Psalm 121: The Pilgrims Progress

[0:00] Well if we could, with the Lord's help, and the Lord's enabling this evening, if we could turn back to that portion of scripture that we read, the book of Psalms, Psalm 121.

[0:24] Book of Psalms, Psalm 121, and we'll just read again the first two verses. A song of ascents, I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come?

[0:40] My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. I'm sure that many of us have read John Bunyan's classic, The Pilgrim's Progress.

[1:03] And if you haven't read it, or if you haven't read it for a while, I'd encourage you to read it, or to re-read it. Because next to the Bible, John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, it's one of the best books to read and to enjoy.

[1:21] And it was Spurgeon who encouraged his congregation. He encouraged his congregation to read The Pilgrim's Progress at least once a year. Because in doing so, Spurgeon believed that his congregation would be reminded of where they have come from, and where they are going to, as they journey through this life.

[1:44] And as many of you know, in the book, the author John Bunyan, he paints the picture of a man who had come to know the Lord by reading his Bible.

[1:56] And the whole story is about this one man who's on a journey. He's on a pilgrimage. But what always strikes me about The Pilgrim's Progress, when I read it and try and re-read it, is that when this character, this man, when he meets someone new in the story, he would often introduce himself.

[2:18] And he would often say, when somebody would ask him, what's your name? He would say, at first, I was called Graceless. But now my name is Christian. I have come from the city of destruction.

[2:31] I am going to Mount Zion. I am a pilgrim, and I am going to the Celestial City. And it's a beautiful statement of faith that is repeated throughout The Pilgrim's Progress.

[2:47] Every time he's asked, who are you? At first, I was called Graceless. But now my name is Christian. I'm going to the Celestial City.

[2:59] And of course, this confession from Christian, it's certainly the confession of all Christians. It's the confession of every pilgrim who is traveling towards the Celestial City.

[3:12] And that's what comes across so clearly in this psalm. We've looked at these psalms before, when we did a study of all the Songs of Ascents. But Psalm 121, you could say it maps out for us the pilgrim's progress.

[3:29] And as you know, and as you can see from this list of psalms, it's part of that group called the Songs of Ascents. And there, as we saw before, there the psalms numbered Psalm 120 down to Psalm 134.

[3:45] And they're all called the Songs of Ascents because they were sung by the Lord's people as they ascended towards the city of Jerusalem for all the annual feasts that were held there.

[3:57] In which all of the Lord's people, they would gather in their family groups and all the neighbors would come together and they would congregate at a central point in their village or their town or their city.

[4:10] And from there, they would leave as one people and begin their pilgrimage towards Jerusalem. And they would travel from all over the nation of Israel and they would ascend towards the temple in Jerusalem.

[4:25] And as you know, the temple, it was situated on a mountain called Mount Zion. And as you read through these Songs of Ascents, it becomes more and more apparent that these songs are written from the experience of pilgrims who made their way towards Jerusalem.

[4:43] And in a sense, you could say that all of these psalms, they follow the pilgrims' progress. But what's interesting about Psalm 121 is that this psalm has a particular title.

[5:00] Although it's translated into English like all of the other titles, Psalm 121 actually says, in the original Hebrew, it says that it's a song for the ascent.

[5:12] It's a song for the ascent. All the other psalms in this little Psalter of 15 psalms, they're all titled a song of ascent. But Psalm 121 is the only one that says that it's a song for the ascent.

[5:31] Implying that this is the pilgrim's song. This is the song which maps out the pilgrim's progress towards the temple of God in Jerusalem.

[5:44] And of course, for us now as New Testament pilgrims who have, like Christian and pilgrim's progress, we have taken our burden to the cross. It has rolled off our back and we are now marching on towards Zion.

[5:59] This song for the ascent, and because we're New Testament Christians, it's always straining and it's looking forward towards the new Jerusalem.

[6:11] The new Zion. The Zion of heaven. But you know, thinking about it, you have to look around you and those whom you're walking with.

[6:24] And travelling in amongst our crowd, there are some of us who have just begun the journey. They've just begun the journey towards Mount Zion. They haven't been on the road for very long.

[6:36] And there are others, other pilgrims in amongst our number, who have been on the road for a few years now. They've been travelling maybe 20, 30, 40 years.

