Held Fast

So now before our guest speaker comes this morning, a brief word of introduction.

We have the privilege of hearing a message from our own uh Frank Donnaruma, who's a church member here.

Frank is from New Jersey, grew up in Piscataway in a close-knit Italian-American family.

He and his wife Kathy recently celebrated 50 years of marriage.

Let's congratulate them on their 50 years.

Awesome.

They have been blessed with three adult sons, three daughters-in-law, eight grandchildren.

Frank is a veteran with the United States Air Force.

He spent about the last 40 years or so, though, uh serving the Wachung and Central New Jersey communities through his chiropractic practice.

So he's our something that's borrowed today.

We're going to borrow him from the professional realm and we're going to use him in the ministry context this morning.

Frank has a long and accomplished professional life, but there's another story that he considers to be far more important, and that is his relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Frank has come to understand that Christianity is not simply about religious observance, but about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

And in recent years, he's become increasingly involved in Bible teaching, men's ministry, mentorship, discipleship, and Christian mentoring.

One of the convictions that has shaped his ministry is the reality that conversion is just the beginning of the Christian life, not the conclusion.

That's really the heart of discipleship, isn't it?

That Jesus calls us to believe in him, but then he also calls us to follow him and to obey him and ultimately to become increasingly more like him.

Alright, it's good to be with you here this morning and be able to share God's word.

What a privilege and an honor.

And, you know, as this is the second time I'm doing the message.

In the first service, I thought Dave was going to say, I was the old, but he made me the borrowed.

So I really appreciate that very, very much.

So thank you for that.

You know, as you heard, this whole service is centered around Psalm 121, and that's what we're going to be discussing today.

It's a wonderful psalm, which I'm sure many of you, you know, are very familiar with.

But I'm hoping that we can dig a little deeper into this psalm today and glean something that will really bless our lives, not only now, but for the future as well.

You know, when I started to prepare this message, I remembered an incident that happened to me and my granddaughter Kayla when she was about three or four years old.

She's now 20 years old.

And the wonderful thing is, and I know you're gonna appreciate that, guess who just texted me?

Kayla just texted me and said, I'm praying for you, Poppy.

So, I mean, what a blessing to have grandchildren that are praying for you.

But I remember when she was three or four years old, um, my wife and I would often take all of our grandkids into New York City at one time or another.

Because New York City is just a plethora of culture.

And so we used to like to go to the zoo, the museums, to plays, uh, just walk around Central Park.

We just love taking the kids into New York City, but we never drove into New York City.

We always used to take the train.

And the reason we took the train is because of the crowds and the traffic and all of that.

But I remember this particular day when we were going into the city, um, I was holding Kayla's hand, and she's just a wee little thing, and I was holding her hand, and we were about to step on the train, but she says, Papa, you don't need to hold my hand.

I'm I'm not an adult now, I'm old.

I said, You're not old, I'm holding your hand.

And wouldn't you know, just as we were about to step onto the train, you know that space between the platform and the actual car?

Wouldn't you know she slipped and she fell right into it?

And here I am, holding her by the hand, and she's dangling in that space, and I just lifted her out, set her up, and then we got on the train.

But I thought of that and I said, wow, what a picture of Psalm 121.

I'll tell you, while I was holding her, it was a little scary, but I'll tell you this: she was my most precious possession, and there was no way I was ever gonna let her go.

I was holding on to her as strongly as I could because I knew I was her keeper, I was her protector.

And that's what Psalm 121 is all about.

You know, even when I was holding her, though, later on I began to think of my own journey.

And when I was holding her in that moment, there's probably been many times during the course of my life where I felt like I was the one slipping into that dark, unknown space, looking for either a fatherly or maybe even a grandfatherly hand just to catch me.

So let me ask you guys today: have you ever felt that way?

Have you ever slipped into a health crisis?

Have you ever slipped into losing your job?

Have you ever slipped into a situation where your prodigal child is so far from home?

Have you ever slipped and recognized your need for a hand and reach out and catch you?

Well, if you have, I have great news for you today, because today that's what Psalm 121 is all about.

