Message Notes and Group Study Guide
Date: January 4-5, 2025
Speaker: Kurt Bjorklund
Series: Ascent
Message: #1 - Ascend for Help
Scripture
1 I call on the Lord in my distress,
and he answers me.
2 Save me, Lord,
from lying lips
and from deceitful tongues.3 What will he do to you,
and what more besides,
you deceitful tongue?
4 He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows,
with burning coals of the broom bush.5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek,
that I live among the tents of Kedar!
6 Too long have I lived
among those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace;
but when I speak, they are for war. —Psalm 120 (NIV)1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore. —Psalm 121 (NIV)
Notes
The Cry for Divine Help
I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me. Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues. —Psalm 120:1-2
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. —Revelation 12:10
What will he do to you, and what more besides, you deceitful tongue? He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom bush. Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek, that I live among the tents of Kedar! Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war. —Psalm 120: 3-7
The Assurance of Divine Help
I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. —Psalm 121
Study Guide
Step One: Icebreaker (Optional)
What action hero/tv personality (normal human people only – no superheroes) would be your first call in an emergency?
Step Two: Prayer and Scripture Reading
Ask someone in your group to pray to open your time together.
Ask another person to read Psalm 120-121.
Step Three: Discuss
- Weekend Message: What was most challenging, encouraging, confusing, or stood out most to you?
- Crying for Help: In Psalm 120, the psalmist expresses a deep sense of distress and cries for help. Have you ever been in a situation where you could relate with the psalmist? Who did you turn to for help? What were the results? Apart from God, where do most people look for help in times of need?
- Lifting our Eyes: Psalm 121 speaks of lifting our eyes to the hills and looking to God for help. What does “lifting our eyes” symbolize in our personal journey? How does this act of looking up influence our attitudes in time of trouble?
- God as our Keeper: The psalm emphasizes that God is our keeper and our protector. How can we interpret and apply the idea of God’s protection in our lives? What does it mean to trust in God’s protection? What does God keep us from?
- Faith & Doubt: For those who have wrestled with doubt or uncertainty about God’s help, how can we reconcile those feelings (and our experiences) with the promises made in Psalms 120-121?
- Practical Steps to Ascend: What are some practical steps we can take to “ascend” to God for help in our daily lives? How can we continue to encourage one another in our spiritual journey together?
Step Four: Close in Prayer
Ask someone in your group to close in prayer, focusing on specific requests for people to find and follow Jesus.