[6:49] And on this road, they've picked up a few knocks along the way. They've seen and experienced the Lord through some of the most difficult providences in their lives.

[7:01] And yet they keep going. They keep going on in this pilgrimage. But as you know, it's not where we are at on the journey that really matters. It's to be thankful that we're on it at all.

[7:16] That's the main thing. It's to be thankful that God's grace has intervened in our lives and it has brought us from darkness into his marvellous light. Where at first we were called graceless.

[7:30] But now we are called Christian. We've been taken from the city of destruction. Where we once walked according to the course of this world. But now our destination is the Zion of glory.

[7:44] And we are looking for a city that hath foundations. Whose builder and maker is God. We are pilgrims. And we are going to the celestial city. But as we said, Psalm 121 is the song for the ascent.

[8:00] It maps out the pilgrim's progress. And it does so, I believe, by issuing promises to every pilgrim who is progressing on their journey towards the celestial city.

[8:14] And so the first promise of the pilgrim's progress is the Lord's support. The Lord's support. That's what he says in verses 1 and 2.

[8:26] He says, I will lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. The Lord's support.

[8:40] And you know, the journey towards Jerusalem. It was a long journey. It was a long distance to travel. To walk all these miles.

[8:50] And in my mind I can almost imagine one of these many pilgrims walking for miles and miles. And travelling for days and days over the landscape of Israel.

[9:02] You can just try and imagine it in your mind. In which they'd have to walk over the mountains and through the valleys. And alongside all the rivers. And encounter all these difficult types of terrain.

[9:17] And the pilgrims, well, they would have to battle all the elements of weather. They would have to be on guard from the prospect of being confronted by robbers. Or being attacked by wild animals.

[9:28] The entire journey to Jerusalem. It was a difficult journey. It was going to be through much tribulation. That they were going to enter into the kingdom of Jerusalem.

[9:40] And yet it was all about getting to the temple to worship the Lord. It was all about getting to be in the presence of the Lord. And you know, if we were to consider the condition of this pilgrim.

[9:53] As he progressed in his journey. He would have been tired. His legs would have ached. His feet would have been sore. He would have been hungry and thirsty from all the travelling.

[10:05] And yet despite all these things. Like every pilgrim. Their heart's desire is to worship on Zion's hill. Amongst the Lord's people. And you know.

[10:17] Maybe for you. You've been journeying for a long time now. It's been a while since you started following the Lord.

[10:28] And sojourning. You could say in the wilderness. And maybe by now you're starting to get a bit tired of this journey. This battle with sin. You've taken knocks over the years.

[10:40] And they're beginning to take their toll on you. Because there have been many pitfalls. Many trials in your life. Many things on the path that you never saw coming.

[10:53] Unlike this pilgrim. There have been many times in which you experienced. Maybe the mountaintops of blessing. Great moments in your Christian walk.

[11:04] But there were other times that you were made to go through the dark valleys. Very dark times in your Christian walk. And sometimes the Lord brought you alongside the still waters.

[11:17] There has been different and difficult terrain in your providences. Hard paths that you had to endure. And yet, like every pilgrim, your unwavering hope.

[11:32] It still remains that you have come from the city of destruction. And you are going to the celestial city. And even though it hasn't been an easy journey. It's a journey that you wouldn't change for all the world.

[11:46] Because what gets this pilgrim and every pilgrim. What gets them through their journey. And what enables us to keep going and take another step forward. Is that we have support.

[11:58] We have support. We aren't on our own. No matter how lonely and how helpless we may feel. We know that in this journey. There is always one who promises to help.

[12:11] And support us along life's journey. Because as the psalmist says. The Lord is our support. He is the one who helps us. And aids us.

[12:22] And directs us. And guides us. And gently encourages us. And upholds us along the road. Because without him we would fall. But the marvel of it is.

[12:32] Is that the Lord is the one who strengthens us. And sustains us. And you know when we consider this pilgrim. He's 100% certain as to where he's going.

[12:44] He knows that he's going to be with the Lord. And he knows that he's going to gather. On Mount Zion with the Lord's people. But whilst he's on this journey. It seems that.

