The Call of the Mountains Psalm 121:1 – “I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help?” (NKJV)

The mountains are a part of God’s creation and they have played a wonderful part in His dealings with man (Ararat, Moriah, Sinai). The race had its beginning in the Garden of Eden, but after the fall, its record was written against a background of mountains. The mountains stand as sentinels, and call forth our looking up.

1. THEIR CALL IS A CALL TO HEIGHTS:
   1. We cannot answer this call short of being made higher. If we aren’t higher now than we were when first called, then we have failed.
   2. Some heights to which we are called:
      1. High Thinking:
         1. Proverbs 23:7 – We need the best literature to stimulate our thinking.
         2. Philippians 4:8-9
         3. 2 Corinthians 10:5
      2. High feeling:
         1. Matthew 14:14
         2. John 11:33-36
         3. Matthew 9:35-38
      3. High will – Great motives will help us to attain this height. We should act from convictions.
         1. Acts 5:29 – men will call on us to do many things contrary to the will of God in business, pleasure and religion.
         2. Acts 21:7-14 – nothing could keep Paul from doing his duty.
2. THEIR CALL IS A CALL FROM THE WAYS OF THE WORLD:
   1. It has been said that no where else do we get more completely away from the world and its influences than on a mountain.
   2. To please the Lord, there must be and continue to be a definite change in our characters, but unless we get away from the world and its influence the change is not likely to take place.
      1. Romans 12:2
      2. Colossians 3:2
3. SOME BLESSINGS WHICH FOLLOW THE CALL OF THE MOUNTAINS:
   1. A righteous life and a clear conscience. It is not enough to just state what we believe, but the time is now to lay more emphasis on how men should live.
   2. A greater vision – just like how little the average man sees in relationship to the kingdom and his own potential (John 4:35). Illustration: In relation to our own potential… Two caterpillars are walking along and one looks up and sees a beautiful butterfly and says: “Boy, I sure wouldn’t be caught that high.”
   3. The closer we are to God, the easier it is to overcome temptations, and safer we will be from sin.
      1. 1 Corinthians 10:13.
   4. Happiness.
   5. Peace – The peace that comes to the soul as a result of consciousness of the presence and the approval of God is worth more than all the world can give put together.
      1. Romans 5:1
      2. Isaiah 26:3

the late Wayne Holland

from a sermon preached at:

Hayesville, NC (5/2/1982)

Roxboro, NC (2/11/1990)

Roxboro, NC (7/14/1992)