My friends, Psalm 121 is a psalm for people just like you and me who need to know that we serve a God who is the one holding on to us even when we feel like we're slipping and we're falling.

Another reason I chose Psalm 121 was because it reminded me a lot of our Heavenly Father, the God who keeps both you and me.

It reminded me of the God who I've entrusted my whole life to and helped me walk through life in both the good times and the bad times.

It reminded me of the God whose love, mercy, and grace were demonstrated through the life, death, and resurrection of his only Son, Jesus Christ.

My friends, I'll say it again.

Psalm 121 is a psalm for people just like you and me who need to know this: that God is the one holding on to us, not the other way around.

I'll say it again.

God is the one holding on to us, not the other way around.

So before we unpack this psalm, let's pray.

Just add God's blessing on our day and this message and um and just commit it to Him.

So would you pray with me?

Father, I just thank you for this opportunity to be your spokesman today.

Lord, you know that I need your anointing, your unction, your power, because by myself I am only a man.

But when power comes from on high, Lord God, you can anoint anyone with a message.

And so I ask you for that today.

But I also ask you, Lord, for those that are listening, either here or online, that you would open their hearts and minds to receive something from this message that would not only bless them, that would challenge them and would make a difference in their lives.

Lord, you are so good, you are so glorious, and you are so faithful.

And I ask this all in Jesus' name.

And God's people said, Amen.

You know, before I start getting into this message, I was challenged this morning.

Uh we have a men's prayer meeting that we do from 8 to 8:45 before every Sunday service, and the women, they do a similar one as well over in the family life building.

And uh they're so good that they pray for all of you, but they also pray for me as well.

And uh one of the guys in there challenged me and says, you know, if you're a really good speaker, I could pretty much give you any word and you should be able to fit it into the message.

I said, Well, thanks, Vince.

I really appreciate that.

I said, What's the word?

He said, watermelon.

Pay attention.

I'm gonna get it in here somehow, some way.

I'm gonna get watermelon into this message.

But anyway, Psalm 121 begins with a simple but a pr very profound line.

It says, I lift my eyes to the hills.

Where does my help come from?

Now you see, this is a good line because this was part of what they call the songs of ascent, the Psalms of Ascent.

It was sung by travelers making their way to Jerusalem.

And the journey was long, and at times it was very dangerous.

These hills were places where thieves hid, where wild animals lurked, and where travelers often felt extremely exposed.

The sun was scorching by day, and the nights were cold, and the journey was very, very uncertain at times.

But then what does the psalmist say next?

He says, My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

My friends, right here, this sets up the rest of the psalm where we will discover three truths about our heavenly Father.

And the first truth we'll see in verses one and two, and that God is our creator and our help.

And in the verses three to six, we'll see the second truth about our heavenly father, and that God is our constant keeper.

And lastly, in verses seven and eight, we'll see that God is our lifelong guardian.

So, with that in mind, let's attack.

Let's look at verses one and two again and see that our Heavenly Father is our God, our creator, and our help.

The psalmist here, he looks to the hills, as I had mentioned earlier.

These were symbols of danger, they were symbols of uncertainty and fear.

And then he asks, Where does my help come from?

He doesn't deny the danger.

He doesn't pretend the hills aren't there.

He simply looks higher than the hills.

He looks up.

And here the psalmist uses the covenant word for God, the word Yahweh.

It's the same God who revealed himself to Moses, who delivered Israel out of Egypt, who parted the Red Sea, who fed them when they were in the wilderness, who keeps his covenant with his people.

My friends, this is not some generic deity that the other tribes and people were worshiping.

This is the God who bound himself to his people.

You know, I heard a story recently about a group of hikers who once attended, uh tried to uh climb a mountain in the Rockies, and the weather suddenly turned.

It got really violent.

The fog rolled in, the visibility dropped, and panic set in amongst all the hikers.

But the guide, he remained calm through the whole ordeal.

And one of the hikers asked him, Aren't you worried?

Aren't you afraid?

And the guide just looked at him and he said this.

He said, You know what?

He says, I have climbed this mountain hundreds of times.

