Everybody in here is going through something. Everybody in here has come from some type of struggle. Everybody is different in that struggle. You may have a lot of money. You may be broke. I ain't never been a lot of money, but I've been broke. I know that feeling. But anyway, here's one place. It don't matter who I am, and it don't matter where I come from, because we all connect in Jesus.
[00:50:30]
See, these songs of ascent were very special to the Israelites, to God's people. And this word, ascent, really, it refers to this idea of going up to Jerusalem. Jerusalem. And the reason why these songs became such a special thing, because this is when people would come from all over... Three times a year, the Jewish people will come up. Passover, Pentecost, and the Tabernacles. And as they would come up, they would sing these songs. Y' all know how good it feels to sing a song, right? You know how good it is for your heart. Sweet melody, man.
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God's people, they weren't just climbing a hill. That's not what they were doing. They were preparing their hearts. See, that's where we're at today. The question would be this. What preparations did you make before you came in here this morning? Like, what was the preparation that you made before you came into this place? Did you barely hit the snooze? See, each song, you know what happened, it stirred anticipation in their hearts. Were you anticipating coming in this morning? Was there an excitement about you?
[00:58:24]
So yesterday when we was about to leave, all of the sudden my tooth started hurting. And I got a cap on it and I'm like, man, my tooth's kind of hurting. I'm like, I know what's happening. I know what's happening. Not everybody in here may came to hear something. But guess what? There's somebody in here that needed to hear what I'm about to say. So guess what? It don't matter if my tooth hurt or not. I'm still going to preach the word, cuz ain't no toothache compared to what Jesus had to deal with.
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God's people will come up onto this mountain and they will be reflected. See, these songs of ascent were... If you ever have time to do it, it. It's Psalm 120 through 134. These are all these songs of ascent. And they have different things that connect you to who God is. They encourage you and they strengthen you. So by the time they got up to the temple, you know what they were ready to do? They was ready to worship. They was in a different mindset, man.
[01:00:31]
You know, the greatest trick that Satan can do is for you to say, maybe later. Let me get some things in order. I'll get it situated in a little bit, and then I'll come back and I'll be right. Guess what? You ain't never gonna get right. You're never gonna get right unless you submit to a king.
[01:03:11]
See, here's the deal. If we read verses one and two, what we realize is we know where the source of our help comes from. Let me read it again. I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help. My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth see the song. Now picture this. You got a picture? Let me just grab this thing. Picture it for just a second. And this is in order for you to appreciate what's happening. Here come the people, and they're going up to Zion. They're marching to Zion. They're going to the temple. But notice what he says. When I lift up my eyes, I see hills. See, the road to Jerusalem went through hills. And you know what else? They went through caves.
[01:05:41]
See, we all have our heels in our life, though. Because as I look up at Zion and I'm trying to go to this place, you know what I see? I see these heels in my life. I don't know what your heels are. Maybe it's the hill of uncertainty. You trying to get a new job? You sick of where you at? You got problems with your bae? You and your spouse struggling to get by? Is there these uncertain things that just don't seem to be working out? See, everybody can link up with this. Right? Right? Maybe it's not uncertainty. Maybe it's exhaustion. You tired?
[01:07:27]
Maybe your heel is not exhaustion, but maybe it's uncertainty, but maybe it's fear. A lot of times you know what we do? We don't want to admit this because of outside influence, because of what people say. Maybe our friends or maybe the world pushes us in, but we live our lives with fear as the leader. And faith is not our God.
[01:08:28]
Maybe you're scared to step into who you really need to be. You know, I didn't realize it, but I lived my life for a lot of years. Living for me. And you know where it left me? Empty, broke, with nothing in my house. Straight up. I didn't even know what it looked like to pray to the Lord. But I said, lord, I don't even know what this looks like. My life is in such a way. I am so caught up in all the things. I need some help, man.
[01:09:25]
A lot of times what we do and we forget is we take our eyes off the place where it needs to be. You remember Peter? Now listen, did Peter walk on water? He walked on water. And you want to know why he walked on water? Because he kept his eyes where it was supposed to be. No wonder you struggling in your life. No wonder you don't want to take the step. No wonder you want to say, maybe next time. Man, that just ain't for me.