[12:55] It seems as if this pilgrim. He looks behind him. And he sees. Well he's come from the city of destruction. And he looks ahead of him. He knows the celestial city. It's in the distance.

[13:06] It's ahead of him. It may be a long way to go. But that's his longing. His longing is to get there. He knows that. And he knows that it will be through much tribulation.

[13:16] That he'll get there. But he also knows that it will be the Lord who gets him there. But you know as this pilgrim. As he looks behind. He looks ahead. Then he looks around.

[13:28] He looks around. And he begins to scan the surrounding landscape. With all the mountains. And the valleys. And the rivers. And he looks around. And he opens his mouth.

[13:40] With praise to the Lord. In his song for the ascent. And he says. I to the hills. Will lift mine eyes. From whence doth come my need.

[13:54] Where does my help come from? Where is my support? But it's not that this pilgrim was looking to the hills. And wondering. Well where is the Lord on my journey?

[14:05] He knew where the Lord was. He knew that the Lord was with him. He knew that he was going to stand. In the presence of the Lord. When he got to the celestial city. But as this pilgrim journeys on.

[14:16] He looks to the hills around him. Because these hills. They were all the high places. And they were used as the shrines and the altars.

[14:27] That were used to worship the idols of this world. They were the hills of idolatry. They were the things that we put before the Lord. And put instead of the Lord.

[14:38] And substituted in place of the Lord. And maybe this pilgrim had spent his life worshipping idols. And all the false gods of this world. But now having left the city of destruction.

[14:50] And begun his journey towards the celestial city. He's discovered that no one can support him. Like the Lord can. He found that all these false gods.

[15:01] And all these false idols. And even people. Along his life's journey. They made many promises of support. And comfort to him. But they never provided it.

[15:13] Each and every one failed him. And this pilgrim is asking. He's asking. Where does my help come from? Where do I find support in life? Where do I find my help and my comfort?

[15:24] Not from these hills. Not from these high places of idolatry. And idol worship. And godlessness. Not from other people. No, no.

[15:35] He says. My help comes from the Lord. Who made heaven and earth. My help comes from the Lord.

[15:45] Who made heaven and earth. His help and support. Our help and our support. Comes from no one else but the Lord. The covenant God of Israel.

[15:57] Who is the maker of heaven and earth. And as we can see throughout this psalm. This pilgrim. He refers to God. Using that covenant title.

[16:08] The capital letters of Lord. And it's a title. In which the Lord has revealed himself. To his people. By entering into a covenant with us.

[16:19] It's the title of the covenant king. It always means. The one who keeps covenant. And the emphasis that this pilgrim is making. Is that.

[16:30] His eyes are no longer looking to the hills of idolatry. And godlessness. And towards other people. His eyes are now looking to King Jesus. Because he is the one who keeps covenant.

[16:43] He is the covenant king. Who created the heavens. And the earth. And he's also the covenant king. As. It will. Be revealed. In many years after he saw it.

[16:55] Or he experienced it. The one who was obedient. Unto death. Even the death of the cross. And my friend. Whilst we are on this journey. That's where we need to keep. Keep lifting our eyes.

[17:08] Keep lifting our eyes. We need to lift our eyes to Jesus. Not to the situation. Or to people. But to the sovereign. Not looking to the left hand. Or to the right.

[17:19] Not looking to idols. Or to people. No. We need to lay us. The writer to the Hebrews says. Lay aside every sin and weight. That doth so easily beset us.

[17:29] And let us run with patience. The race that is set before us. Looking to Jesus. The author and the finisher. Of our faith.

[17:41] Because our continual support. Is in the fact that it was for the joy. That was set before him. That he endured the cross. He despised the shame. And he's now set down at the right hand.

[17:54] Of the throne of God. And so that's the first promise. Wonderful promise. The first promise for the pilgrim's progress. Is the Lord's support.

[18:06] But the second promise. Is the Lord's safety. The Lord's safety. He says in verses 3 and 4. He will not let your foot be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber.

[18:18] Behold he who keeps Israel. Will neither slumber. Nor sleep. The Lord's. Did I say safety?

[18:30] Support. Safety. The Lord's safety. Again too many S's here now. The Lord's safety. And you know when reading these verses. Verses 3 and 4.