I know every rock, every turn, every nook, every cravice, every uh cliff.

My friends, you may not see the path, but I see the path.

You can trust me.

And that's exactly what the psalmist is saying here.

You might not see the way, but your God does.

Amen.

Your God does.

So I ask you today, where do you look when the diagnosis comes back not as you had hoped for?

When the job is uncertain, when the family is struggling, when the future feels foggy and you don't know where to turn next.

My friends, we need to lift our eyes up.

We need to lift our eyes up.

Our help does not come from the hills.

Our help does not come from the economy.

Our help does not come from the government.

Our help does not even come from our own strength.

Our help comes from the Lord God Almighty.

Amen?

That's where our help comes from, the Lord God Almighty.

So let's keep going.

Let's look at verses 3 and 6, where the psalmist will reveal the next truth that we see about our Heavenly Father, and that God is our constant keeper.

You see, the key word in this psalm is the word keep.

Now, depending on what translation you have, it may appear in different English words, but the Hebrew word here is the word shamar.

And the word shamar means to guard, it means to watch over, it means to protect, to preserve, uh, to attend to carefully.

That is what this word means.

And my friends, this is not ordinary language that the psalmist is using.

This is, again, covenant language.

God keeps his people because God keeps his promises.

That's why we can trust God.

So in verse 3, the psalmist opens up with this He helps keep our feet from slipping.

Remember, the paths that these travelers walked were rocky and they were uneven.

I might even suggest they were probably even more dangerous than a New Jersey transit platform.

But for these pilgrims who traveled as families, a slip could be fatal.

It's a real good picture of the ups and downs that we all experience in our lives and our faith walk as well.

You see, in scripture, slipping feet symbolize some type of moral failure or spiritual instability or some type of lurking danger.

But my friends, God does not promise us that we will never stumble.

But what he does promise us is that we will never be abandoned by him.

Amen?

We will never be abandoned by him.

He watches over every single step.

You know, in the 1800s, there was a man named Charles Blondin, and he was famous because he walked across Niagara Falls on a tightrope.

Can you imagine that?

He walked across, and thousands, thousands of people would come to watch this marvelous feat.

Well, one day he decided I'm gonna carry a man on my back and walk all the way across.

Now, this was not some ordinary man or some random volunteer from the crowd.

I mean, let's face it, who's volunteering for that?

I know I'm not.

I'd be scared spitless.

I mean, I get I get dizzy and woozy when I'm watching a movie and they show you over a cliff.

So there's no way I'm going in there.

But you know who he carried on his back?

His manager.

He carried his manager on his back.

And after the walk was complete, the people asked the manager, weren't you afraid?

Weren't you kind of frightened?

He says, not really.

He says, Charles told me, just hold on.

And all I had to do was hold on.

He did all the balancing.

And I just trusted him.

He watches every step.

And what a picture that is for us.

God says, you do not have to balance your life alone.

I am the one that will keep your feet from slipping.

He then says in verse 4, he says, He who watches over you will neither slumber or sleep.

You see, in ancient times, God's were believed to sleep.

In fact, you know, as I was just meditating before the um the message and just listening to the music, God just put this on my heart.

And I said, Yeah, I'll share that.

You remember Elijah uh confronting the prophets of Baal?

I don't know if you're familiar with that story, but Elijah, what a character he was.

When the prophets of Baal couldn't conjure up their God, he started harassing them.

And he says, What's the matter?

You're God sleeping?

He says, My God doesn't sleep.

And I think that's the picture that the psalmist is trying to show us here is the picture that we see when we see Elijah taunting those prophets, saying, What's the matter?

Does your God sleep?

But you know what made the God of Israel different?

Is he never dozed off.

He never slept.

One of the greatest comforts, I believe, for a follower of Jesus is knowing that God never takes a break from caring for his people.

Psalm 121.4 reminds us, indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

You see, unlike us, God never grows tired.

He never becomes distracted.

He never misses a moment of what's happening in our lives.

And when you think about this, this is really mind-boggling, isn't it?

When you think of a God who knows everything, I mean it's hard to comprehend the God that we serve.

