEAKER_01: We we're even looking past fear.
SPEAKER_01: And and even though it's standing there, even though the future is uncertain, we're looking past it.
SPEAKER_01: We're looking past it.
SPEAKER_01: David shows us where to look, and then the question that that's the biggest question I think is the most relevant question in the Bible.
SPEAKER_01: Where does my help come from?
SPEAKER_01: My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
SPEAKER_01: And and when when you read this psalm, just just the way that we read it, just we read it all together, it seems like we get fixated on the mountain.
SPEAKER_01: We get fixated on lifting up our eyes.
SPEAKER_01: That's that's how it starts.
SPEAKER_01: So everything is about a mountain.
SPEAKER_01: But in reality, Psalm 121 is about the keeper.
SPEAKER_01: And my keeper never sleeps.
SPEAKER_01: You see, when when you are able to see past the mountains and up into the sky to see your maker, the maker of heaven and earth.
SPEAKER_01: There's something special that happens that David also records in Psalm 97.
SPEAKER_01: In Psalm 97, the Bible says the mountains, watch this.
SPEAKER_01: We're looking, he's lifting up his eyes to the mountains, right?
SPEAKER_01: And then he's looking past the mountains.
SPEAKER_01: And what happens when you look past the mountains?
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says that the mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
SPEAKER_01: The heavens proclaim his righteousness.
SPEAKER_01: And watch this, all peoples will see his glory.
SPEAKER_01: Talk about moving mountains.
SPEAKER_01: And so you see, you don't, you don't, when we when we read that that it says you have to have faith like a mustard seed, what that really means is look past the mountain.
SPEAKER_01: Watch how the mountain melts like wax.
SPEAKER_01: Your problems melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
SPEAKER_01: The heavens rejoice, the heavens declare his righteousness, how strong he is, and you will see his glory because he is our keeper.
SPEAKER_01: And as our keeper, in this psalm, psalm 121, there is there is this uh um Hebrew word is called shamar.
SPEAKER_01: Shamar is to keep, to guard, and to preserve.
SPEAKER_01: To keep, to guard, and to preserve.
SPEAKER_01: And in eight verses, Psalm 121 is eight verses, it appears six times.
SPEAKER_01: What do you think God is trying to tell you?
SPEAKER_01: He is your keeper, he is your provider, he is your keeper, your guardian, he is the one that preserves your life, he will protect you, he will protect you, he is our keeper.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says, He who keeps Israel will never slumber nor sleep.
SPEAKER_01: So when you're tired, you can rest.
SPEAKER_01: That your keeper does not rest.
SPEAKER_01: You know, we get tired on the journey.
SPEAKER_01: I I can't do this anymore, God.
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm I'm I'm so exhausted.
SPEAKER_01: He doesn't get exhausted.
SPEAKER_01: When you sleep, he's working.
SPEAKER_01: When you rest, he's working.
SPEAKER_01: He never slumbers and he never tires.
SPEAKER_01: He is the keeper of your soul, he is the keeper of your life, he is the one that keeps Israel.
SPEAKER_01: Now, if you wanna if you want to do Something really, really cool.
SPEAKER_01: Um, I want you to study, if you ever have a chance, study the the six-day war.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, the the Israeli Six-Day War.
SPEAKER_01: It happened in 1967.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, the Six-Day War.
SPEAKER_01: Study that.
SPEAKER_01: Read over the testimonies of what happened in that war.
SPEAKER_01: The God that keeps Israel does not sleep nor slumber.
SPEAKER_01: There is a military report where two Israelis have ran out of ammunition.
SPEAKER_01: Ran out of ammunition.
SPEAKER_01: And they are hiding.
SPEAKER_01: The last thing that they have is the their last solace is to hide behind a rock.
SPEAKER_01: And they're hiding behind this rock, and they pierce out the side, and they can see a whole division of the Syrian army coming towards them.
