Well, let's return this evening to the Psalms of Ascent. We'll be in Psalm 125 together this evening. We've been journeying our way through that. Actually, in a series we've called Songs for the Journey. Psalm 125. We've been going through what is really the shorter psalter that just led us down an interesting path of sorts. Let's just kind of review for a moment before we get to Psalm 125. Our journey started in Psalm 120. If your eyes can kind of scan the page there, you'll note that Psalm 120 there, the psalmist cries out to God as he suffers from slander. From there, we find our way to Psalm 121, where the psalmist reminds us that God is our help. Psalm 122, the psalmist directs our joy to gathering with God's people. That's where real joy can be found, this side of eternity. Psalm 123 refines our hope. Our eyes look to the Lord. And Psalm 124 assures us that our God is trustworthy. We find our way now to Psalm 125, and I'll give you a word for it in a moment. But each of these psalms follow a similar pattern. We talked about this. They start with trouble. They go to trust before we get to triumph. Now, today's psalm is the third psalm in the second group of three. So if you're following the same pattern, we find our way to triumph this evening. Psalm 123 is the trouble psalm in this group. And the trouble in Psalm 123 is that the psalmist looks to the Lord for mercy. In Psalm 124, there's the trust psalm in this group. The psalmist says that his dependence is completely upon God. And Psalm 125, the psalm we're about to study, is the triumph psalm. It's all about the safety and security that is found in the Lord. And in this psalm about safety and security, the psalmist in Psalm 125 interjects a vision of Jerusalem once more. Mount Zion, specifically, is a picture of one who trusts in the Lord. This person, like Mount Zion, will not be moved. Psalm 125 is a triumph psalm. It's also one of the songs of Zion. The city of Jerusalem first appeared in the Psalms of Ascent in our study in Psalm 122. You'll see it there for the first time, which was the first such, incidentally, triumph psalm. And then the second triumph psalm of these Psalms of Ascent, we find ourselves once again with a vision of Mount Zion. And from here on Zion, it will become a major theme in the Psalms of Ascent. The theme of Mount Zion will show up here in Psalm 125. It'll show up again in 126, 128, and 129. It then appears almost a crescendo in Psalm 132, 133, and 134. Now, as we prepare to look at Psalm 125 and its theme of Mount Zion, there is a word that should stand out, that helps us kind of hang our hats, so to speak, on the theme for which this psalm is. Just one word, and the word is security. This psalm is all about security. And friend, the circumstances of this world are, if you didn't already know, volatile and crazy. But God's people can find their security in him. That's the theme of this Psalm. It's security along the journey. Look at Psalm 125, picking up a reading in verse one. They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion. which cannot be removed, but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even forever. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands into iniquity. Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in heart. As for such as turn aside unto the crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, but peace shall be upon Israel. You've probably heard it, probably ad nauseum now, that we live in uncertain times. I think it appears like if there's any certainty, it's that we live in uncertain times. Just seems like that's what everybody says. Do you ever worry, though, about the future? A lot of people do. They are afraid of what might happen to them or their family or their fortunes. Do you ever worry about your past? A lot of people do. They are afraid of the sinful choices of their past and what might catch up to them and what might come to fruition. Do you ever worry about the present? A lot of people do. They go through their days wondering if this might be the end and everything might crash down on them today. As I was preparing this sermon, I took a look at the news headlines. You want to talk about insecurity. Here are just a few. North Korea's nuclear missiles are a real threat. That seems comforting. Are we headed for another Cold War? That's really fun to think about. Kids don't feel safe at school anymore was another headline. We live in uncertain times. Of that, I can be certain. But insecurity is pretty close to home, because we do live in dangerous times. And if we feel insecure, it's because we are insecure. That's true. But whenever you feel unsettled, Psalm 125 is a great place to go. Some theologians have called the Psalms of Ascent stepping stones to the heart of God. Each of these Psalms builds upon the next. And that's another reason why we may call them Psalms of Ascent, for they ascend together towards God. And Psalm 125 now takes the hills of Psalm 121 and the holy city of Psalm 122 and combines them into a new image showing God's people where their security is in unstable times. Their security is in the Lord. What a powerful image is found in verse one. They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion. Nothing can shake those who have a strong foundation. As the psalmist makes his case, he looks around at the geography of Jerusalem to show the security of God's people. I think that's one of the reasons we love the