In fact, I think the average American Christian has a very, very diminished and weak view of the God that I worship and the God that's demonstrated through the Bible.

I think the average American Christian thinks God's only just a little smarter than them.

But God is way smarter than you.

God is way smarter than me.

This is the immaterial God that transcends time, space, and matter.

This is the God who not only created the universe, but he created billions of universes outside our own.

Is it too much to think that God knows the number of hairs on our head?

This is the God who says that he's the Alpha, the Omega, the beginning and the end.

This is the God who shows love and mercy through his son, Jesus Christ, and pays the penalty so that we might be reconciled back to him.

That's the God that I serve.

What's the God that you serve?

I want to serve that God, not the American God.

I want to serve the biblical God.

Amen?

Amen.

You know, it is mind-boggling, but we, we're mortal.

We need to sleep.

Our bodies are limited, but God is unlimited in power.

He's unlimited in wisdom and he's unlimited in attention.

You know, it reminds me of a story in the New Testament where Jesus and the disciples were in the boat during a massive storm.

And all these seasoned fishermen, they were terrified while Jesus appeared to be sleeping in the back of the boat.

Yet even then, the Son of God was fully aware of their situation and he was completely in control.

In the same way, there are times in our lives when God seems silent, when he seems like he's not there, but he is never absent.

He is never absent.

He is constantly keeping us.

Perhaps today you're carrying a burden that keeps you awake at night, a health concern, a family struggle, a financial need, or the uncertainty about the future.

My friends, this verse reminds us that while we may lie awake worrying, God is awake watching over us.

The one who holds the universe together is also keeping watch over all of his creation.

And because God never sleeps, we can rest.

Because God never stumbles and slumbers, we can trust.

Our security is not found in our ability to control circumstances, but in God's faithful care for us.

I'll say it again.

Our security is not found in our ability to control circumstances, but in God's faithful care for all of us.

It's amazing when you really think that how important it is to understand that, because we are going to go through trials, we are going to go through difficult times, but we need to reinforce the fundamentals of our faith that God is who he says he is.

As we continue in verse 5 and 6, the uh psalmist says, The Lord is our keeper, the Lord is our shade at our right hand, the sun shall not strike us by day, nor the moon by night.

In verse 5 and 6, the psalmist gives us a beautiful picture of God's personal care for his people.

And he uses imagery that would have really resonated with the Jewish people at that time.

You see, here the image of shade was especially meaningful in the hot climate of Israel.

You see, in some places, the average temper temperature would get over 90 to 100 degrees.

And travelers often journeyed under a blazing sun that could exhaust them, weaken them, and even threaten their lives.

You see, shade for them was not merely a comfort, it was a protection.

And I really identified with that particular part of this verse more than anything this year.

For those of you that do know me, my without any question, my biggest passion in life is following Jesus Christ.

There is no question about that.

But then I have a second passion that I have to guard against is being idle in my life, and that's golf.

Because I like to play a lot of golf.

Who have golfers in here?

If you're a golfer, raise your hand.

You're a golfer?

Well, we'll get, we'll connect, baby.

We'll connect.

So, anyway, I love to play golf, but I'm stupid.

I'm just a stupid golfer.

Golfer is a game where you kind of get addicted to it and you want to play all the time.

And I don't know about you, but this has been one of the hottest summers on record for New Jersey.

I mean, it has been in the hundreds, uh, the mid-100s, the teen 100s, and so stupid Frank on one of those hot 100 days, decides, I'm gonna play Warren Brook Golf Course.

And if you've never played Warren Brook Golf Course, it's right around the corner here.

It's really hilly, it's really tight, and that day the heat index was 110.

So my wife, who tell who cares for me very, very well, that's why we've been married 50 years, she says, Frank, you should take a cart.

I'm too tough for a cart.

I'm go, I'm walking.

And the reason I walk is because I have a remote control cart, so I just press a button and it follows me around.

So it's usually a really nice walk.

But on this day, it was not a nice walk.

It was a horrendous walk.

I got through six holes and I literally was nauseous, I was uneasy, I felt like I was gonna faint, and the only thing I wanted to do was find some shade.