SPEAKER_01: Tanks, uh, um um infantry, they're all coming towards them, and they've got nowhere else to go.
SPEAKER_01: They are by all accounts dead.
SPEAKER_01: But the Lord that watches over his people never slumbers and never sleeps.
SPEAKER_01: And so they figured, you know what?
SPEAKER_01: We got no other choice.
SPEAKER_01: They either find us or we surrender.
SPEAKER_01: And so they got up behind the rock, they're holding their weapons in their hands, and all of a sudden the division tank stops, and the men, the infantry, they fall to their face.
SPEAKER_01: And these two guys are standing there like, what is going on?
SPEAKER_01: And they have no idea what's going on, but the the whole division surrenders to two Israelis.
SPEAKER_01: And then when they interviewed them, the Syrians said, There were giants behind those two men that we feared.
SPEAKER_01: The God that does not slumber nor sleep protects you.
SPEAKER_01: That is the God that is with you.
SPEAKER_01: I I invite you to study this, go into it, read the testimonies, especially especially on the Syrian side.
SPEAKER_01: They are amazing.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus says in John, again, John 17.
SPEAKER_01: John 17 is the prayer of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: What is he praying up in heaven?
SPEAKER_01: John 17.
SPEAKER_01: You want to know what he's saying over your life?
SPEAKER_01: Read John 17.
SPEAKER_01: I'm just giving you little tidbits here, but go and read John 17.
SPEAKER_01: That's exactly what he's saying right now for your life up in heaven as our high priest.
SPEAKER_01: He is saying, Holy Father, keep them.
SPEAKER_01: Again, that word.
SPEAKER_01: Keep Shamar.
SPEAKER_01: Preserve them, keep them, keep them safe.
SPEAKER_01: He is our high priest that intercedes.
SPEAKER_01: Hebrews 7 25 says the same thing.
SPEAKER_01: He always lives to make intercession for his people.
SPEAKER_01: In that same Psalm 121, there's an interesting part here that says that that he um the the sun the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
SPEAKER_01: Now, if you've been around church, you know what that means.
SPEAKER_01: As the people of Israel are leaving uh Egypt, uh, the sun by day is being covered by a cloud, so they have air conditioning during the day, and at night there is a pillar of fire, so they have heat uh during the night so that they don't freeze.
SPEAKER_01: But what's interesting is that he says the sun will not harm you by day.
SPEAKER_01: The sun, the things, the things that you see today, the things that you are able to see will not harm you.
SPEAKER_01: Nor the moon by night, the things that you can't see.
SPEAKER_01: I remember uh when I first came to Montreal, um I like to go for runs, and and at that time I don't do it anymore, but at that time I used to go for runs at night.
SPEAKER_01: And one of my experiences was to, one of my desires was to run up uh the Mount Royal.
SPEAKER_01: And so I would go to Mount Royal, it was uh late October, uh, so it was already dark, and I'm running up the path.
SPEAKER_01: I don't know if you've ever been up the path of Mount Royal, um, but I'm running up that path, and all of a sudden, this is I didn't have AirPods, they didn't exist back then.
SPEAKER_01: Um, or maybe they did, but I just didn't have any.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, and so all of a sudden I start hearing um this rhythmic beating, like, and I'm running and I'm I'm slowing down a little bit, okay, because the beat, like doom, doom, doom, doom, doom, and all of a sudden uh I'm I'm on the path, and somebody crosses the path, and they're wearing like these hoodies, and then I'm thinking, what's going on?
SPEAKER_01: This is my first time running in Montreal, and I'm thinking, what's going on?
SPEAKER_01: And I keep going a little bit further, it's night, and all I and the and the rhythm gets louder and louder.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm thinking, oh no, there is a cross at the top.
SPEAKER_01: I think I'm gonna be the next sacrifice.
SPEAKER_01: So I turned around.
SPEAKER_01: I didn't make it to the top.
