God is in Control
Scripture Reading: Psalm 121
1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
My daughter Kristen has told me in the past that this is her favorite psalm and it is
a good one. I felt this was an appropriate passage to look at today to remind us
that God is indeed in control. It is He that will be our keeper and will preserve us
from evil, not some man. Every aspect of our being is held up and preserved by
our Heavenly Father. When you really look at the words we just read there, how
could you ever be afraid of the future?
There are many that have a lot of fear concerning the coming presidential
election. And I’m not just talking about unbelievers. Many believers are afraid of
the future. Some are worried about an Obama white house. While others fear a
McCain administration. But should any believers really be afraid of what’s to
come in light of what we just read in Psalm 121? Should any disciple of Yeshua
be looking toward a future president to save them?
Mark 4:37-40
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it
was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they
awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are
perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be
still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to
them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
Yeshua’s disciples were in fear because of the circumstances in which they found
themselves. They looked around and saw the water filling the boat and felt the
wind and the waves crashing against them and they were scared. In the natural
they had every right to be afraid. In the natural, the circumstances were dire. But
we are not supposed to be focusing on the natural. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians
5:7 that we walk by faith and not by sight.
They actually thought that He didn’t care about them because they were going
through this. How many believers start feeling like God is not with them because
they are going through a difficult time? How many give up and walk away from
the things of God? Jesus gets up and rebuked the wind and calmed the waves
with just His words. Then He asked His disciples why they were so fearful. How is
it that they had been with Him for so long and still had no faith?
Matthew 7:24-25
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will
liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain
descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house;
and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
Yeshua is telling us that we should not expect that we will not have wind and rain
and floods in our lives, but that we should make sure we have built our house
upon the rock so that when those difficult times do come we will not fall. What is
that rock?
John 16:33 - These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world.
He is the Rock! He tells us that we will have tribulation in this world but that we
should be of good cheer. Is He telling us that we should be cheerful because of
the negative things going on around us? Absolutely not. We should be of good
cheer because He has overcome the world. It is the unbeliever who is limited by
what happens in the natural world, not us. Our true citizenship is in heaven
anyway. Things are going to happen while we exist in these bodies of flesh; both
good things and bad things.
Matthew 6:31-34
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we
drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles
seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But
seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things
shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own
trouble.
No matter what things happen, we should not be worrying. We should be seeking
the kingdom of God and His righteousness and not let ourselves be distracted by
the cares of this world. Our Father knows the things that we need. Like Yeshua
was in the boat with His disciples during their troubles, God is right there with us
during our difficult times. What is key is for us to keep our eyes focused squarely
on Him and not on the circumstances surrounding us.
Matthew 14:28-31
28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to
come to You on the water.”
29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he
walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was
boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord,
save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said
to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
God is not restrained by the physical laws of nature but in this passage we see
that Peter, a mere human male with no divinity, is able to step outside the binds of
the physical into the supernatural. The last part of verse 29 says that he walked
on the water. He was able to do that which man cannot do; that which is clearly
impossible. You may see some magician appear to do this but do not be
deceived, his is the art of deception. There is something under the water that
makes it only appear as if he is walking on the water. Jesus and Peter, for a time,
actually did it.
So, where did Peter mess up? It was when he took his focus off of his Lord and
Master, and put his attention on the circumstances around him. Peter thought
about the fact that He could not do that which he was doing. How many times
does this happen to people? How often does God give someone an idea to do
something, or they actually begin doing something that God has led them to do
and then realize that they can't do it? What's the first thing that people usually
do? Usually, just through human nature, the first thing people do is start trying to
figure out either how they can do something or how they can get someone else to
help them do something. Many times people will have faith in the beginning;
they'll trust that God will make a way but when the wind starts whipping through
our hair and the waves start crashing over, just like Peter, their eyes quickly move
off the Savior and onto the circumstance. So, how do we keep our eyes in the
right place and on the right things and in turn off the wrong places and off the
wrong things?
Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things
are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever
things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue
and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Meditate on the good stuff! Fill your mind and your heart with the good
thoughts! Guard your mind and heart from the negative; the evil and vile things!
That is the only way we will overcome. Remember Psalm 121; that your help
comes from YHWH. Not from some unreliable human source or from yourself, but
from YHWH, the Creator of the universe; Maker of heaven and earth. We have to
keep focusing on the truth in God's word and not on the deception of the world.
Psalm 18:1-3
1 I will love You, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
Jesus gave us a perfect picture of everything we would need to walk with the
LORD in His kingdom. He gave His disciples a hard saying and many of them
could not comprehend and left His teaching because of it.
John 6:54 - Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I
will raise him up at the last day.
Let me first make it perfectly clear, if you read Torah you know that God did not
want anyone to be a cannibal or to actually drink blood. He says more than once
not to drink blood. That was something that the pagans did. So what could Jesus
have meant by this saying? Well, once again, when you read Torah you know
that God says the true bread of life is His word. John made it clear that Jesus is
the Word. Jesus is the bread of life, the word of God. He told the enemy in the
wilderness that man does not live by physical bread alone but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God. In the Lord's prayer He has us ask God to give
us our daily bread. That's not just asking God to feed us but having a need and
desire for His living word every day. The word tells us that the life is in the
blood. God gave man life by His breath; His Nafesh, which is the Hebrew word
that translates to His Spirit. So if the life is the blood and the life is the spirit, then
the blood is a symbol of His Spirit, His Holy Spirit. So everyday we need to fill
ourselves with His body; the word of God, and His blood; the Spirit of God. And if
we do that, we will have everything we need to not only talk the talk, but to also
walk the walk no matter who gets elected on November 4th.