Psalms. They speak in some way to our emotions because they're written in a poetic form, certainly not in rhyme like we're used to with poetry, but certainly in other ways, they really speak to the emotions of the human experience. And we can really quickly understand, even at cursory glance, exactly what the psalmist is trying to convey, even as we did already, just with one word, the word is security. And here as the psalmist is seeking to give us security, he points to places that we are often not secure. Our past, sometimes we worry it'll catch up to us. Our present, sometimes we worry that something might come crashing down on us. And our future, who holds the future? I want us to look at the security that we can find, even in our past, certainly in our present, and as we look towards the future. The first thing we note is that you have to understand that nothing can shake those who are standing for God. Are you standing for God with a rock-solid assurance that he is the author who holds the past, your present, and your future? Let's start with the past. After all, you have a rock-solid assurance for the past if you are standing with God. Those who trust in the Lord are safe and secure because of the foundations that have already been laid. Verse one and two tell us what you are like when you trust in the Lord, and they tell us what the Lord is like to you when you trust in Him. Again, read verse one. They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth even forever. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion. Verse 1, they are unmovable. That's forever. They are unmovable, verse 1. And verse 2, they are fully guarded forever. That's verse 2. This is a rock solid assurance. And because of what has already been done, you have stability from God. David says in verse one that those who put their full weight on the Lord and completely trust in Him cannot be moved, or literally, they cannot be shaken. And he uses an analogy, this text, to make the point. The Lord shall be as Mount Zion. Now, how is that like Mount Zion? Well, certainly a mountain has stability. Surely the Israelites were fully aware of the beautiful skyline of Mount Zion. As they made their journey each year up to the temple, they would know that it was still there. It had unchanged. In fact, 3,000 years later, there is still a Mount Zion. I know we live in hilly South Carolina. I moved from not so hilly Florida. I think you could see your dog run away for a mile. It was about that flat. The highest point in Florida was the dump heap. But here we have these mountains and there are these mountains. There's a stability there. They are structured in such a way. Only God could do so. And even so, the psalmist says our God is stable and he is dependable. What he's saying is he will not change. Many believers serve the Lord as though the Christian life is like walking on a tightrope without a net over the Grand Canyon. That is not the stability that's being conveyed. One poet put it this way. Some persons are like sand, ever shifting and treacherous. Some are like the sea, restless and unsettled. Some are like the wind, uncertain and inconstant. But believers are like mountains, strong, stable, and secure. The little New Testament book of Jude tells us that God is able to keep us from falling. Jude 24 puts it this way, now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Someone has rightly said, I can't but God can. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And when we place our trust in him, we can be assured that he is both willing and able to bring us all the way home. Jesus said to his followers, I give unto you eternal life. And to emphasize that, they shall never perish. If your faith is in Christ, you are safe and secure. You are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken and endures forever. There's a stability there. And because of what has already been done, you have safety as well. So what is the Lord like to you when you trust in him? Not only are the saints themselves fixed and immovable, but also all the assaults of evil combined cannot destroy them because God himself is their constant defender. Look at verse two. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even forever. Notice precisely the image the psalmist seeks to paint for us. Mount Zion, he says in verse one, is high and immovable. But it was not high as some of the surrounding mountains. There are others that were higher yet. And so verse two compares the surrounding mountains to God's protection in your life. Mount Zion is high and immovable, but God is also surrounding Mount Zion. And the Lord is not simply at your side, but he surrounds every side. You can't get much safer than to have God as the one guarding all the exits. That's exactly what he's talking about. How safe was Zion from external attacks? or the safety of the ancient city. According to ancient historians that study such things, tell us that the safety of Mount Zion and the way it was situated on the landscape was actually quite legendary. Listen to what Lamentations says about the security of Mount Zion that the people knew about. Lamentations says in Lamentations 4 verse 12, the kings of the earth did not believe nor any of the inhabitants of the world that the foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem. That's what they thought about Mount Zion. It is this impenetrable city. In fact, the geographical features in and around