[18:40] And the rest of the psalm. The first thing we ought to notice. Is that he changes. From using the first person pronoun. Down to the second person pronoun.

[18:52] In verses 1 and 2. He says my eyes. And my help. But then he says in verse 3. And from the rest of the psalm. He says your foot. He who keeps you.

[19:03] And it's a singular you. Or as the AV would have it. Thy foot. And he that keepeth thee. And the singular use of the pronoun. Is important.

[19:14] Because the psalmist is emphasizing. That this is not just his experience. This is not just his own personal experience. This is the experience of every pilgrim.

[19:27] He's speaking on behalf of all of us. And the experience of every Christian pilgrim. As they walk towards the celestial city. Is that they have the promise.

[19:38] That the Lord not only cares about. Where our eyes are looking. That they're not looking to the left. Or to the right. But he says that the Lord is also concerned. About where our feet are going.

[19:50] Because the word translated. Moved. He will not let your foot be moved. That means to slip. Or to slide. Or to stagger.

[20:02] And you know. It's movement. Language you could say. When thinking about it. How easy would it have been. For this pilgrim. To trip. Or to fall.

[20:13] To break a bone. Whilst walking on all these uneven surfaces. But he says. The Lord was watching. Where his feet were going. The Lord was watching. Where he was treading on his journey.

[20:25] And we have to take it to ourselves. The Lord is watching. Where our feet are treading. As we journey on. And he will not let us be moved. He will not let us slide. Or stagger.

[20:36] Or slip. And even when we're going through the valley of testing. He's reminding us. He won't let us go. When we're going over the mountains. We will not slip off.

[20:47] When we're treading through the rocky places. In which our foot could go at any moment. We will not stagger. And when there are ruts of temptation.

[20:58] In the road. Which could cause us to fall. He's saying. The Lord is supporting us. The Lord will keep us safe. He will not let us slip. Or slide. Or we will not be allowed to fall.

[21:11] He's saying. We cannot fall away. As a pilgrim. My friend. The Lord will not let your foot slip. You will not fall through his fingers.

[21:24] You will not fall through his grip. You will not slide through. You cannot. You will not. It is impossible. It's impossible.

[21:36] For you to be separated. From the maker. Of heaven and earth. And you know. That's. Is that not what Paul emphasized.

[21:46] To us. Something I've been thinking about. A lot. Lately. Paul was stressing. At the end of Romans 8.

[21:57] The safety of every Christian pilgrim. Who is trusting. Who is trusting in the covenant king. Jesus Christ. Because when Paul asks. Who shall separate us.

[22:09] From the love of Christ. Who shall. Shall tribulation. No. Distress. No. Persecution. No. Famine.

[22:20] No. Nakedness. No. Peril. No. Sword. No. And he says. No. In all these things. We are more than conquerors. Through him. Who loved us.

[22:31] And then he affirms to us. I am persuaded. Fully persuaded. That neither death. Nor life. Nor angels. Nor principalities. Nor powers. Nor things present. Nor things to come.

[22:42] Neither height. Nor depth. Nor any other creature. Is able to separate us. From the love of God. Which is in Christ Jesus. Our Lord. Then we have to ask the question.

[22:53] Well why? Why can't we be separated? Why can't we fall away. And be lost? Why can't we slide through his grip? Why can't we slip through his fingers?

[23:05] And the psalmist says in verse 4. Behold. He who keeps Israel. Will neither slumber. Nor sleep. My friend. This is the wonder and the glory of our covenant king.

[23:18] That like Job you could say. He has made a covenant with his eyes. He has made a covenant with his eyes. In which he will continually.

[23:29] Watch over all his people. And he will not slumber. He will not rest. He will not stop. He will not hinder for a moment. He will not give up on his people.

[23:39] Because he daren't give up on us. Because to him we are worth. Far more. Than we will ever understand. Or comprehend. We've been redeemed.

[23:52] Says Peter. Not with corruptible things. Such as silver and gold. But the precious blood. Of his own son. He loves his pilgrims.

[24:02] With an everlasting love. And his love. And his covenant. It compels him. To make sure. That each and every one of us. Gets to Zion. Each and every one of us.

