ARE WE ON PILGRIMAGE ON EARTH AS CHRISTIANS?

ARE WE ON PILGRIMAGE ON EARTH?

Are we on pilgrimage on earth as christian

TEXT :- PSALMS 121 :1-8

¹ I look up to the Mountains—
    does my help come from there?

² My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth!

³ He will not let you stumble;
   the one who watches over you will not         slumber.
⁴ Indeed, he who watches over Israel
    never slumbers or sleeps.

⁵ The Lord himself watches over you!
    The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
⁶ The sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon at night.

⁷ The Lord keeps you from all harm
    and watches over your life.
⁸ The Lord keeps watch over you as you         come and go,
   both now and forever.

Pilgrimage is a journey especially along one ,to some sacred/holy places ,as an act of religious worship,devotion ,prayers and religious activities. 1kings 19:7 says prophet Elijah was hungry ,tired and weary,the Angel woke him up and said"Eat  for the journey is far".

Every christian needs to always eat from the word Of God daily for the journey that is ahead of him/her.(through christian sermons ,literatures ,books and commentaries)

The Bible says in 1Peter 2:11 - Dear beloved, I beseech you as sojourners I.e(stranger,Aliens ,foreigners) and Pilgrims(visitors),

  .Pilgrims always have a time frame

  .After our journey here,we will be going         home.

   .What will be our profile,what will we be        known for? Weakness,Anger ,malice ,          theft or we will be known for Good                things. what will people learn from our        life?

Abstain fleshy(sexual) lust which warreth against your body ,soul , spirit.

     .sinful sexual desires are an enemy of          our spiritual Health.

      .Many of the come from our corrupt             sinful nature.

       .these things weakens and destroys              the church,let's be careful as                          Christians. it is like an invasive poison          to the body ,soul and spirit of a                   christian.

Psalms 121::- Its a song of ascend,It is called the pilgrims Hymn/song(120 -134). They were sung by worshippers as they ascended the road to Jerusalem (Jerusalem  it is surrounded by three valleys from the east ,south and west, North is the desert of Judea). They went there for worship festivals.

 Deu.16:16 list the three types of the festivals:- 

    .Feast of unleavened bread

    .Feast of weeks

    .Feast of tabernacle.

Our duty and delight as must always be to offer our worship and sacrifice of good works to God our father.

THE THREE(3) PERSPECTIVES OF ASCENDING

(1). We ascend to the holy city physically I.e to Jerusalem and we called it JP.

(2). We ascend to God in worship , we lift ourselves and spirits to his throne.,we move out of the valley of our pride ,lack of reverence, to offer God worship in truth and in spirit.

(3). Our lives is a process of preparing for ascension to heaven, Our christian lives should be with the consciousness of that. Everyone will live forever,where will you live as a christian after tour journey here?

I LIFT UP MY EYES TO THE HILLS ::- The psalmist looks not because of the scenes, aesthetic views but with a heavy heart, why?

   .He was with his family

   .mountains were a hide out for thieves         ,mountain lions ,Grizzly bears etc

    .The terrain was hard to ply on.

FROM WHERE WILL MY HELP COME FROM?

As Christians ,what are we trusting in? Is it in our intellect ,planning ability ,or the connections we have.

Let us not look to the creations for help but to the creator of Heaven and earth, praise God. My help will come from the maker of heaven and earth. AMEN

Ps 121:3 - 8 THE CHARACTER OF GOD

It talks of the character of God,He is our protector and guardian while we are on our journey here and even when we leave this earth.

He will keep an eye on me and lead me, never allowing me to stumble or fall.

God keeps me safe;He won't forget me or ignore me ever.

He will never sleep or lie down;He is the God - guardian for Israel and every christian on earth.

We will be watched over by Yahweh himself;He is always by your side to provide a safe heaven for you in his presence.

He is keeping you safe at all times, day and night. As long as he watches over you, he will shield you from any evil or disaster.

God will guard you personally. When you leave your home, you will be secure, and when you return, you will be safe.

He will safeguard you both now and in the future!

AMEN

PRAYER 

1.Father, I am grateful that You are always there for me when I need you.

2.Father, I am grateful that You never sleep or slumber over my life's issues.

3.I won't be afraid of my foes because You are my shield, God.

4.I declare that God's hands are heavily protecting me.

5.Today, I declare that I am safe from all of today's evil attacks. 

Amen