The Keeper of the Way

"The Keeper of the Way"

Psalm 121,  Jude 1:24–25

 Kobe Union Church    March 15, 2026

Preacher    Pastor Mark Bartsch

This sermon leads us directly into Holy Week. Since I will be in Australia next Sunday, I wanted to share this message with you a week early. Next week, Brother Roy will lead us in a Praise and Worship service, and the following week we will fill this sanctuary, waving palm branches and laying down our coats as we celebrate our Lord entering Jerusalem for the last time.

Just a few pastoral care notes while I am away. If something happens while I am in Australia and you have pastoral care needs, you can still email me. If there is a sudden hospitalization or God forbid a funeral, please contact me and also Stephanie. She is ordained and will either officiate or assist in the preparations.  Since today we are speaking about the Lord as our Keeper, I want you to know that while I am out of the country, things will go well here at the church, and you will be taken care of. And please pray for me and my students. Fourteen of our students will be traveling to Australia for a homestay, and most of them will be staying with Christian families. Please pray for protection during our travels and that the love of God would be clearly seen by my students during this time.

As we look at Psalm 121 today, we see the heart of that journey. Psalm 121 is one of the Songs of Ascents. There are fifteen of these psalms in total, from Psalm 120 to Psalm 134. These were the songs sung by the Jewish people as they traveled up to Jerusalem for the great annual feasts—Passover, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Booths. Three times a year faithful Jews made the climb to worship the Lord in Jerusalem. Each feast remembered something important God had done for His people. Passover remembered the night God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. God told the people to sacrifice a lamb and place its blood on the doorposts of their homes. When the angel of death passed through Egypt and saw the blood, he passed over those homes. The meal marked the night before Israel walked out of Egypt and began their journey to freedom. The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) came fifty days after Passover and celebrated the wheat harvest. The people brought the first fruits of their crops to thank God for His provision. In the New Testament, this feast gained deeper meaning when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers, just as Jesus had promised.

The Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) remembered the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. During the feast, the people lived in temporary shelters to remember how their ancestors lived in tents while God led them through the desert and faithfully provided for them.

These were the festivals pilgrims were traveling to celebrate as they sang the Songs of Ascents on their way to Jerusalem. So three times a year people packed up their families and traveled to Jerusalem. Some came from nearby villages; others walked for days. And as they made their way along dusty roads, climbing the hills toward the city of God, they sang these Songs of Ascents. That is the setting of Psalm 121—a traveler on the road, looking up at the hills, remembering that the Lord who delivered Israel, provided for them, and guided them through the wilderness is the same Lord who watches over them still. The journey to Jerusalem was not easy. The city sits high above the surrounding regions, about 750 meters above sea level. Pilgrims walked long distances through rough and dangerous roads. To go from Jericho to Jerusalem meant an elevation gain of over 1,000 meters. To put that in perspective, it is only about 900 meters from JR Ashiya Station to the top of Mt. Rokko. There were no cable cars or buses. Everyone except the very wealthy had to walk—better said, climb.

When was the last time you climbed to the top of Mt. Rokko? I do it about six to ten times a year, and I am winded when I reach the top. And I do not have to worry about wild animals (Wild boars but they are not that dangerous) or thieves. Pilgrims did. 

It is here that the psalm begins: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” (Psalm 121:1). This is not a romantic Sound of Music, “Climb Every Mountain” moment. The hills were places of real danger. Bandits often operated along those roads. In the valleys you could see what was in front of you, but in the mountains you could only see as far as the next bend. You did not know what was ahead until you came upon it, much like life. So the question is not poetic. It is honest. When trouble comes, where will you turn? The answer follows immediately: “My help comes from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2). The pilgrim does not trust the hills. He looks beyond them for his help. His help comes from the LORD, the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And not just any god—the One who made heaven and earth. The Creator is greater than the road, greater than the danger, and greater than the weakness of the traveler.

Last week was test week at my school, and I saw a group of boys studying in the library (great). They were not the brighter students in my classes, and they were all asking each other what this or that meant so they would not fail the test. But sitting two tables over were a group of brighter girls who actually knew the answers. And I, their teacher, was sitting only a few seats away. Yet they were seeking help from people who wanted to help but couldn’t. Often giving them the incorrect answer. Eventually I went over and helped them, and when they started studying Kokugo—(Classical Japanese) I directed them to the girls who could help. Where does my help come from? SEEK HELP FROM THOSE THAT CAN HELP YOU!!! A lot of us ask the wrong source. We look for help from people or places that cannot really give it. And here in Japan there are many people who do not know where the real source of help is. Part of our calling us as believers is to point people to the One who can truly help. At the heart of this psalm is the Hebrew word shamar, which means “to keep” or “to guard.” It appears six times in eight verses. The repetition is intentional. God is not occasionally attentive. He is constantly keeping His people.

We might think of a “keeper” like a soccer goalie, and the word “Keeper” comes from the old English word kipen used in the King James Bible, which means to guard or protect something of great value. And do you know what that thing of great value is? It is YOU. Verse 3 says: “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber.” (v.3) The pilgrim’s greatest fear on a steep path is slipping. One loose stone, one careless step, and the fall could be fatal. Jerusalem’s roads were narrow and uneven. A misstep could end the journey. And there were no life flights like on Rokko Mountain. But the psalmist says God will not allow your foot to slip outside of His sovereign care. This does not mean believers never stumble physically or suffer harm. Scripture never promises that. What it means is that nothing happens outside the watchful keeping of God. His purposes stand even when the path is hard. Even when we do not understand the terrain, He does.