I wanted to find a bench with some shade just so I can recompose myself.

And the and it wasn't a problem because I was the only stupid one on the course that day.

So I did.

I found this bench with a nice shade, I got hydrated, and after about 10 minutes, I got my my second wind back and I finished the round.

But I want you to understand that was just a bunch of trees and a bench.

However, here the psalmist says that God Himself is our shade.

Some tree or bench.

And I want you to notice here this too that God says God doesn't merely provide shade like a tree.

He says the Lord is our shade.

God is not distant from our struggle.

He is personally present in them.

And he stands close enough to shield us from the things that would conceivably overwhelm us.

Now the phrase at your right hand speaks of his nearness and strength.

In ancient times, the right hand was often associated with action.

It was associated with power, but it was also associated with defense as well.

And here, God is not far away.

After the psalmist then mentions both day and night.

Now this is important because in these times the sun often represented to these people the visible pressures and hardships of life, while the moon, on the other hand, represented some of the uncertainties and dangers that we all seem to experience and that are greater in the darkness of our lives.

But together, they represented every circumstance that we may face.

Now, I want you to understand, this does not mean that followers of Jesus Christ will never experience trials.

Rather, what it means is that nothing can touch our lives apart from God's loving oversight.

My friends, the heat may be intense, the night may be dark, but God remains our protector and keeper.

Amen.

Amen.

Whatever burden you may be carrying today, remember this promise.

God is near.

He is your shade in the heat of life's trials and your comfort in the darkness of uncertainty.

The Lord who watches over you never slumbers or sleep and always stays by your side.

And I understand this.

Because about four years ago, I went to renew or get another insurance policy, life insurance policy.

And when you get a life insurance policy, you have to go for a physical exam and a blood test.

And so I did what I was supposed to.

I went back, and then I got the blood test results, and it said that I had high markers for my prostate.

And I said, okay, and they recommended I see a urologist.

So I saw a urologist, he examined me, sent me for an MRI.

And since I'm a physician, I often can get to see the MRI even before the prescribing doctor gets to see it.

So when I got to work about two days later, I said to the girls at the front desk, I said, do me a favor, go online, see if my report's there, and then just put it on my desk because I wanted to see what the results were, you know?

And so they did exactly as I told them.

I sat down, I saw the report was there.

And as a doctor, and I think uh Dr.

Williams might appreciate this if he looks at a lot of these things, there's a lot of stuff before the summary, and what they call the impressions.

But I went right to the impressions.

I didn't have to read all the other stuff.

I wanted to know the crux of what they found.

And I looked at it and I looked at it and I read it and I said, wow, Frank, you have prostate cancer.

What?

I take pretty good care of myself, Lord.

You know, I eat pretty good, I exercise, I have prostate cancer.

And then I paused and I said, No, you know what?

This is a time that you pray.

And so I bowed my head and I remember, I can't exactly remember exactly what I prayed, but I remember the first prayer I prayed.

I lowered my head and I said, Lord, I said, your word tells me to be thankful in all circumstances.

Although I don't like what I'm reading on this paper, I'm gonna thank you for this prostate cancer and I'm gonna ask you to use it for your glory because I don't know whether I'm gonna live or die from this, but I know this to live is Christ and to die is gained.

And I know I am securely held in your hands, and whenever you're ready to take me, I'm ready to go.

And that was the gist of my prayer.

But you want to know something?

At that particular point, I knew, and I've been a Christian for over 40 years, I knew that I knew that I knew that there was a God and He was protecting me and He had my life in His hands because I understood for the first time the peace that passes all understanding.

Now you would have thought with a diagnosis like that that I would have been afraid, that I would have been anxious, that I would have been scared, but I had the peace that passed all understanding, and I wasn't afraid to die.

Amen.

I mean, that's the God that I serve, that's the God that I worship, that's the God that Psalm 121 is talking about.

The psalmist leaves us in Psalm 121 with one of the greatest promises of all of Scripture, and in here we learn that God is our lifelong companion, a lifelong guardian.

Let's look at verse 7 and 8.