[24:13] His love compels him. To make sure. That you do not slip out of his care. And that you come home safely. To him. That's the care.

[24:24] That the covenant king. Has for us. That's the care he has for us. And you know. It's interesting. That the language. That the psalmist is using here. It's the language of.

[24:35] A shepherd looking after his sheep. We're all familiar with that. Illustration. The priority of the shepherd. Is to watch over his flock.

[24:48] And to keep them safe. And I'm sure that as these pilgrims. Journeyed towards. Jerusalem. As they walked through the land of Israel. Over the landscape.

[24:59] It would have been a common sight. To see. Shepherds watching over their flocks. And keeping them. Safe from going astray. Or the possibility of any attacks. But you know.

[25:10] It didn't matter how good. These shepherds were. They couldn't always stay awake. It didn't matter how much. They cared for their flock. And loved them. They couldn't always watch their sheep.

[25:23] It didn't matter how experienced. They were as shepherds. They couldn't always be ready. If an unexpected attack came. But what the psalmist says.

[25:34] Is that when it comes. To the covenant king. He is the good shepherd of the sheep. Yes. Every pilgrim. Claims. The Lord is my shepherd.

[25:46] But the shepherd also claims. Of every pilgrim. And calls them. You are my sheep. And is that not what Jesus said about us. My sheep hear my voice.

[25:58] And I know them. And they follow me. And I give to them eternal life. And they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

[26:12] My friend. The beauty of our good shepherd. Is that he's so unlike every other kind of earthly shepherd. Because he never slumbers. And he never sleeps.

[26:24] His flock are far too precious. To let anyone else look after them. No other shepherd is good enough. No other under shepherd is good enough.

[26:36] His flock are so precious. That he must watch them himself. And his care for them. Will be such. That he does not take his eyes off them.

[26:46] For a moment. That's love. That's true love. And you know the wonder of it is. He doesn't tire from watching us.

[26:58] His eyes don't grow dim. His vision doesn't become blurred. Because his focus is you and me. We are the apple of his eye. We are precious in his sight.

[27:10] And for that reason we cannot slip out of his hand. We're safe in his care and keeping. He will not lose one of his flock. None will be lost.

[27:23] As Jesus said. They shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. They are his. They are all his. And you know as we were singing in Psalm 23.

[27:36] The shepherd promises to each and every one of us. Every one of his flock. He promises to them. His goodness. And his covenant mercy. He says.

[27:47] That will follow you. All the days of your life. Until at last. You are brought into God's house. To dwell there.

[27:58] Forevermore. What a promise. What a promise. To the pilgrim. Who is progressing on. Towards the celestial city. What a promise.

[28:09] That we have the promise of the Lord's support. We have the promise of the Lord's safety. And then thirdly in verses 5 and 6. We have the promise of the Lord's shelter.

[28:23] The promise of the Lord's shelter. He says in verse 5. The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day.

[28:34] Nor the moon by night. You know. He's talking about the daily journey. Towards the celestial city. And he's. He's reminding us that.

[28:45] We need to cling to the promise. That it's the Lord who's protecting us. He's reminding us by saying. The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is the one.

[28:56] Who watches over you. He guards you. And he protects you. And again that word. The keeper. Or the one who keeps. It's the idea of the shepherd.

[29:07] Protecting the sheep. From danger. In which the good shepherd. He watches over his people. And he shelters them. Under the shade of his. His right hand.

[29:18] The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade. On your right hand. And that expression. It's often used in the Bible. To mean. The shadow of your wing.

[29:30] We've heard that many times. The shadow of your wings. It's an expression of protection. And care. And compassion. In which the Lord is watching over his people.

[29:42] And sheltering them. By day. And by night. Whether it's from the heat of the sun. By day. Or from the piercing cold. Of a clear moonlit sky.

[29:54] By night. We have the promise. That the Lord is protecting us. He's sheltering us. Under the shadow. Of his wings. We have the promise. Of the shelter and refuge.

[30:04] When the heat of the sun. Comes upon us. The heat. Of temptation. The temptation. From the world. And all that it has to offer to us. But not only that.

[30:15] We have the promise of shelter. And refuge. During. All the cold. Dark nights. Of trial and affliction. Nights that may seem like they're never going to end. And yet through it all.