SPEAKER_01: I turned around and I started sprinting down the hill because I thought they were doing some like animal sacrifice or something, and I was gonna be abducted, and that was it.
SPEAKER_01: Why did I come to Montreal?
SPEAKER_01: But the Lord keeps us, the Lord keeps us.
SPEAKER_01: Um it took me, it took me months.
SPEAKER_01: It was it was only into the summer that uh of that year that I went back and I ran during the day.
SPEAKER_01: During the day, uh, I was still afraid.
SPEAKER_01: I was still afraid, but during the day I ran up, and it was just the the Tam Tam guys, like they're innocent, they they do nothing, like they wouldn't hurt a fly, but they're just playing the the the the Tam Tam.
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, that's what I was afraid of.
SPEAKER_01: Um and so so when when he says that the sun uh will not harm you by day nor the moon by night, the things that you can see, but also the things that you can't see, you can't see your future.
SPEAKER_01: Don't worry, it won't harm you.
SPEAKER_01: You can't see what's going on tomorrow.
SPEAKER_01: Don't worry, that's not gonna harm you.
SPEAKER_01: The promise is that God will be with you and and and he is with you.
SPEAKER_01: And so when when we see how God moves, he is our keeper, he's always, always watching out for you.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says that you are sculpted.
SPEAKER_01: Watch this, you are sculpted in his hand.
SPEAKER_01: So whenever he sees his hands, he sees you and me.
SPEAKER_01: And so Jesus in his prayer, he says, Father, those that you have given to me, those that are in my hand, none of them will be lost.
SPEAKER_01: And we are in his hands, and none of us will be lost.
SPEAKER_01: That's the promise of Psalm 121.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord will keep us, he won't let go of you.
SPEAKER_01: You see, there's there's this uh there's this principle that I learned when my kids were little.
SPEAKER_01: And uh as you're crossing the street, you're supposed to hold on to their hands, right?
SPEAKER_01: And so, so usually what I would do, because I I I just I I love the size of their little hands, so I would stick my finger out and they would hold on to my to my finger, right?
SPEAKER_01: So their whole hand would wrap around my my index finger, and we would cross the street this way, and then it hit me.
SPEAKER_01: That's not very safe.
SPEAKER_01: Um because all they've got to do is let go.
SPEAKER_01: And as soon as I let go, boom, they're off.
SPEAKER_01: And then I've got to go chasing after them in the middle of the street.
SPEAKER_01: So, so the idea here is that God is holding on to you, not the other way around.
SPEAKER_01: You're not holding on to him, even though you want to, you may feel the urge to, you may feel like I'm holding on to God, I'm holding on to his hand.
SPEAKER_01: But let me tell you, you'll let go.
SPEAKER_01: That's just human nature.
SPEAKER_01: We will let go, but but he won't.
SPEAKER_01: He won't let go.
SPEAKER_01: He'll grab you by the wrist, he'll grab you by the hand, and he'll make sure you get across whatever season you are in.
SPEAKER_01: He's going to hold you firmly until the end.
SPEAKER_01: He is your keeper.
SPEAKER_01: He is your keeper, and the Lord will keep you from all evil.
SPEAKER_01: What?
SPEAKER_01: Verse 7 the Lord will keep you from all evil, from all harm, he will watch over your life.
SPEAKER_01: Honest question.
SPEAKER_01: Really?
SPEAKER_01: The Lord will keep you from all evil.
SPEAKER_01: What about sickness?
SPEAKER_01: Grief.
SPEAKER_01: What about betrayal?
SPEAKER_01: Do you feel the tension in that verse?
SPEAKER_01: The Lord will keep you from all evil.
SPEAKER_01: He will keep your soul.
SPEAKER_01: And so when I think of this verse, is it saying that he's gonna bubble wrap me?
SPEAKER_01: So that whenever I fall, I'll just bounce right back up.
SPEAKER_01: Is he saying that he's going to ship me with all this bubble wrap and all this packaging so that nothing bad ever happens?
