Hillsong Church Phoenix | Highs And Lows (Psalms of Ascent) Psalm 126

[Music] Judith and I are standing here in front of our downtown campus which has in so many ways become the epicenter for the black lives matter rallies in Phoenix in fact last Sunday afternoon I received a text notifying me that a rally was spontaneously gathering in the street next to our building I quickly drove here along with our campus pastors just to pray and support and to encourage a peaceful protest when we arrived we saw that the protestors were filling the streets but not using our parking lot since it's private property I sensed the Holy Spirit impressing upon me to welcome them onto the lot and to provide them with a safe place hoping it might avert conflict with the police that then led to thousands of people filling the street and the parking lot and at the end they spontaneously invited me to pray over them along with you I've seen the images of violence in the streets of major cities but right here last Sunday night there was a peaceful protest on these sacred grounds proving what can happen when the church shows up on mission and is engaged in seeking the welfare of the city and since that moment for the most part our protest in Phoenix have been peaceful my privilege to serve as the pastor of Hillsong paintings tonight is God first of all I pray that you would forgive those of us that have been a part of the problem and not the solution we cry up to you that you would extend your mercy Taj since you would forgive our sins that you would empower us Lord as the generation and as those that have had the authority and the power to find a place of humility and to surrender our hearts before you and to empower this generation to rise up and be the change they need to be god I pray that justice would follow as dr. King said like mighty rivers I pray for truth to prevail equality that we would see justice that we would see the end of systemic oppression and racism that we would see freedom for prejudice in the coming generation bless Phoenix bless our communities bless this land and bless those who are gathered here tonight in Jesus name this morning as we gather for worship we are so honored to have you with us from across all of our locations from Phoenix to Tucson to Las Vegas I know that many of you are watching from other places around the country as well and in your connect groups and viewing parties so welcome home I know that Terry has prepared a great word for us this morning and so gather around your larger screen turn the volume up change your posture to lean in and let's gather in faith as the church expecting God to move there has never been a moment quite like this in our history and we need to hear God's voice be in his presence and allow him to work deep within our hearts [Music] [Music] your voices Rishi this [Music] [Applause] see [Music] [Applause] [Music] side this one [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] this [Music] to see this [Music] today he's in his bird Jesus lot of heavy friends forever he's keen to come we worship You Jesus we [Music] come on wherever you are today we're gonna lift up the name of Jesus we're gonna declare his goodness who's with you wherever you are no matter what you're facing come on you can trust him today let your heart and your folk [Music] in the head [Music] find me [Music] where the grace runs as deep as yours you pulled me from [Music] me honor [Music] need my heart whole again come on together Church every boys [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so here [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] with a great [Music] - [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] me this great [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] your grace thank you choose [Music] began to sing to the Lord begin to express your credit to tang [Music] your worship [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] now [Applause] [Music] great [Music] great song [Music] [Music] so thankful for our worship team leading us into the presence of God today and now more than ever in these days we are in we need God's presence and his miracle-working power in our hearts and lives but take heart church in pivotal moments like these when the darkness is at its greatest the light of Jesus shines the brightest John 1 and verse 5 tells us that Jesus is the light that the darkness could not diminish you have shared your prayer needs with us this week through the online chats and our website and we're going to stand together in this moment uniting our hearts and words in prayer and as we do let's bring our gaze back to Center back to Jesus trusting him for our needs and for the justice and healing that is so desperately needed in our land come on church wherever you're at let's pray together and lift our voices Heavenly Father we come before you today humbled and surrendered and declaring that we need you now more than ever Jesus we need you more than ever and we say Jesus have your way in this moment because your way is justice your way is reconciliation your way is hope and your way is peace and that is what we need father we lift up our black community and our brothers and sisters who have suffered for far too long at the hands of injustice Lord we thank you God that you are in our midst and you have a way through this you saw it before it was coming and we praise you for that father we pray for our police officers we pray for violence to be stopped in the streets Lord we pray for protection of life and Lord today we pray for each and every one of these needs for physical healing for provision for restoration for reconciliation God all of our needs you know about them and you care about them and Lord we know that through this we're gonna be able to give you glory for everything that you're gonna do in our community in our country in our hearts and in our lives and Jesus name we pray amen well hello Church it's so great to have you linking in with us today after a big week through the strength of our relationships with one another we can follow the Holy Spirit through every season and into God's kingdom purpose for our lives and that includes the very moment that we are in right now some of us may be