[01:10:02]
Worry sees the hills and the obstacles and the threats. But you know what we see? Look at verse two. My help comes from the Lord. The one who made them hills. The one who made those hills. They were looking at hills and there was worry in their mind or maybe possible things that weren't going to go, like they needed to go. But you know what? God was bigger.
[01:11:40]
I've said this a lot in my life, and sometimes it went good and sometimes it went bad. But I'm like, can you help a brother out? You know what I'm talking about? Can you just help a brother out? I needed some money and I needed some help. Could you just help a brother out? You know what the Lord said? Oh, I got you.
[01:13:16]
So many times we put our thoughts on the heels more than the Lord. And this is why the psalmist says, I know where my help comes from. Everybody can make fun of me. Nobody can stand with me. You remember what Paul said? They all left me. But don't even charge it against them. You want to know why? Because the Lord stood with me. You want to talk about confidence? You want to talk about somebody with some swag for J. Jesus, man.
[01:15:45]
See the strength of our faith. It depends on where we fix our eyes, right? Now. Think about it for a minute. If my eyes are fixed on the wrong thing, no wonder my faith ain't what it needs to be, right?
[01:18:40]
He will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. What a thought. So we got security in the Lord. He's the source of all the power. He's the one who we should look to because we know that he has all the answers. But here's the deal. He's our security. He's not going to allow your foot to be moved.
[01:19:33]
God gives us stability, continual stability. See, Second Corinthians 4 talks about this idea that though my outer man is perishing, my inward man is being renewed day by day. Isn't that what 16 and 18 say? This light affliction, which is but for just a moment, is working for me a far more exceeding way to glory. Did you forget whose kid you was? Did you forget who you belonged to? You belong to a king who's reigning right now. You belong to somebody who's watching you right now.
[01:20:57]
Following the Lord changes everything. The word's a lamp and it's a light. You know, In John chapter 3, Jesus talks about people walking in darkness. You know what they want to do? They want to hide like scaredy cats. But guess what people want to do if they in the light. Hey, man, I gotta tell you about somebody.
[01:23:06]
When God's word shows our path, our footing becomes very stable. Me out there trying to play basketball, I mean, my mind, I've just got... Can I tell another story? We got time for another story. Like I like, come on. This boy telling all kinds of stories. Like, I just got one more. So I would always try to set the, the, the point guard passing to the shooting guard. I try to set that up and I, I'd kind of hang just a little bit and I'd let the shooting guard get it and, and I'd want him to pass it back to the point guard so I could steal it, you know what I'm saying? I get that breakaway, wham, you know, so my mind was willing, okay? My mind was willing. I'm talking about Kobe Bryant, baby. The bean dunk boy hit it. And I get it. I get to half court. Uh oh, uh oh, free throw line. Stumbling to the goal, barely. Come on, man. No stability at all because see, I thought I knew it all. Wait a minute, I thought I knew it all you ever talked to a know it all. My son's 25. He is just now coming back to say, I'm not a know it all. I used to be a know it all. I'm still a know it all if I ain't careful. But see, this talks about a different thing. It says that if I trust in the Lord, I'm not going to be moved and he's going to keep me.
[01:24:25]
The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. So I grew up in California. I grew up in the city, so I'm not country. But now I'm real country. Got a tractor, some cows. Man, like, what's going on? So on my tractor, I don't have no shade on the top. Like a goofball, man, like, why are you gonna do your tractor all day with no shade on the top? So I got one of them big. Them big hats, you know, they go way out. Cover your whole body, look like an umbrella on your head. That's what I got on. And when I got it on, you know what it makes me feel like a whole lot cooler. My temperature ain't rising. You ever got mad at somebody? Somebody ever text you something? Just nonsense. What was your response? I wish he would text me again. Some crazy stuff like that. I'm about to call him. Hey, man, can you come with me? I mean, I'm building a team. But see, what the Lord does is he brings not only stability, he brings a different mindset. Now, I do what James chapter one says. Quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to get mad. Also, remember that my tongue is so little, but it spits flames. It could burn a forest down. One comment, one statement can ruin it. You don't think that. We got to be careful with the way we talk, brethren. See, the Lord is our keep. He's the one who helps us in time of need.