The Lord will keep you from all evil, he will keep your life, the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Now, when the psalmist says the Lord will keep you from all evil, it's interesting because um, you know, I messed up the watermelon thing.

Gosh! Oh man, I'm so disappointed now.

But here it is.

You want it or not?

You want the watermelon thing?

So I fit it in so perfectly this morning.

Well, I'm sitting on that stupid bench while I was playing off with the shade over my head, and all I could think about was eating a big piece of watermelon.

There, it's over with, got that out of the way.

Anyway, so that's that's done.

But let's again look at verse 7 and 8.

Uh it's amazing things that go through your head.

Anyway, the Lord will keep you from all evil, he'll keep your life, the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

And so when the psalmist says the Lord will keep you from all evil, he is not saying believers will never face trouble or sickness or hardship.

I mean, let's face it, we all know from our own experiences and reading scripture that trials do indeed come to God's people.

But rather, what the Lord what the psalmist is saying here is the promise is that evil will never ultimately triumph over us because we belong to God.

Nothing can separate us from his love and nothing can thwart his purpose for our life.

That's what it means that he will keep us from all evil.

We are eternally secure in him.

Amen.

Amen.

Now, when he talks about he will keep your life, what a comforting truth when you think about it.

God is not concerned just with our circumstances like we've talked about, he's concerned with our very souls, who we are, our life.

And he guards us spiritually, and he strengthens us in weakness, and he preserves us for eternity.

And then the psalmist goes on to say, the Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.

And this is a Hebrew expression that means every aspect of life, whether you are leaving home or returning, whether you're beginning a journey or ending one, whether you are experiencing joy or you're walking through sorrow, God is watching over us.

And I want you to notice the time frame here.

What's the time frame?

Not only now, but forever, forevermore.

And I don't know who else needs to hear this, he needs to hear this today besides me, but God's care does not expire.

His protection is not temporary.

From this moment into eternity, the Lord remains our lifelong keeper.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, in closing, I'm reminded of a story of a man who once sat on a plane during a very turbulent storm, and the turbulence was intense.

The people were gripping their seats and just holding on for dear life.

Have you ever been on a flight like that or been scared on a flight?

Yeah, I mean, I have.

But a little girl across from the aisle from him was just calmly coloring in her coloring book, and the man looked over and asked her.

He said, Aren't you afraid?

And she said, No.

She says, My daddy's the pilot and he's taking me home.

My friends, that's Psalm 121.

That's it in a nutshell.

If you remember that, remember anything, remember that.

My daddy's the pilot and he's taking me home.

Amen.

He's taking us home.

That's the beauty of Psalm 121.

So, as I invite the worship team up, you know, I vividly remember that day when I was holding my granddaughter Kayla in that space.

And I'll tell you, my wife and I, our grandchildren are some of our most precious possessions.

And I was never gonna let her go.

I was never gonna lose her.

I was gonna hold her, I'll hold on to her or go down with her.

I mean, that's as simple as it is, but we were never gonna let her go because we were her keeper.

You know, Jesus said in John chapter 10 that when we come to him, nothing can snatch us out of his hand.

John 10 · chapter mention

So my question for you today, have you come to him?

I mean, have you really come to him?

My friends, the good news of the gospel is simply this.

Although our sin separates us from God, Jesus Christ died for our sins on that cross and he then rose from the dead, defeating both sin and death.

And he offers forgiveness, eternal life, and reconciliation with God to everyone who would ask his forgiveness and trust in his finished work alone.

If that is you, then I challenge you today to reach out and put your trust in him.

I'll be available at the end of the service.

If you like to talk more about what it means to follow Jesus, I would love to have that conversation with you.

My friends, in closing, you know, we're gonna face a lot of uncertainty and troubles in this world.

It's evident.

But how much more faithful is our God?

Psalm 121 gives us the words that we need to remember when we feel like we're falling.

We can live with confidence because our lives are in the hands of a God who is our creator and our help.

God is our constant keeper, and lastly, he is our lifelong guardian.

The Lord who has kept us thus far will continue to keep us until we stand within Him in His presence forever.

And all God's people say Amen.