QUICK LINK TO SERMON ARTICLE (OR VIEW BELOW)
REDEEMER ROUND ROCK | WORSHIP AT HOME LITURGY
WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP
To all who are weary and need rest.
To all who mourn and need comfort.
To all who feel worthless
and wonder if God cares.
To all who fail and desire strength.
To all who sin and need a savior.
This church (this family) opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus Christ.
We are so glad you are here!
Let's begin our time of worship with a reading from God's word to call us to worship.
Psalm 40:8–13 (ESV) I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” 9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. 10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. 11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! 12 For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me. 13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!
CONFESSION (based on Psalm 51:10-12)
Merciful God, You pardon all who truly repent and turn to you.
We humbly confess our sins and ask for your mercy.
We have not loved you with a pure heart,
Nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves.
We have not done justice, loved kindness,
Or walked humbly with you, our God.
Have mercy on us, O God, in your loving-kindness.
In your great compassion, cleanse us from our sin.
Create in us a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within us.
Do not cast us from your presence,
Or take your Holy Spirit from us.
Restore to us the joy of your salvation
And sustain us with your bountiful Spirit
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
SERMON (PSALM 125)
LINK TO SERMON ARTICLE
OR VIEW BELOW
BENEDICTION (based on Ephesians 1:18-19)
As you leave today,
May you know the hope to which God has called you,
Experience the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
And trust his incomparably great power for us who believe.
SERMON ARTICLE
Psalm 125 - God Our Protector
Josh Reeves
Over the past month, our church family has been walking through the Psalms of Ascent. We have looked to these Psalms as a source of renewal for us after a long and challenging year. Our series title is fitting for this, "God of Refuge." Where do we look for real help? Where do we turn when our hearts are weary and exhausted? Where do we find the strength to keep pouring ourselves out on the mission of God when the American church is in such a mess? Where do we find the courage to keep following after the real Jesus in a polarized culture? Each week it has seemed that God has given us just the Psalm we needed. I hope you have found them as a source of encouragement not only on Sundays but as you dig into the prayer journals and discuss with your Gospel community.
Our text this Sunday is Psalm 125. Grab a bible and turn there. I am going to ask you to read it aloud in just a bit. As you dig into this Psalm, I want you to pay attention to three P's: a promise, a problem, and a prayer. We will discover a promise of protection, the problem of wicked leaders, and are finally given a prayer that pleads for God's favor on those who do good.
Take a minute now to pray. Linger in silence for a bit if you can. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart to receive God's word and to unite us around Jesus even though we are scattered this morning.
Read Psalm 125 aloud with those in your household or on your own.
PSALM 125:1-2 - Psalm 125 begins with two images that point us to God's promise to protect his people. In verse one, we are told that "those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion." Mount Zion was not a real mountain; it refers to the temple mount in Jerusalem. Mount Zion was symbolic of God's dwelling place. It represented God's abiding with his people in the Holy city of Jerusalem. As surely God's dwelling is immovable and eternal, so are those who trust in the Lord. We are typically flip-flopping, shifting, decaying, and anything but immovable. Not only us but the world around us is always in flux. The psalmist wants to remind the people of Israel that there is a safe place, an anchored place for us amidst all the chaos of the world.
THE PROMISE OF PROTECTION
God's promise in our text is protection. Specifically, it's spiritual protection from the threats Israel faced from wicked leaders. He is the powerful and unchangeable one who is unchangeable and eternal. Israel (and us as well) are called to trust. God's role is protector, and ours is to trust Him for this. Now, what does our text mean here by "trust." The Hebrew word used is BATAH (BTH) - It means to have confidence in. To be so convinced of something or someone's reliability that you are at ease. This kind of trust is not just a sort of one-off moment where we believe some facts about God. It's not merely a momentary trusting in some facts about God in an emotionally charged church service. Unfortunately, many of us grew up in church traditions where trust happened as a sort of emotionally charged decision. Trusting in Jesus was boiled down to a split-second decision and a "prayer of salvation." And with all the talk about evangelism, we can get the idea that this was all God was after.
This is what we might call "transactional trust." Imagine if I said, "Hey, I want to give you a million dollars, but you have to believe this one fact. I was born in Austin." This is a sort of transaction. You agree to give mental assent to said facts, and I give you the million dollars. In the Christian world, this is a sort of "easy believism" where the Gospel is presented as a transaction with God. Pray this little prayer, believe these facts, and BOOM…..Eternal life.