[01:26:27]
There's significance in that. See, this shade is going to provide protection and it's going to provide refreshment in hardships and this time of attack. But that right hand, you know what it signifies? It's our power. It's our abilities. You want to know what Satan wants to do for you? To not use your abilities for God's glory. That's what he wants you to do. But you know, the Lord provides shade. He allows you to be able to develop who you need to be.
[01:29:29]
You're God's masterpiece. I never thought that I would be a masterpiece. The life that I've lived, the mess that I've had. How many of us. See, I can link up with everybody on that. God stands close to me. He's not distant. He wants to allow me to develop into something. Something that I never thought I could be. See, are we letting the Lord mold us? See, because here's the deal. While we're being molded, he's protecting us because we're doing the things that we're supposed to do. And what he's doing is building a edge of protection around us.
[01:30:12]
But the Lord is faithful. That's a promise. When has God never been ever not been faithful to his people? Y' all read the Bible. Y' all know it. I mean, y' all reading through the whole Bible, y' all should know it. How many times was he not faithful? When I go back there, somebody come tell me. The one time that he wasn't faithful. That ain't happening. He's always faithful.
[01:31:17]
See, what he's doubling and tripling and quadrupling down on is the idea that he's always going to be there, wherever you're at, in whatever situation, in the hot, in the cold, in the good, in the bad. You know, I kind of live in the middle, don't y'? All? Sometimes I live right in the middle a lot of times until I get my mind right and say, wait a minute, I'm always good. See, the psalmist says, no matter what, wherever, whenever, God's protection is constant. In hardship, in emotional distress, in anxiety, in worry. Somebody here this morning needs to cast their burdens down straight up. But what's going to happen is pride's going to keep you in your seat. You going to be embarrassed cuz somebody may say something and then you're not going to do nothing. And guess what? Satan wins. When can Satan stop winning? He loses. He already lost.
[01:34:14]
God guards every part of me. He keeps me from all evil, and he'll keep my life. Lean not on your own understanding. Isn't that what the proverb says? But in all your ways. 3, 5 and 6. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he'll direct your path. He'll keep your path straight. But did you notice? Acknowledge him. Hey, why are you doing that? Because God told me to. Because the Lord asked me to do this.
[01:37:14]
The Lord keeps me out of places I don't belong and from problems that I don't need. Straight up. Straight up. Notice verse 7. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil. He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in forever and ever, if you'll let him. He's ever watching, ever ready. Jesus Christ wants to make intercession for us wicked, evil people, disrespectful people, he says. I'm so concerned about you. I want to just listen to what you got to say.
[01:40:55]
The more I realize the scope of where God touches you never know what you're going to be in God's plan. Be ready. See, the more I build my future on the Word, the fewer regrets I have in my life. See, when I walk in His Word, my steps are safer and my heart is cleaner.
[01:42:41]
When I walk in His Word, my steps are safer and my heart is cleaner. And my decisions, they become wiser. I never thought I'd be a wise man who built his house on a rock. A wise man. Matt Miller, man. Yes, man. And you know what else? This is the greatest scholarship thought of all. My tomorrow becomes clearer. I'm marching to Zion Beautiful, beautiful. Zion.
[01:44:06]
If you believe that you could be saved, but you got to repent. You got to realize that you're not living the way you're supposed to. And you've got to turn from that way of living and turn towards God. And you got to confess as much name. I've heard some of the sweetest confessions in my life. People in addiction, people broken, people hurting. And they said, yes, Matt, I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. And you got to be immersed in water. Romans, chapter six, verses three and four. I think one of my favorite verses. This is idea of just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of God, I could be raised to walk in newness of life.
[01:45:38]
I remember today I came up out of that cold baptistry water. Hey, the heat ain't working. I don't care. Put me in there. Because though my sins were many, when I came up out of there, they gone. You ever seen them? The Winter Olympics is coming up, you know I'm talking about them boys got them glasses on, them cool looking glasses. You know why they got them on? Because that snow so white, man, it blinds them. That's how clean the Lord makes you. White as snow, man, Glistening, holy and set apart for good works.
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