Then the psalm says: “Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (v. 4) The gods of the nations slept. In the story where Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, he mocked them and said, “Shout louder! Baal is asleep. Wake him up.” (1 Kings 18:27) Their god had to be stirred. But the LORD never sleeps. He does not grow tired. He does not get distracted. He does not take a day off. The Keeper is always on duty. While you sleep, He does not. While you are unaware, He is fully aware. His guarding is constant. “The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand.” (v. 5) Shade in the ancient Near East was not a comfort; it was survival. Think of Jonah when his plant died—how unpleasant it was. The sun in that region can kill. To say the LORD is your shade is to say He stands between you and the thing of danger. I have never been to Spain. As a kid, I wanted to go to a bullfight to see these brave men stand in a ring with bulls. That is neither here nor there for my message, but here is an interesting fact about bullfights: proximity to the ring has little bearing on the cost of a ticket, like boxing or basketball. Do you know what impacts the price of a ticket? Whether the seat is in the shade or not.

The Lord puts us in His shade. We sometimes think God’s help and love must look dramatic. But often His keeping looks like quiet protection—like a cloud passing in front of the hot sun. “The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.” (v. 6) Day and night—this covers everything. Visible dangers and unseen fears. The ancient world even associated the moon with mental distress and instability. Whether the threat is physical, emotional, or spiritual, the Lord’s keeping extends over it all. And if you have ever talked to an ER nurse or doctor, they will tell you that when there is a full moon, things go crazy in hospitals.

Then we read: “The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will watch over your life.” (Psalm 121:7) At first hearing, that raises an important question. If the Lord keeps His people from all evil, why do believers still suffer? Why are Christians sometimes persecuted, imprisoned, or even killed for their faith?

Scripture is honest about this reality. Some followers of Christ have suffered greatly for their faith. Some have even given their lives. Many of Jesus’ own disciples eventually faced martyrdom. Jesus even told Peter that when he was older he would be led where he did not want to go. “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” (John 21:18) Scripture tells us this was spoken to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Church tradition holds that Peter the Apostle was later martyred in Rome for his faith.

So this promise cannot mean that nothing painful or difficult will ever happen to God’s people. The Bible never promises that those who trust the Lord will avoid hardship. Faithful people still walk through sickness, loss, disappointment, and danger. I know that difficult and challenging things have happened in my own life as well, and yet through those moments I could still see that God was protecting and keeping me.

What the psalm promises is something deeper and greater. It means that evil never has the final word over the people of God. It means nothing can ultimately destroy the life God has given. Our lives are held securely in His hands. The keeping of God is not simply a promise for fifty or a hundred years—it is a promise that reaches into eternity.

The psalm concludes: “The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:8) Every step. Every departure. Every return. From now—and forever. This same promise appears again in the closing words of the Epistle of Jude. Jude was writing to a church under pressure, surrounded by false teaching and spiritual confusion. Yet he ends with one of the most powerful assurances in the New Testament: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy…” (Jude 24–25)

Notice that word again: keep. The same promise. The same faithful God. Our salvation does not ultimately depend on our ability to hold on to God, but on His ability to hold on to us.

The phrase “keep you from stumbling” pictures a traveler walking along a dangerous path. The road may be steep and slippery. We may struggle. We may feel weak. But the Keeper ensures that His people will not experience a final, fatal fall.

This is the same truth spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.” (40:30–31) Human strength fades. Human attention wanders. But God’s does not. The covenant God who made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the same God who guards those promises today. He is not merely watching from a distance. He is keeping.

As the pilgrims sang these words on their way to Jerusalem, there was one final journey to that city that fulfilled everything this psalm anticipated. Jesus made that ascent knowing it would lead to His crucifixion. When He entered the city, the crowd shouted: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:9) “Hosanna” means “Save us.” The cry for help in Psalm 121 finds its personal answer in Christ.

The Maker of heaven and earth entered His own creation. He walked the same dangerous road as the pilgrims. He faced the heat of the sun, the darkness of night, the threat of violence, and the betrayal of friends. He did not remain distant from our realities; He stepped into them.

If we want to understand how God “keeps” His people, we must look at the cross.

On the cross, evil appeared to win. Jesus was struck. He was exposed. He was abandoned. But through the resurrection, God defeated sin and death at their root. This is how God keeps His people from ultimate evil—not by preventing all suffering, but by conquering what would ultimately destroy us.

That is why the letter of Epistle of Jude can conclude with such confidence:

“To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” (Jude 25)

The God who has authority over all time is the Savior who holds your life today.

We must respond by recognizing that we are not the keepers of our own lives. Much of our anxiety comes from believing everything depends on us—our vigilance, our planning, our control. But Scripture reminds us: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7)

Modern chariots may be bank accounts, careers, health, or reputation. None of them can ultimately keep you. All of them can fail. Your Keeper does not.

As we approach Holy Week, remember this: the road to Jerusalem led to suffering before it led to glory. The keeping of God does not always look like immediate relief. Sometimes it looks like strength to endure. Sometimes it looks like faith that holds steady in the dark.

But because Jesus died and rose again, your sin does not have the final word. Your suffering does not have the final word. Evil does not have the final word. The promise of Psalm 121 and the assurance of Epistle of Jude rest not on your grip on God, but on His grip on you.

He is the One who steadies your feet on uneven ground.He is the One who does not sleep.He is the One who brings His people home.

“My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2)

And that help has been revealed fully in Jesus Christ, who is able to keep His people from stumbling and to present us before His glorious presence with great joy. Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. In Psalm 121 1–2, the writer says his help comes from the Lord.Where do people today usually look for help or security?

2. The psalm says God watches over us day and night.How does it encourage you to know that God never sleeps and is always aware of your life?

3. The sermon explained that trusting God does not mean life will be easy.How can we trust God even when we are going through difficult situations?

4. Because of Jesus Christ, evil and suffering do not have the final word.How does the death and resurrection of Jesus give you hope for the future?