hurting today we may be confused or upset we may just be wondering how that we can help in these times of crisis I believe God will speak to us today if we will pause it will take a moment to breathe and we'll invite him to meet us wherever we are at he knows how to speak personally to your listening heart today if you're linking in with us today for the first time they we're so glad to have you here yeah we'd like to invite you to connect with us using one of the simple ways that we've made available today our church online platform has a series of buttons across your screen including one that says live prayer and that's where our pastors and team are on standby and hey we'd really love to pray with you today if you'd like that hey if you're on YouTube we provided a way for you to text us or to even click the link there in the chat the main thing is that we want you to know we're here to serve you yeah we believe God has a hope and a future for you and we'd love to help you in any way that we can ascend honor Jesus today with our giving we bring our tithes and offerings as an act of worship and it's a really important part of resourcing the work that we do as a church family the work we do to care for the vulnerable and to bring help to a hurting world in so many ways thank you for your faithfulness and your generosity through 2020 Church we've weathered the storm well together through the month of May however last week we we saw a significant impact in our giving and it was down substantially anyone is welcome to give but we really rely on the faithful giving of each and every person who calls Hillsong home to be able to continue with the critical work we're engaged in throughout the region there are several ways that you can give today including text clicking the link in the chat or the give button on your screen there thank you so much for your generosity like to pray today like to pray that our good God is most generous and I pray that he would provide all that you need today and plenty left over to help others thank you so much for giving today and faith god bless you church as you give thanks to technology it's now easier than ever to contribute when it comes to giving here's how download the Hillsong USA app on your smart phone after opening the app select your campus select give and now you can enter the tithe amount you can even activate the reoccurring giving options this will allow you to give a regular preset amount automatically you can select weekly bi-weekly monthly or the beginning and middle of the month and even select the day of the week your giving is processed thank you for investing into the lives of others [Music] [Applause] [Music] his house with your spirit the monkeys walk with you peace as we gather two or three you yes you are feel our hearts with your fire in my car with your love as we were [Music] we will see Yuji [Music] we'll see [Music] that's before you present we are we're singing come yes before we invited [Music] [Applause] in your prison with your grade [Music] we're singing [Music] seeker before you Oh [Applause] [Music] yes Oh Judy Moochie lovers made a way and every day I see you bless each and every day I sing your praise that you're killing be my portion let your mercy be my shred refuge in my food be my race my hiding place face let your presents go before you can every time confessing gee [Applause] come we are desperate for your prayers we are we are we're seeing [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we are you this house with your spirit and knock these wars with your peace as we gather two or three you come here [Music] I'm so grateful for the songs that are coming out of our house in this season they're always so timely but especially in these days I really feel that they're not just songs that we sing but they're the expressions of our heart the connections that we have with a God who is good a God who is faithful a God who has promised to move on our watch in our day just as he has in days before well once again thank you for joining us today as you can see I have gathered with her pastors and some of our church and Hillsong college staff to speak to you this weekend I'm really glad to have them in the room for support and hopefully to inspire you with the vision to regather with us on site in just a few weeks by the way guys are you ready to gather on side in person we miss you we miss seeing your beautiful faces and wow that we know that we have done the right thing and waiting a little longer together on sight it doesn't make the wait any easier well grab your Bible and something to take notes on or click on the notes right there on your screen I want to speak directly to the moment that we find ourselves in today we have just come through a week like no other we're still in the midst of a global pandemic our streets have been filled with protestors crying out for justice over the killing of George Floyd and many others in some places antagonists have co-opted at the moment for their own agenda and many of you are wondering where do we go from here why is God allowing this what is God doing in the midst of this and how are we going to recover from the season from this virus from these racial and Justices and from this looming financial recession you know those are huge questions that we're all feeling and even though I don't know the answers to them I believe that God has a plan shocked as many of us may be as to what's taking place in our world none of this has caught him by surprise in fact I discovered long ago that restoration always begins in the mind of God long before destruction ever takes place long before anything goes sideways in our lives God has made full provision for our full recovery if we'll put our trust in Him and follow his ways I don't know how we're going to come through these days but I know that by the grace of God we are going to come through these days and we're going to be better for them and for having endured them now I'm gonna take a look at how all of what is happening in our world today connects to Psalm 126 for those who are joining us for the first time we're in a series called highs and lows discussing some powerful and emotional songs found in the Bible these songs