Psalm 27:1-3
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: October 26, 2008
Scripture Reading: Psalm 121
1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
My daughter Kristen has told me in the past that this is her favorite psalm and it is
a good one. I felt this was an appropriate passage to look at today to remind us
that God is indeed in control. It is He that will be our keeper and will preserve us
from evil, not some man. Every aspect of our being is held up and preserved by
our Heavenly Father. When you really look at the words we just read there, how
could you ever be afraid of the future?
There are many that have a lot of fear concerning the coming presidential
election. And I’m not just talking about unbelievers. Many believers are afraid of
the future. Some are worried about an Obama white house. While others fear a
McCain administration. But should any believers really be afraid of what’s to
come in light of what we just read in Psalm 121? Should any disciple of Yeshua
be looking toward a future president to save them?
Mark 4:37-40
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it
was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they
awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are
perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be
still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to
them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
Yeshua’s disciples were in fear because of the circumstances in which they found
themselves. They looked around and saw the water filling the boat and felt the
wind and the waves crashing against them and they were scared. In the natural
they had every right to be afraid. In the natural, the circumstances were dire. But
we are not supposed to be focusing on the natural. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians
5:7 that we walk by faith and not by sight.
They actually thought that He didn’t care about them because they were going
through this. How many believers start feeling like God is not with them because
they are going through a difficult time? How many give up and walk away from
the things of God? Jesus gets up and rebuked the wind and calmed the waves
with just His words. Then He asked His disciples why they were so fearful. How is
it that they had been with Him for so long and still had no faith?
Matthew 7:24-25
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will
liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain
descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house;
and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
Yeshua is telling us that we should not expect that we will not have wind and rain
and floods in our lives, but that we should make sure we have built our house
upon the rock so that when those difficult times do come we will not fall. What is
that rock?
John 16:33 - These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world.
He is the Rock! He tells us that we will have tribulation in this world but that we
should be of good cheer. Is He telling us that we should be cheerful because of
the negative things going on around us? Absolutely not. We should be of good
cheer because He has overcome the world. It is the unbeliever who is limited by
what happens in the natural world, not us. Our true citizenship is in heaven
anyway. Things are going to happen while we exist in these bodies of flesh; both
good things and bad things.
Matthew 6:31-34
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we
drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles
seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But
seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things
shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own
trouble.
No matter what things happen, we should not be worrying. We should be seeking
the kingdom of God and His righteousness and not let ourselves be distracted by
the cares of this world. Our Father knows the things that we need. Like Yeshua
was in the boat with His disciples during their troubles, God is right there with us
during our difficult times. What is key is for us to keep our eyes focused squarely
on Him and not on the circumstances surrounding us.
Matthew 14:28-31
28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to
come to You on the water.”
29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he
walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was
boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord,
save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said
to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
God is not restrained by the physical laws of nature but in this passage we see
that Peter, a mere human male with no divinity, is able to step outside the binds of
the physical into the supernatural. The last part of verse 29 says that he walked
on the water. He was able to do that which man cannot do; that which is clearly
impossible. You may see some magician appear to do this but do not be
deceived, his is the art of deception. There is something under the water that
makes it only appear as if he is walking on the water. Jesus and Peter, for a time,
actually did it.
So, where did Peter mess up? It was when he took his focus off of his Lord and
Master, and put his attention on the circumstances around him. Peter thought
about the fact that He could not do that which he was doing. How many times
does this happen to people? How often does God give someone an idea to do
something, or they actually begin doing something that God has led them to do
and then realize that they can't do it? What's the first thing that people usually
do? Usually, just through human nature, the first thing people do is start trying to
figure out either how they can do something or how they can get someone else to
help them do something. Many times people will have faith in the beginning;
they'll trust that God will make a way but when the wind starts whipping through
our hair and the waves start crashing over, just like Peter, their eyes quickly move
off the Savior and onto the circumstance. So, how do we keep our eyes in the
right place and on the right things and in turn off the wrong places and off the
wrong things?
Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things
are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever
things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue
and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Meditate on the good stuff! Fill your mind and your heart with the good
thoughts! Guard your mind and heart from the negative; the evil and vile things!
That is the only way we will overcome. Remember Psalm 121; that your help
comes from YHWH. Not from some unreliable human source or from yourself, but
from YHWH, the Creator of the universe; Maker of heaven and earth. We have to
keep focusing on the truth in God's word and not on the deception of the world.
Psalm 18:1-3
1 I will love You, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
Jesus gave us a perfect picture of everything we would need to walk with the
LORD in His kingdom. He gave His disciples a hard saying and many of them
could not comprehend and left His teaching because of it.
John 6:54 - Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I
will raise him up at the last day.
Let me first make it perfectly clear, if you read Torah you know that God did not
want anyone to be a cannibal or to actually drink blood. He says more than once
not to drink blood. That was something that the pagans did. So what could Jesus
have meant by this saying? Well, once again, when you read Torah you know
that God says the true bread of life is His word. John made it clear that Jesus is
the Word. Jesus is the bread of life, the word of God. He told the enemy in the
wilderness that man does not live by physical bread alone but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God. In the Lord's prayer He has us ask God to give
us our daily bread. That's not just asking God to feed us but having a need and
desire for His living word every day. The word tells us that the life is in the
blood. God gave man life by His breath; His Nafesh, which is the Hebrew word
that translates to His Spirit. So if the life is the blood and the life is the spirit, then
the blood is a symbol of His Spirit, His Holy Spirit. So everyday we need to fill
ourselves with His body; the word of God, and His blood; the Spirit of God. And if
we do that, we will have everything we need to not only talk the talk, but to also
walk the walk no matter who gets elected on November 4th.
Psalm 27:1-3
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: October 26, 2008