[30:27] He says the Lord remains our shelter. As I know what we were singing about in Psalm 91. He that doth. In the secret place.

[30:38] Of the most high reside. Under the shade of him that is. The almighty shall abide. I of the Lord my God will say. He is my refuge still. And he is my fortress.

[30:50] And my God. And in him trust. I will. And if we have read on in that Psalm. And the Psalmist goes on to say. That the Lord will save us. And he will deliver us.

[31:01] Because he will cover us. With his feathers. And under his wings. We shall trust. Because it's in the shadow of his wings. That we find shelter.

[31:12] And refuge. He says from all the terrors of the night. It's under the shadow of his wings. That we find shelter and refuge. While all the arrows. Fly by day. Which seek to take our life away.

[31:25] It's under. The shadow of his wings. That we find shelter and refuge. When. And that not even. The pestilence he says. Which walks around in the darkness.

[31:36] Or the destruction that arises. At noonday. None of these things can bring fear. Upon the Lord's people. Because as his pilgrims. We have the promise.

[31:47] Of the Lord's. Shelter. And you know. I love the book of Ruth. A beautiful book. I was thinking earlier on today.

[32:01] We should pray to our kinsman. Redeemer. Jesus. And say to him. What. Ruth said. To her boas. Spread your wings.

[32:13] Over your servant. For you are my redeemer. Redeemer. What a beautiful statement. Spread your wings. Over your servant.

[32:24] For you are my redeemer. We have the promise of the Lord's. Shelter. So every pilgrim. Who's progressing on.

[32:35] Towards the celestial city. We have the promise of the Lord's support. The Lord's safety. The Lord's shelter. And lastly. The Lord's security.

[32:48] The Lord's security. He says in verse 7. The Lord will keep you from all evil. He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out.

[32:58] And your coming in. From this time forth. And forevermore. And up until this point. In the psalm. We've been reminded.

[33:08] Of what the Lord has done. In our pilgrimage. So far. You could say. We have the promise of the Lord's support. His safety. And his shelter. But now.

[33:19] In these verses. The last two verses. We have been reminded. Of what the Lord. Will do. For his people. As. We continue the journey. Towards Jerusalem. From this night.

[33:30] What he will do. From this night onwards. We have the promise. Of the Lord's security. That he will. Keep his people. He will keep them.

[33:41] As it says. From all evil. He will keep. Their soul. Or their life. And he will keep. Our going out. And our coming in. In all our journey.

[33:52] He says. The Lord will keep us. Whether. We are at the beginning. Of our journey. Or near the end. Of our journey. Whether in life. Or in death. The Lord will keep.

[34:03] His people. And this word. Keep. It's key to the entire psalm. It's mentioned. So many times. In the psalm. That the Lord. Is our keeper.

[34:13] And that he is the one. Who does the keeping. And as we said. The word. Keep. It means. To guard. Or to watch. And in the sense.

[34:23] Of a shepherd. Protecting the sheep. And so. As the psalm. As he's come. As the psalmist. Comes to his conclusion. We've been given. The greatest promise.

[34:34] The greatest promise. That our shepherd. Will keep us. He will guard us. He will watch over us. He will protect us. In all our goings out.

[34:47] And all our coming in. Everything we do. In our sojourn. Here on earth. Day by day. Hour by hour. Lord. The shepherd. Will be our keeper.

[34:59] He will protect us. From all evil. And you know. This is. Our greatest security. As the Lord's people. He will do it. And this is a certainty.

[35:12] He says. He will keep us. And he will do it. Because we cannot keep ourselves. We can't provide protection. Over our own lives. We can't. Guard our own hearts.

[35:23] And our own minds. We can't. Save ourselves. But. The Lord promises to do it. When we trust him. With everything. When we give everything to him. He promises to us.

[35:34] As he says in his word. He has begun a good work in us. And he will bring it on to completion. He promises that he has taken us. From the city of destruction. And he promises that he will bring us.

[35:46] Into the celestial city. He promises. As John Newton said himself. Grace has brought us. Save thus far. And grace. Will lead us home. Grace will lead us home.

[35:59] My friend. The Lord promises. That his security. Is from this time forth. And even. Forever. More.