Jerusalem made the city such a place of sanctuary that scripture frequently treats it as the very picture of eternal security. That's how secure Mount Zion was. But the truth is that while we may be surrounded by divine protection and kept secure by the grace of God, According to Martin Luther, it is much easier to teach that than to believe that. Luther said, if we were surrounded by visible walls of steel or fire, we would feel secure and bid defiance to the devil. But this promise for us is hard to believe, both by us who suffer and by our persecutors. Of course, Luther wasn't doubting the promises of this text. In fact, he went on to say, there's the character of faith not to boast of what the eye beholds, but of what the word reveals. In other words, we need to learn to trust what God says regardless of what we see or what we feel. You have a rock solid assurance. This is the very essence of faith. It's the very experience of every true saint in scripture that has been tested and tried. We do at times feel like the devil might get the better of us, don't we? I don't love watching the news. I don't know about you. Because I feel unstable when I watch it. But I can turn it off and come back to the secure stability that's found in the word of God. to review, we have stability, meaning we ourselves are kept steadfast in the faith. And we enjoy safety, meaning we are protected from outside threats. And all of this is made true by the rock-solid assurance we have in God that we have a security along the journey. Now that's what's been laid in the past, but what about the here and now? What about right now? Number two, you have a rock solid assurance for the present. The idea being communicated here is that God keeps us and he keeps us progressing in holiness presently. Look at verse three. He says in verse three, for the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands into iniquity. People worry about their earthly circumstances all the time. But you don't have to worry when it comes to your spiritual standing. Those who trust in the Lord have a secure inheritance. And verse three talks about the present rule of the wicked and the potential sin of the righteous, and it teaches that the inheritance of the righteous is kept safe and secure because of the one who holds the keys to the lockbox. And what he's saying is God's presence will protect you. Notice that verse three says your inheritance is kept safe from present attacks of the wicked. Verse three at the beginning, the scepter of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous. Verse three tells us something very important about the wicked. The present rule of the wicked will not last is what it's saying. We sometimes worry about the wicked around us and the world and the way it's going and how they don't care about God, but verse three teaches that the wicked will not have their way over God's will. Charles Spurgeon put it this way when he was teaching on this text, the saints abide forever, but their troubles do not. The psalmist has just used Mount Zion though as a picture of stability and security. But just to pop the bubble just for a moment, even in scripture, long before this psalm was written, Mount Zion was home to a Jebusite fortress, and none other than David defeated the Jebusites at Mount Zion. In fact, this was the first mention of Mount Zion anywhere in scripture. And in 2 Samuel chapter five, the Jebusites were so confident that nobody could ever defeat them in Mount Zion that was not yet inhabited by the Israelites. They had not yet beat them. The Jebusites were so certain of their security that 2 Samuel five tells us they mocked David and threatened to defeat him with a nursing home full of disabled people. Don't believe me? Read 2 Samuel five. That's exactly their mocking. I'm not making it up. 2 Samuel 5 verse 6 puts it this way. And the king and his men went to Jerusalem under the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come hither, thinking, David cannot come in hither. Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion. The same is now the city of David. Now that's not all. Not long after this psalm was written, Micah 3 verse 12 prophesied the utter destruction of Mount Zion. In Micah 3 verse 12 it says, therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field and Jerusalem shall become heaps and the mountains of the house of the high places of the forest. And 150 or so years after Micah prophesied that Mount Zion would be destructed, we read that King Nebuchadnezzar fulfilled that prophecy. The truth is, even in Scripture, Mount Zion has been defeated time and time again. So what kind of illustration is it to say Mount Zion gives security if you as an Israelite are reading this psalm for the first time thinking, I know that history, and it's not a good one. You think you're secure, but you keep getting defeated. And the answer is found in verse three. Look at the words carefully. The scepter, I would circle that word, of the wicked shall not rest, I would circle that one as well, upon the lot. Now a scepter is a symbol of authority. What the psalmist is saying is that the wicked might bring their scepters to Zion and set up temporary thrones, but their authority will never rest there. Evil is temporary, but good lasts forever. Let me repeat that if you're taking notes. Evil is temporary, but good lasts forever. The power of the wicked will be broken. Friend, do you feel downtrodden