are called the Psalms of ascent because they were sung by the Jews on their journey up to Jerusalem three times a year but you know in a broader context these Psalms have been used by every generation since then as songs of uprising songs that connect us to the heart of God songs that inspire us from one season of life and into the next I think that's exactly what we need right now we need something to rise to we need something that will help us to make sense of it all something that will give us a glimpse into where God is taking us and what he has planned to do in us and through us and for us I don't presume to know what you are personally going through in this season but I do know what we are going through collectively many of you are out of work and wondering how you're going to put food on the table others are living in fear perhaps afraid of contracting the coronavirus most of us are feeling the pain of watching the black community suffer racial inequality inequity and injustice and all of us are desperate for the kind of change that brings about righteousness truth justice and equality for all and Psalm 126 speaks to all of that in the span of six short verses just listen to it when the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion we were like those who dream then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy then they said among the nation's the Lord has done great things for them the Lord has done great things for us we are glad restore our fortunes O Lord like streams in the Negev those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy he who goes out with weeping bearing the seed for sowing shall come home with shouts of joy bringing his sheaves or his harvest with him now let me unpack what we just read a songwriter covers a lot of collective pain in those verses that may not seem evident on the surface by the way isn't that the way it often goes each of us is on a journey and every one of us has a story and we've all learned that most people don't know what to do with the painful moments in our story so we've learned to hide them to bury them to guard them to say I'm fine I'm doing well everything's great here if you read Psalm 126 without the back story it seems like everything was great there but it wasn't there was a time when their dream became a nightmare have you ever had a dream become a nightmare have you ever had something that you long for or prayed for hoped for worked for have you ever had that suddenly disappear before your eyes and you found yourself saying this can't be happening to me this can't be happening to us in the story of Israel their greatest dream was to dwell in Jerusalem it was the city of peace the place where heaven met earth the place where God dwelled in the midst of his temple in the midst of his people in the Ark of the Covenant it was their dream to gather there to dwell there but that terrain became a nightmare in the summer of 608 BC when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded their land now turning the invasion the Jews retreated into Jerusalem and they closed the gates of the city they thought that Jerusalem was an impenetrable fortress since it was built high on a hill it was equipped with interior wells and previously stored provisions so that people settled in for the long battle determined to defy their enemies that standoff lasted almost two years eventually they were defeated their villages were destroyed their homes were burned down and the Babylonians desecrated the temple setting fire to the space where the Ark of the Covenant once rested many of the priests were slain in the battle and the sacred vessels from the house of God were carried away to be used in worship to pagan gods the remaining survivors were then taken as captives they were shackled together and marched over six hundred miles back to Babylon Psalms reveal the torment they felt when their captors mocked them and urged them to sing one of the songs of Zion FAT to Psalm 137 verse 4 they lamented how shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land it was during that period in that captivity that they clung to the words of the Prophet Jeremiah who had declared to them in Jeremiah 29:11 for I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future and a hope once again restoration always begins in the mind of God before destruction ever takes place before Adam sinned Jesus was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world before Joseph ended up in an Egyptian dungeon God had a plan to make him the prime minister of Egypt before Daniel was thrown into the Lions Den God had a plan to protect and promote him before Haman set out to kill Queen Esther God had a plan to preserve her before Jerusalem was overthrown God had a plan to restore them to a greater glory before anything happened in your life God had a plan to deliver you before your father abandoned you he had a plan to care for you before you lost your job he made provision for your next assignment before the murder of George Floyd God had a plan to bring about true and lasting change in our nation come on when it looks like there is no way there is a way because God has already made a way restoration is our portion now their captivity in Babylon was a really unique experience and I want to talk about it for just a moment because I think it relates to where we are today their captivity in Babylon was not like their previous slavery in Egypt they were stripped of their dignity and worth they lost their basic human rights they even lost their identity as the people of God but on the other hand their captivity in Babylon well it was a lot more subtle they were allowed to own property they were allowed to plant vineyards they were allowed to raise families they were even allowed to worship privately but they were not allowed the same rights and privileges as the Babylonians you know the contrast between Egypt and Babylon is what many African Americans feel when they look at the story of our own nation they started off here enslaved as the Jews were in Egypt and then over time they were released and afforded some rights and privileges just like the Jews were in Babylon but most black people still don't have the same power and privilege as