SPEAKER_01: Well, that's not the reality of our lives.
SPEAKER_01: We go through seasons.
SPEAKER_01: We go through seasons where where bad things happen, sickness happens, loss happens, betrayal happens, we live through these seasons, and yet the Bible says the Lord will keep you from all from all evil.
SPEAKER_01: Then the question becomes: what is all evil?
SPEAKER_01: What is the greatest evil available?
SPEAKER_01: What is the greatest evil that exists?
SPEAKER_01: So you gotta go deep with this.
SPEAKER_01: Because we think that the greatest evil that can happen is sickness, because sickness then leads to death.
SPEAKER_01: And so, okay, so then death is the greatest evil.
SPEAKER_01: No, there is an evil that is greater than death itself.
SPEAKER_01: And the greater evil than death is separation.
SPEAKER_01: Being separated from the presence of God for all eternity is the greatest evil that can possibly exist.
SPEAKER_01: You cannot find greater evil.
SPEAKER_01: There's a reason why it's called Hades.
SPEAKER_01: There's a reason why it's called hell.
SPEAKER_01: Because that is the greatest evil that can possibly happen to a human soul.
SPEAKER_01: And it's not what happens in that place necessarily, but it's the fact that you are eternally separated from God Almighty.
SPEAKER_01: No matter how much you try, you cannot lift your eyes up to the hills.
SPEAKER_01: Where does my help come from?
SPEAKER_01: There is no more help.
SPEAKER_01: There is no more help there.
SPEAKER_01: That is the greatest evil.
SPEAKER_01: And so when the Bible says that I will protect you from all evil, what he's saying is, I will keep you no matter what happens, even through death, I will keep you.
SPEAKER_01: I will keep you in my hands.
SPEAKER_01: What you're going through right now cannot separate you from the one who's bringing you through it.
SPEAKER_01: Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
SPEAKER_01: Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
SPEAKER_01: That's the promise of God.
SPEAKER_01: He is our keeper, he is the one that sustains us and keeps us and protects us.
SPEAKER_01: John 17, 15 says, I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
SPEAKER_01: So we are not, we are not removed from pain.
SPEAKER_01: We are not removed from suffering.
SPEAKER_01: But what we are removed from is allowing that suffering to become your identity.
SPEAKER_01: It's allowing that suffering to release God and say, God, I don't want this anymore.
SPEAKER_01: I don't believe in you anymore.
SPEAKER_01: That's what He's protecting us from.
SPEAKER_01: That this season that you're living and you're going through is temporary, it is mild compared to the glory that is coming on the other side of this season.
SPEAKER_01: God is keeping you, He is holding on to you, and He will not let you go.
SPEAKER_01: He will not let you go.
SPEAKER_01: He is the God of our salvation.
SPEAKER_01: And the Bible says, look at this.
SPEAKER_01: This is it is wild because um Megan and I, we haven't spoken this week.
SPEAKER_01: We haven't spoken, this isn't planned, but as Megan is leading worship, she starts to read out Romans 8.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm gonna read it too because it's part of my notes.
SPEAKER_01: And as they're practicing, I'm like, Megan, I came up, I interrupted, and I said, I've got that in my notes as well.
SPEAKER_01: Romans 8.35 says this.
SPEAKER_01: Romans 8.35, it says, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
SPEAKER_01: Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword, as it is written, for your sake we face death all day long.
SPEAKER_01: We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
SPEAKER_01: No.
SPEAKER_01: In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
SPEAKER_01: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor demons, nor the present, nor the future, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Nothing can separate you from the love of the Father.
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely nothing.
SPEAKER_01: Can I include you?
SPEAKER_01: You can't separate yourself from the love of God, the love that God has for you.
SPEAKER_01: No matter how far you think you've run away, he's there.
SPEAKER_01: You cannot run away from him.
SPEAKER_01: He is calling you.