today? Does it feel like evil is winning sometimes? God wants you to know that eternal inheritance in him never goes bankrupt. but evil always loses in the end. And furthermore, not only will his presence protect you, but his presence will sustain you. Not only are you kept safe from the evil ways of outside forces, but you are also sustained by God's hand over potential sin. And that's a great comfort because we sin, don't we? We really do. He says in verse three, lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity. One of the greatest instabilities for many people that have even grown up in church and heard the gospel preached to them many, many times is this question in their own heart. Can I lose my salvation? Am I going to lose my inheritance in heaven? And the answer I want you to know is no. Not only is your heavenly inheritance kept safe from the wicked, but you are kept safe to receive it. 1 Peter 1 verse 4 puts it this way, to an inheritance, this is talking about unbelievers, to an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. I love that verse because it expresses the same truth we find in Psalm 125. Not only is your inheritance kept safe for you, but you are kept safe for your inheritance. There is a great deal of security that is found in that promise. But you must remember that the security of the believer is never described in the Bible as a moment-by-moment invincibility. And God says, it's in Psalm 121, verse 3, he will not let your foot be moved. That's not a promise that you'll never slip. There are times when I fail. Or Psalm 121, verse 7, when he says the Lord will keep you from all evil. That's not an absolute promise that evil will never come after you. If that were true, how come Paul keeps getting imprisoned? But at the end of every trial, even when you stumble, and especially at the end of life itself, you will ultimately be able to say emphatically what is a promise. When I thought, my foot slips, Psalm 94, verse 18. Your steadfast love, O Lord, held me. So we can stand secure knowing that God has already taken care of my past and he is presently holding me right now. I am secure. How secure are you? Well, nothing can shake those who are standing for God. What about my future? Well, friend, you have a rock solid assurance not only for the present and not only for the future, that one says the present, it should say for the future, verses four and five. And this final section of the future speaks of God's people and we learn that God is there from even then. And as the psalmist ends this brief five verse psalm, he ends and he does so by noting that God will banish those who do evil and he will answer his people's prayer for peace. He says, God will ultimately bring good to those who are good. And this verse tells us that believers will be successful. And before you say, well, Pastor Caleb must be teaching prosperity gospel, let me reemphasize what we're talking about is an ultimate spiritual triumph, not a notion of earthly affluence. When he says success, he's talking about spiritual success. And so he says in verse four, do good, O Lord, unto those that be good and to them that are upright in their hearts. And notice this verse is phrased as a prayer, and that is because none of us deserve God's goodness. So who are the good in this verse? Is it talking about perfect people who never sin? Absolutely not. The good in this verse is not the morally perfect, but those who trust in the Lord's goodness. This verse is not about works, but about faith. And the words of our psalm, verse four, those who trust in the Lord are by definition upright in heart. And so the psalm culminates with one of the most fundamental of the biblical promises, the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Do you realize God wins? God always wins. We like to be rewarded for doing the right thing. In fact, it's a natural human feeling to enjoy getting a pat on the back of sorts. I mean, who among us didn't enjoy going to the teacher's treasure box after you sat quietly in Sunday school class? Some of you just never got to go to that box, right? But others of you, you enjoyed, you know, that ability. And that is an immature attitude of a child, and this verse is now taking that same concept, but it's putting maturity into it. What do I look towards? What am I moving towards? It flips that around. Instead of having a desire to do good so you can be recognized, the believer now has a desire to do good so that others may recognize God. In fact, Spurgeon said, men to be good at all must first be good at heart. That's why Romans says in verse two, chapter two, who will render to every man according to his deeds, to them who by patient continuance and well-doing seek to glorify and honor God. And God will bring good to those who are good, but God will bring ultimate judgment to those who are evil. God will do good to those who are good. God who judged those who do wrong. Verse five, as for such as turn aside. In contrast to the good doers of verse four, what about the evil doers of verse five? Well, as for those who turn aside under their crooked ways, the word translated crooked here is a word that means winding or devious. It's in direct contrast to the straight or upright heart of verse four. As for those who are devious, who turn aside to crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. Just before his death, it's been reported that actor W.C. Fields was in a hospital