[36:10] Because. He is our keeper. And because he's our keeper. We are being kept. We are being kept. And the first step.

[36:21] Of a pilgrim. After leaving the city of destruction. The first step. After being saved. Is being kept. We are being kept.

[36:31] And. As Peter says. In his letter. That beautiful letter. Begins by saying.

[36:42] Every Christian pilgrim. You have an inheritance. That is incorruptible. Undefiled. Fadeth not away. And it's reserved for you.

[36:53] In heaven. But until you get there. Until that day. You are being kept. By the power of God. Through faith. Unto salvation.

[37:05] My Christian pilgrim. What a great. And precious promise. I did. What great. And precious promises. We have. For the journey. That even though.

[37:17] It's through much tribulation. That we will enter. The gates of Zion. We have seen in this song. For the ascent. That we have the promise.

[37:29] Of the covenant king. We have the promise. Of his support. The promise. Of his safety. The promise. Of his shelter. And the promise.

[37:40] Of his security. And so our confession. And our profession. Tonight. Is like that of Bunyan's pilgrim.

[37:51] At first. I was called graceless. But now. My name is Christian. I've come from the city of destruction. I am going.

[38:02] To Mount Zion. I am a pilgrim. I am going. To the celestial city. My friend. Keep going. Keep going.

[38:16] Turn on what the psalmist said. In Psalm 84. He encouraged all the pilgrims. He began. He began. By saying to them. How lovely. Is thy dwelling place. Then he says.

[38:28] In verse 7. So they from strength. Unwearied go. Still forward. Unto strength. Until in Zion. They appeared. Before the Lord.

[38:40] At length. Keep going. Keep going. Up. May the Lord bless. These thoughts. These thoughts to us. Let us pray.

[38:52] Oh Lord. Our gracious God. We give thanks. That in the journey. That there is words. Of encouragement. For how often. Lord. There are so many things.

[39:03] That discourage us. So many things. And so many pitfalls. That distract our minds. And take our hearts. Away from. Looking to Jesus. us.

[39:14] And Lord. We pray. That thou wouldst. Remind us anew. This evening. That we are a people. Who are being kept. That we are a people. Who have been given. So many great.

[39:24] And precious promises. That although. That is through. Much tribulation. That we will enter. The gates of Zion. Help us Lord. To keep. Going on.

[39:34] In this journey. To keep knowing. That thou are with us. The one who is our support. And our safety. Our shelter. And our security. Oh bless us Lord.

[39:45] We pray. For we are so weak. But help us Lord. To keep trusting. To trusting. To trust in the one. Who is the maker. Of heaven and earth. And he is the one.

[39:56] Who is making us. For as the psalmist said. That he who is making us. And not we ourselves. And he is making us. Into the image. Of thy dear son. Oh bless us Lord.

[40:08] We pray thee. Do us good. Go before us. And keep us. For Jesus sake. Amen. We shall conclude.

[40:20] By singing. In that psalm. In Psalm 121. Psalm 121. Page 416. In the Scottish Psalter.

[40:30] We'll sing the whole psalm. I to the hills will lift mine eyes.

[40:42] From whence doth come my need. My safety cometh from the Lord. Who heaven and earth. Hath made. The whole psalm. To God's praise. I to the hills.

[40:53] I to the hills. Will lift mine eyes.

[41:03] From whence doth come my need. My safety cometh.

[41:14] From the Lord. From the Lord. Who heaven and earth hath made.

[41:24] Thy good. Hail not. Let's light. Our will. Peace. Number.

[41:36] Lord. The Lord. The Lord. The Lord. The Lord. He that keeps his trial.

[41:47] He slumbers not. Nor sleeps. The Lord.

[41:58] The Lord. The Lord. Thy shape. On thy right hand. Doth stay.

[42:10] The moon. By night. Thee shall not smite. Nor yet.

[42:22] The sun. By day. Leave. The Lord. The Lord. The Lord. Shall keep thy soul. He shall.

[42:33] He shall. We serve thee. From all. hell. Henceforth. Thy going.

[42:46] At undem. God. Keep. For. Ere. God. Keep. forever. forever well.

[42:59] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forevermore. Amen.