SPEAKER_01: He is open arms calling you, running towards you with all the love.
SPEAKER_01: Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely nothing.
SPEAKER_01: And that is awesome.
SPEAKER_01: Because that's who he is.
SPEAKER_01: He is our keeper.
SPEAKER_01: But he's also something else.
SPEAKER_01: Something more personal.
SPEAKER_01: And uh Fred, can you come up to the front, please?
SPEAKER_01: Can you come?
SPEAKER_01: Come, come.
SPEAKER_01: One, two, three.
SPEAKER_01: David, come, four, five, come, come, come, come, come, come, come.
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
SPEAKER_01: Come all the way up, all the way up top.
SPEAKER_01: All the way up top.
SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes, come.
SPEAKER_01: So I've got six guys.
SPEAKER_01: Uh right up here so everybody can see you.
SPEAKER_01: I want to show you something that is powerful.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: And and and once you see this, you'll you'll never read the Psalms the same way again.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: Psalm, the Psalms is poetry, and there is a poetic device that the Hebrew writers always use.
SPEAKER_01: You see, when when we do poetry, our the first line rhymes with the second line, and the third line rhymes with the fourth line.
SPEAKER_01: Or the first line rhymes with the third line, and the second line line rhymes with the fourth line.
SPEAKER_01: That's how we often do poetry.
SPEAKER_01: Roses are red.
SPEAKER_01: I'm really good looking.
SPEAKER_01: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_01: That's what I say in the mirror.
SPEAKER_01: Uh if if you don't tell me, I gotta say it, I gotta say it.
SPEAKER_01: Um but so are you.
SPEAKER_01: So so that's how that's how we use it.
SPEAKER_01: In in Hebrew, they use something called a chiasm.
SPEAKER_01: And a chiasm starts like this.
SPEAKER_01: It starts, it starts like this.
SPEAKER_01: So so we've got a thought, we've got a thought.
SPEAKER_01: That thought is gonna be A.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: So thought one is A.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: And then and then we we can introduce a second thought.
SPEAKER_01: That that thought is gonna be B.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: So thought B, you got yeah, you gotta hold it up.
SPEAKER_01: We gotta hold it up.
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then and then we can we can start a third thought if you want.
SPEAKER_01: If you want, you can start a third thought, and you're gonna be C.
SPEAKER_01: You're gonna be C.
SPEAKER_01: Great.
SPEAKER_01: And then and then here's how the chiasm works.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, once you you're done your thoughts, then what you do is you work your way backwards.
SPEAKER_01: So, so whatever C is, then the next verse is gonna also be related to C.
SPEAKER_01: Are you with me?
SPEAKER_01: So we're doing like a staircase.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so then after that, so so we've got B over on this side, that means B is over on that side too.
SPEAKER_01: So then, so then if we start with A, the first thought, we've gotta end with A, the last thought.
SPEAKER_01: Are you with me?
SPEAKER_01: This is a chiasm.
SPEAKER_01: And so, where does your help come from?
SPEAKER_01: Let's go back to the first verse, and I I would invite you to memorize this.
SPEAKER_01: I lift, ready for this?
SPEAKER_01: I lift my eyes up to the mountains.
SPEAKER_01: Mountains, creation, creation.
SPEAKER_01: That's our point A.
SPEAKER_01: Step for step forward, step forward, step forward.
SPEAKER_01: That's our point A.
SPEAKER_01: I lift my eyes up to the mountains.
SPEAKER_01: Where does my help in Hebrew?
SPEAKER_01: In Hebrew, the word my help is one single word.
SPEAKER_01: Where does my help come from?
SPEAKER_01: My help, help, help, help.
SPEAKER_01: Come come come forward.
SPEAKER_01: Lift it up, lift it up, lift it up.
SPEAKER_01: Higher, higher, higher.
SPEAKER_01: Where does my help come from?
SPEAKER_01: What's the next verse?
SPEAKER_01: My help.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay, my help, my help.