room frantically studying his Bible. His friend who knew that this actor had nothing to do with Christianity his entire life asked, why are you in your Bible? To which the actor replied, I'm looking for loopholes. My friend, I'm here to tell you there are no loopholes. God's plan of redemption has been set in stone. And the song is the perfect distillation of the gospel. In fulfilling his eternal plan, God will bless his people and God will condemn evildoers. The book of Revelation tells us about the new Jerusalem, the city of God, where God will dwell with his people forever. And it says, and there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth. Neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh lie by they that are written in the Lamb's book of life. And so the Bible talks about both blessing and banishment. Blessing for those who are good because of God's goodness in their life, banishment for those who are evil and never cling to God's goodness. Is this not exactly the point from Psalm before this in Psalm 124? Remember last week we looked at Psalm 124 and there were only two points in that sermon because there are only two sides. You are either on God's side or you are not. And that is again the same point of this Psalm. You are either on God's side and you have a rock solid assurance for your future or you are not. And there are only two sides. Look around for just a moment, just even as you think about it. The circumstances of this world are volatile. The news headlines are filled with turmoil, abuse, death, depression, downright scary headlines. If there is any hope of security, it doesn't seem to be showing itself very clearly when we flip on the news, does it? But notice how this psalm ends. in contrast to all of that insecurity. But peace shall be upon Israel. Many people dwell on shaky ground precisely because they can't find peace. They are restless. And the human heart is restless until it finds its peace in God. But true peace is impossible to be found apart from God. If your faith is in Christ, then you are safe and secure. You are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken, but endures forever. Don't be afraid. You have a rock-solid assurance for your past. You have a rock-solid assurance right now in the present. You have a rock-solid assurance for the future. Nothing can shake the one who stands with God. But if your faith is not in Christ, then friend, you are neither safe nor secure. In fact, your life is actually the opposite of the things that we have read in this psalm about believers. You are not like Mount Zion. You are not surrounded by God's protection and care. You are excluded from blessings and righteousness. You are in danger of banishment from God forever. And so in a song that is supposed to be sung to give security to the believer, the application cuts both ways. If you have never come to Christ, I plead with you today to come to him. Would you know the assurance and the peace that can only be found in Christ? There are, friend, only two camps. As we close again, I know there are many in this room. There can't hardly be in any room, no matter the size, those who come in with a sense of instability. This world continues to push at us, doesn't it? In all manner of ways. I hesitate to even list examples because as I do so, I'm gonna miss something. Friend, wherever you are and whatever your footing is on, if your footing is on God, you cannot be shaken. And if we as believers would be the kind of people that would be used of God to ignite a fire in this community, it must be done with a rock solid assurance. You cannot be unstable and be used of God in amazing ways like the saints before. You must find your stability in Christ. He is your foundation. This church's chief cornerstone ought to be Christ. Is he yours today? Nothing can shake those who are standing for God. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much for your word and for the security that can be found only in you. Lord, there may be some in this room who have come together with us this evening and they are not saved and their security is not there because they've never placed their hope and help only in you. Lord, even in these moments as we close, would they respond with courage to come and talk to someone how they can know for sure and before this day is over, may they come to saving knowledge of you. Lord, there may be others in this room who have come with some measure of instability in their life, and I'm not entirely sure the circumstances of everyone in this room, but there are no doubt many who have felt the instability of this world's evil winds pushing against them and shaking their foundation. May they run back to you to know that they have a rock-solid assurance that can only be found by standing with you. with every head bowed and every eye closed, would you take a moment to respond? Even as the instruments play, would you respond as God has spoken to you? Let's pray together. Lord, we thank you for the stability, again, that can be found in you. Lord, we run back to your word, and we do so again this evening as well as this morning, to find our hope and comfort alone in the truth that's been revealed to us through scripture. Pray for any in this room that have never accepted Christ, that today would be the day of their salvation, and others who are saved, perhaps in an unstable place, that they would find again that stability that's found only in you.