the rest of us their experience every single day is not the same as mine the respect that I'm given the opportunities that I've been afforded the privileges that I have as a white male living in this country are very different than they are for some people I haven't had to avert my gaze for fear of being considered a threat I haven't sent my sons out to play wondering if their lives are in danger I've never been treated differently in a bank or at a high-end store I've never walked into a business or a condo building or or a public space and had people look at me with hostility and ask why I'm there as if I don't have a right to be there I've been afforded a lot of privilege that many people don't have and I understand not everyone understands this conversation that's taking place in America and I also understand that some people who don't understand the conversation are really good people they just haven't known what they don't know they just haven't had this moment of awakening this moment of Epiphany this moment of understanding that people are marching in the streets of our cities for praying that we all have this collectively but not through simply a social lens but through a kingdom lens through a biblical lens through a spiritual lens that that is defined by the heart of God for those who may not understand this conversation and and and therefore may not be able to empathize with it I really want to encourage you to watch a special conversation that took place last week on the east coast between pastor Carl Lentz of Hillsong eastcoast and Bishop TD jakes when encourage you to go out following the service today and look up the Hillsong East Coast YouTube page and watch that with an open heart the fact is we're not all living in the same reality we're not all enjoying the same experience we're not all experiencing the same rights and privileges and it's time for that to change enough is enough come on we're better than this America we're better than this and if our country chooses not to live up to the judeo-christian values that we espouse then come on Church because we're better than that the church is called to be a voice for the unseen and the unheard the church is called to stand for truth and justice the church is called to model equality and equity the church is big enough to love black lives and to love police officers at the same time the church is called to be the difference in the world in fact in Ephesians 3 and verse 10 Paul writes so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places that word manifest is a Greek word that means multi-coloured isn't that amazing Paul is saying that through the multicolored wisdom of God in and through the church he's speaking about the beauty of this church where Jews and Gentiles have been made one family one body one new humanity together that's God's dream God's dream is that the church might be fully integrated fully reconciled fully equal that it might be a fully functioning family and yet for some even that dream has become a nightmare back to Psalm 126 as the people of God were living in Babylon something shifted in their captivity and their nightmare became their dream think about it their dream became a nightmare and then when God intervened their nightmare became their dream after 70 years of captivity in Babylon everything changed in a moment Cyrus the new king made a proclamation allowing all of the Jews to go home you can read about that in Israel chapter 1 and verses 1 through 4 after two generations of living in captivity God turns it around in a moment they were stunned they couldn't believe it it was too good to be true they must have thought somebody pinched me I I must be sleeping I must be dreaming this was an impossible situation and when there was no way through it God made a way because he is a way maker listen to me if God can turn four hundred years of captivity and Egypt around in a day if he can turn 70 years of captivity in Babylon around in a day then he can turn your captivity around in a day it doesn't matter what you're enslaved to it doesn't matter what you're in bondage to it doesn't matter what you captive to it maybe a system of oppression it maybe sickness or disease it may be an addiction or an emotional struggle or a relationship that needs to change but God can turn it around for you because he is a turnaround God he turns things meant for evil into things that are positioned for good Psalm 30 and verse 8 David said I cried to you O Lord I begged the Lord for mercy saying what would you gain if I died if I sink into the grave can my dust praise you can it tell of your faithfulness hear me Lord and have mercy on me help me Lord you have turned my mourning into joyful dancing you have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothe me with joy that I might sing praises to you and not be silent o Lord my god I give you thanks forever I know that we're in a season of lament over the loss of countless black lives but I want you to put your faith on better days even in the midst of our mourning put your hope in the Lord even as we are peacefully protesting put your confidence in the God that can turn your mourning into dancing he is a faithful God who will do what he has promised to do don't give up on your hopes and dreams don't give up on your longings for a better life don't give up on your desire to do whatever it was before the dream became a nightmare I want to encourage you to dream again I believe God has a dream for every person it may be something significant in business that he wants you to partner with him to accomplish it may be something exceptional that has never happened in your family it may be a new groundbreaking venture or a ministry that God has called you to but whatever it is God has planned for your life to be a unique expression of his divine nature at work in the world God has a dream for you elaborate Ephesians 3:20 says in the message God can do anything you know far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams he does it not by pushing us around but by working within us his spirit deeply and gently within us you don't despite what has happened since visions Sunday the global theme for Hillsong Church is still Holy Spirit significance