SPEAKER_01: Sorry guys, there is no C.
SPEAKER_01: You're gonna have to step back, step back, step back.
SPEAKER_01: Perfect.
SPEAKER_01: My my my help, my help, my help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, creation, right?
SPEAKER_01: So we start with creation.
SPEAKER_01: I lift my eyes up to the mountains.
SPEAKER_01: Where does my help come from?
SPEAKER_01: My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
SPEAKER_01: Watch this, watch this.
SPEAKER_01: Where does your help come from?
SPEAKER_01: Guys, come from where does your help come from?
SPEAKER_01: Lift it up, lift it up, lift it up, lift it up, lift it up, higher, higher, higher, higher.
SPEAKER_01: Where does your help come from?
SPEAKER_01: Your help comes from dad, your dad, Abba, your help comes from the Lord, our Father, Romans 8:15 says, the spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again.
SPEAKER_01: Rather, the spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship, and by him we cry out, Abba Father, so that we don't fear anymore.
SPEAKER_01: There's no more fear.
SPEAKER_01: Where does my help come from?
SPEAKER_01: He's not only my keeper, he is my father, and your father will not let you go.
SPEAKER_01: And your brother Jesus is interceding for you, your high priest Jesus is interceding for you, your King Jesus is interceding for you, your Savior Jesus is interceding for you to him.
SPEAKER_00: For us, man oh man.
SPEAKER_01: He is good.
SPEAKER_01: And it doesn't matter what we're going through.
SPEAKER_01: He's with us.
SPEAKER_01: My dad is with us.
SPEAKER_01: My father is with us.
SPEAKER_01: And all these promises are a yes and an amen in his presence.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you guys.
SPEAKER_01: Can we give these guys a hand?
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
SPEAKER_01: I'll take them.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you guys.
SPEAKER_01: Invite the musicians to come forward.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
SPEAKER_01: You'll find this everywhere.
SPEAKER_01: And if you were if you were listening, Psalm 95 is also a chiasm.
SPEAKER_01: The mountains melt like wax before the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: What's the next phrase?
SPEAKER_01: Before the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: So whenever you see these repetitions, the middle of it is the power of it.
SPEAKER_01: So when we study the Psalms, and as we go through the Psalms, look for these chiasms.
SPEAKER_01: And there is so much power and so much strength in the Word of God.
SPEAKER_01: He is your father.
SPEAKER_01: And this is a blessing.
SPEAKER_01: We lift up our eyes.
SPEAKER_01: We lift up our eyes past the hills.
SPEAKER_01: When the mountain is still there, we're going past it.
SPEAKER_01: When the questions haven't all been answered, we're going past it.
SPEAKER_01: When the journey still feels uphill, we're still going past it.
SPEAKER_01: We're lifting up our eyes past the hills, past our fears, past our circumstances.
SPEAKER_01: Higher still.
SPEAKER_01: And he wants you to see him in all of his splendor.
SPEAKER_01: Watch how your mountains start to melt like wax.
SPEAKER_01: Start to see him for who he is.
SPEAKER_01: Your father, your redeemer, the one that loves you and is praying for you.
SPEAKER_01: We're gonna sing this song.
SPEAKER_01: I invite you to stand to your feet.
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that guitar.
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord is with you.
SPEAKER_01: And after every service, I always I always pray this over you.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord bless you, and the Lord keep you.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord make his face shine upon you.
SPEAKER_01: Well, that's a song as well, and we're gonna sing that today because this Psalm 121 is a blessing of protection over your life.
SPEAKER_01: And we're gonna sing it out, and we're gonna belt it out as loud as you can and as hard as you can.
SPEAKER_01: We're just gonna sing the song because God is faithful and his promises over your life.
SPEAKER_01: All right, yes.
SPEAKER_01: And an amen.
SPEAKER_01: He is with you, and he is for you, He is with you, and He is for you.