This is not the kind of trust we are talking about here. It's not transactional, but rather it's relational (or theologically speaking it is covenantal). The trust the psalmist speaks of is a deep orientation of the heart that characterizes the whole of a person's life or a group's life together. Of course, it can play out in little moments where trust is needed, but it's deeper than that. As a parent, I sometimes ask my children to trust me in a particular situation. When they do, it's not just because in that one moment they decided to trust me; it's because they know me. We have a relationship, and that leads them to trust me. Love leads them to remain loyal to my authority because I am their Dad. Not perfectly. They don't always make decisions in line with their trust. Like all of us, they have moments where they trust themselves or a wayward voice, but they keep coming to me. And as they mature, their trust comes out in those little moments more and more. Their trust in us as parents sets a whole direction for their life. The analogy doesn't entirely translate to God's relationship with his people, but it helps us see trust in a more relational context.
When we have deep relational trust in God, a kind where we keep coming back to him even when we blow it. We keep relying on him, remain loyal to his commands even in the face of uncertainty; it's as if this trust opens up a sort of spiritual portal. No matter the circumstances, trusting leads us into the stabilizing connection of God's steadfast love, finding him as the true ground of our being. This kind of trust is a doorway to true stability and safety. This is the place where we can finally relax; everything is gonna be ok. Right now, it's cold outside. I have had several times to take our dogs out, and it's not fun to be out there right now. Thankfully we have a shelter that is warm and hospitable. Trust is much like that moment where you hit the doorway and feel the warmth of being inside the house. Take a deep breath, God's protecting you. He has us church!
In verse 2, the Palmist gives us another image conveying the idea of God's protection and security. Essentially he says, "You see how mountains surround the Holy City? Let that be a reminder to you of how my protection surrounds you." Mountains have throughout history served as protective barriers from foreign enemies. The psalmist is pointing us to trust in God's protection over his people. And when we loyally trust God, we find ourselves grounded, stable, secure, and our souls at rest. This is the promise in our Psalm.
THE PROBLEM OF WICKED RULERS
In verse 3, the psalmist introduces us to a couple of threats, problems that face Israel and ourselves. Look back at verse 3 again. The term "scepter of wickedness" refers to wicked rulers who are not loyal to God or obedient to his commands. Throughout the biblical story, we have seen Israel's peace and well being threatened by foreign rulers who did not acknowledge God. In fact, most of these wicked rulers lead Israel away from worshipping to true God to worshipping idols. They would oppress and persecute Israel. They would challenge Israel's loyalty and trust to Yahweh and lure them to worship other gods. For Israel (and for us) there are spiritual and physical rulers at work in the world that attempt to influence the people of God away from the worship of God. Rulers who hold up themselves or something other than God as our life and good. These leaders were often a genuine threat to Israel's worship of the true and living God. Look at the end of verse 3, "lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong." God's people were vulnerable, just like us, to turn to wicked leaders.
We face this today. We have political leaders on all sides making promises to protect us and give us the life we want. Sometimes they even pull us in through language from our scriptures. Think about the pull from the left side of the political spectrum. There is pressure from the more progressive agenda to bow at the altar of "sexual anarchy" or "political correctness." If you don't agree or challenge our enlightened thinking we will call you an antiquated bigot and cancel you. Don't tell us any absolutes or challenge our standardless standards. This presents a challenge for Christians seeking to remain loyal and trusting of the God revealed in scripture. The subtle challenge here is how can you trust a God who is so old-fashioned, so out of touch with our modern science and our enlightened morality. Liberate yourself from those shackles and enjoy the freedom of the unhindered self! We hear this in the subtle stories of a popular film or TV, in the prophetic voices of Hollywood stars, and the many of the schools shaping our children. There are even some within the church who want to rewrite Jesus for a modern audience. Just give him a bit of a modern makeover so we don't have to abandon our favorite childhood rituals.
One the other side of the spectrum we have a hodgepodge of Christian nationalism increasingly floating wild conspiracy theories and worshiping a Jesus who proudly holds an American flag. At their worst, a misinformed mob that is more informed by the radical Q than the reality of the living Christ. This is a culture where Jesus' logo is all around, but his way is nowhere to be found. A Jesus whose name has been hijacked for the vain pursuits of power and prosperity, protecting a cultural legacy. There is such a mingling of God and country that any critique of the country carries the weight of blasphemy against God. To vote against our party is to vote against God himself. You're either for us or against us. There is a tendency to rail against certain sins of sexual immorality or cultural taboos while being blind to their abuse of power and prosperity. Sadly, this American god has figured out if you slap a little bible language on it, Christians will eat it up and never think twice about it. Like the other side, there are supposedly Christian churches and pastors who lead others to this altar. Trust in this god, and he will keep you powerful and prosperous.