anybody remember vision Sunday seems like years ago I believe the Holy Spirit was positioning us for these unprecedented and unexpected days I believe the theme Holy Spirit significance is more timely than ever before because the Holy Spirit is working significantly to bring something significant out of this moment the psalmist said when the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion we were like those who dream then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy then they said among the nation's the Lord has done great things for them now just before I close here the song show us something really powerful that I want to touch on they show us this wide mountain range of emotions the highs are high and the lows are low and none of that is glossed over in fact you may find a lot of things in the Psalms but what you won't find is hypocracy there is an inert of authenticity in the Psalms but there's also something else that you find there in the midst of the highs and lows you find a God who is faithful that's my final thought when your dream becomes a nightmare then God turns your nightmare into your train you'll find in the midst of it all that God is faithful he is faithful in it all and he is faithful through it all and just as he was faithful to his people in Egypt and Babylon he'll be faithful to his people in our nation and in the nations of the world in this generation I think you can probably see now why this psalm became one of the Psalms of ascent the pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem each year for the feast would have traveled the exact same route that the captives had taken when they returned far earlier in history and they would have marveled at God's faithfulness in returning the captives to Zion as they marched they lamented they laughed and they sang and here's what they declared those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy he who goes out weeping bearing the seed for sowing shall come home with shouts of joy bringing his sheaves with him what are you weeping about these days I want to encourage you to turn your tears into scenes turn your tears into seeds so your tears as prayer bury them deep in the soil of God's promises and if you'll stay faithful you will reap a harvest because God is faithful and he shows himself faithful to those who are faithful can I pray for you today Lord as we gather in this space to worship you to study your word to encourage one another to pray for one another and to stand with each other I just pray that on this week in God you would do something significant in our hearts Lord as we feel the weight of what's happening in the streets of our city make our homes places of peace make our homes safe refuges from the storm make our homes your dwelling place and from that place of peace may we carry peace with us wherever we go may we carry the spirit of peace into our jobs into the streets of our city into our activities this coming week and may we communicate the peace of the kingdom of God in the midst of unrest may you be glorified in these days and may you bring about the kind of change that liberates all people providing freedom and equality for all in Jesus name we pray amen by the way thank you come on somebody by the way speaking about peace and freedom you know the greatest act of God's faithfulness toward humanity is seen in the sending of his son to die for our sins so that we might be forgiven pardoned and set free to live a full and flourishing life Bible says in Romans 10 that if you believe Jesus is God's Son sent to die for you and raised to life for you you will be saved I'd love to lead you in a simple prayer of believing in just a moment your life can be forever changed and when you click off of this service today when you leave this online gathering your life can be at peace with God and your future can be secure can I lead you in this simple prayer of salvation would you just bow your head and close your eyes and pray this after me say dear Heavenly Father I believe Jesus is your son was sent to die for me and raised to life from me so I put my trust in him and from this day forward I will follow you I am a child of God my future is secure today I have a new beginning because of what Jesus did for me thank you for loving me and saving me in Jesus name I pray amen I want to give you a big round of applause [Music] Bible says that there is a celebration taking place in heaven angels are celebrating today because that you've come home to the father's house if you prayed that prayer today I want to encourage you to just click the button saying I've raised my hand or put a high-five or a wave in the chat line we'd love to celebrate that with you and jesus said if you'll acknowledge me before men I will acknowledge you before my father in heaven and with that today as we've been doing every single week I want to close by receiving communion with you why don't you grab whatever is handy it may be as simple as a cracker and a cup of water but take whatever you have and as we receive this what I'm holding the cracker and the juice we received this in remembrance of the beautiful and finished work of Jesus take and eat this represents his body [Music] and now drink this represents his blood shed for you can you just offer gratitude wherever you are lord I thank you Lord I bless you so grateful for your finished work in Jesus name I pray hey thanks for joining us this weekend there is so much more taking place in the life of our church than this service each weekend that we'd love to have you join with us on the journey in an online connect group or at Tuesday mega prayer or at sisterhood on Thursdays our youth and her kids are meeting online there are ages and stage groups connecting and many opportunities each week to serve in City care and so with that today may the Lord bless you and keep you may the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you his peace in Jesus name god bless your church we love you and we look forward to seeing you right here next weekend [Applause]

Channel: Hillsong Phoenix

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Id: OAi6wHCmQ5Y

Length: 54min 1sec (3241 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 07 2020