THE PROBLEM OF WAYWARD HEARTS
Wicked rulers are not the only issue we are facing. Sin is at work around us and within us. We have our wayward hearts to deal with. Our hearts are vulnerable to the false promises of wicked rulers. Our ancient parents, Adam and Eve, passed this to us. We are bent to trust in the lies of the evil one over the word of God. Our heart by nature is wayward, meaning that we wonder away from God and look to find security in lesser gods. This is especially true when we are stressed, worried, fearful, anxious, angry....we want an immediate solution, something that can give us peace and safety now. We have God-given longing for safety and stability, but our sinful hearts leave us looking to wicked powers for solutions. Political and spiritual leaders like we discussed above. We even create little gods for ourselves by making food or entertainment or work into functional saviors who can help us feel more solidified, stable, secure. Recently our family has watched a few episodes of a show called "My Strange Addiction." (Don't watch it please!) Some people are addicted to eating toilet paper, sleeping with hairdryers, sniffing gasoline, and other things I can't mention here. We can laugh, but we have the same bent to look to the stupidest things to give us what only God can. When you listen to these people you realize these weird addictions are misguided efforts to provide them with a sense of safety, security, and life. Like us, trying to meet real needs with laughable idols. We do the same thing every day but we don't see it as strange.
This dual-threat of Wicked leaders and wayward hearts keeps me up at night as a pastor. This past year of isolation during the pandemic has only further exaggerated the issue. There have been so many people filled with fear, anxiety, angst, and anger. Isolation leaves us vulnerable to the influence of wicked leaders. People pulled away from the worship of the True and living God to put their trust in everyday addictions. People are spending more and more time online, listening and reading whatever will keep them coming back online. Isolation is fertile soil for idolatry. Have you felt it? Perhaps in your own heart, you have noticed the pull towards political powers. Maybe you have sought escape in common addictions. This Psalm presents an opportunity to turn from false promises to a true promise of a real God who can meet our real needs. We are all especially vulnerable in this season. As a pastor and fellow struggler, this dual-threat leads me to either panic or prayer.
A PLEA FOR GOD’S PROMISES
Thankfully the last part of the Psalm (verse 4&5) gives us a plea, a prayer to cry out to God. After recognizing the threat that surrounds us, that is within us, the psalmist turns Godward. He pleads with God to "do good to those who are good." To do good doesn't mean to do what we want but what we truly need. God is truly what we need, his presence and power surrounding us. Our good is that God would be near to us. For his dwelling and ours to be the same again. We long for his Kingdom to come, his justice, mercy, and forgiveness to flood our world.
Consider what John Calvin says about this verse. "The Prophet has already promised to all the faithful the seasonable help of God; but still he has recourse to prayer, and that not without cause; for although faith may sustain us, yet, as our carnal sense and reason are wavering, we ought to mingle our prayers for our confirmation. Let us then follow this rule of the Prophet, who, having exhorted all the faithful to cherish confidence, teaches them at the same time, that instead of sitting in listless inactivity, they should betake themselves to God, earnestly beseeching him by prayer, for what he has bidden them hope for by his word."
The last part of this Psalm invites us to pray. Where we have wandered off to return home. Where we have put the weight of our life on political promises to turn back to God's promise of protection. His power to keep us, rescue us, and renew us. He alone can keep us from the powers of evil. So we plea to him in prayer. Do good to us, Father, pour out your Spirit upon us, surround us with your protection. We mingle the promise with prayer. While it certainly doesn't exclude physical protection, it is from ultimate evil, from ultimate destruction (life separated from God). It's protection from being lured away by wicked rulers and wayward hearts—protection from believing lies that lead us to worship lesser gods. Our bodies might falter, our physical safety might fade, but the core of our being is protected and kept in God. Trust in the God revealed in Jesus Christ who has dethroned the wicked rulers and offered renewal to your wayward heart. Trust in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, who offers all who come to him forgiveness and resurrection life. Even when we parish, the promise is that he knows you and will not leave you alone. He won't lose you. Your King will not leave you alone in the grave. He will raise you and bring you safely into that eternal Kingdom where we will enjoy physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational safety and peace with all enemies banished and destroyed.
The call this morning is to trust, not just once but with the whole course of your life, to keep relying upon God, to keep turning away from wicked rulers and pleading the promises of God in prayer. Let us pray.
