If you have your Bibles, as we announced this morning, we'll be in Psalm 120 together, Psalm 120. I did want to start by saying thank you to the college seniors that are graduating. I know I didn't get a chance to meet you, but I know many of you have served faithfully in this ministry over the years. And for some, this may be your last Sunday here at Faith as you move on to other places of work and ministry. And I just want to say thank you on behalf of the many that you have served over these last times. We're in Psalm 120. As you're turning there, you will notice that there is an inscription above that psalm. Some of your Bibles will say a song of ascents, others will say a song of degrees, others still will say the psalm of ascents, and you will also notice if you scroll forward that the next several psalms have the same inscription. And these run beginning in Psalm 120 all the way to Psalm 134. And this is the only place in the whole psalm book where we have such a large cluster of psalms that all come under the same heading. And the reason for this cluster is that these 15 Psalms were originally their own hymn book. And they were later added to the Psalter, the entire Psalm book. Now, when I say that, understand, they were inspired when they were first written. In fact, they were inerrant when they were first written. But Psalm 120 to Psalm 134 founded a small hymn book of their own for Israel. And then as the psalm book was put together, they were included as part of the psalms. Now you may know that the book of Psalms was put together over five different stages. It was not written in one time. You might come to it and you might see it as one psalm book, but it was written in five stages over a period of time. In fact, it took some, almost a thousand years to read, write all of the psalms that we have in our psalm book that are kind of housed in the middle of our Bibles. Psalm 90 was written, it was the first psalm, it was written in approximately 1445 B.C., and Psalm 150 was the last psalm, and it was written in approximately 400 B.C., so this book, that took about a thousand years to write, was collected over five periods of time, all of these psalms were put together, but Psalm 120 to Psalm 134 is the original, kind of psalter these 15, and if you were a child that grew up in the time of Israel, these 15 would have been the ones you knew the most. They were the Psalms of ascent, and we're not talking about your nose, right? We're talking about an ascension up something. It refers to ascending up a hill. Jerusalem is situated at approximately 2,700 feet above sea level. And yet, it is a very short distance from the Mediterranean Sea, and perhaps nowhere else in the world is there such a difference in typography in such a small area. To go from sea level to 2,700 feet above sea level, to go from the sea level to Jerusalem is an ascent, really, of a half a mile or more. And as worshipers would come to Jerusalem, they would literally have to climb up a mountain, up a hill to come to Mount Zion where Jerusalem was built. And those people around Israel would do this three times a year. They would do this on three different times. If they were obedient followers of the Jewish scriptures, they would make a pilgrimage to Israel and they would do it three times a year. They would do it to celebrate the Passover, they would do it to celebrate Pentecost, and they would do it again to celebrate the Tabernacle of the Feast. And as they would make this journey three times a year, they would be traveling up a hill and they would be singing Psalm 120 to one Psalm 134. And there would be a caravan of families traveling together and singing. You're familiar at least a little bit about this caravan of families if you read Luke 2. Sometimes you read Luke 2 and you think, how is it that Jesus' family left and they forgot him? Well, they were traveling in these caravans and probably singing these psalms even as they came back down the hill. And this would be a wonderful worship experience. It would be like going to camp or a retreat, if you will. It was entirely focused on God. And Psalm 120, is placed first in this cluster, and the reason is because of what we read in a moment in verse 5, in which the psalmist, and again, we don't know the author of this psalm, much like we don't know the author of many of the psalms, and he says in Psalm 120, verse 5, that he lives, he says, and I sojourn in Meshach. Now, Meshach is in Asia Minor, up in the area north of the Black Sea in present-day Georgia. And that is a long way to come to Jerusalem. And he says in verse five, I dwell in the tents of Qadar. This is the area of Arabia to the south and the east. And so we get the picture that from the north, south, and east, they would make their pilgrimage from a long distance at times to get to Jerusalem, and it would take multiple weeks to arrive. Right? We don't get on an airplane to get there like we do. Right? Even then, sometimes I feel like I'm taking my life in my hands nowadays. You just never know what's going to happen with the airlines. At least I feel that way. I don't know if you feel that way. But certainly they're not going to get in. It's going to take multiple weeks to get there. And this psalm, Psalm 120, is placed first to begin with those who are the furthest north, the furthest away from Jerusalem that would be traveling to celebrate on these three occasions. As we come through these Psalms, we'll come to Psalm 134, and as we finally come to the final one, we find their footsteps dwelling in Jerusalem. Psalm 134, verse 1 says, All ye servants of the Lord which by night stand in the house of the Lord, lift up your hands in the sanctuary. And so they finally made their way from Meshach and Kadar, and they've made their way finally to Jerusalem and they celebrate. So Psalm 134 would be the climatic psalm as a result of the journey, whereas Psalm 120 is the psalm that starts the journey. Now I do all that because I want you to put yourselves in that place. We do not know how far away they were, but we do know that they were living in a mixed culture where there were many unbelievers. There were many that would kind of even mock them for the journey that they're about to take three times a year. And we know that they were suffering much persecution and much oppression, and as they lived their life amongst pagans, the world would ridicule them for following the true God. And as they would sing along the way, they would no doubt be slandered and mocked for their devotion to Yahweh, and they stood out as lights in a dark generation. And when you stand out that way, I want you to know as the psalmist begins his psalm, it's not easy. Look what he says in Psalm 120b verse 1 as they begin this journey. In my distress, I cried to the Lord and he heard me. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee, or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty with coals of juniper. Woe is me that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell in the tents of Kadar. My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war. You know, sometimes, after a long day of work, I can be totally exhausted, and I'm sure there are others that feel the same way. And you just feel just plum exhausted. And for me, I'll tell you, and I'm sure many parents feel the same, The thing that recharges my batteries, it doesn't matter how tired I am, I love to come home to my three little ones, and their energy just is exuberant, and I feel the recharge. Now, I can't say I always feel that, but most of the time I do. There's something about being with your family. And it's interesting, with kids, they never lose their energy, do they? They wake up, certainly our Eli is this way. They wake up at 100 miles per hour, and then they just crash, and then they wake up at 100 miles an hour. That's just kind of how his whole life revolves, right? Now, for these sojourners who first sang Psalm 120, you can imagine how especially meaningful it would have been to come with other believers and come together on these three pinnacle times during the year. and to come together and to worship together and to get energized in a wearying world. But as they do, they recognize that there's a lot of mocking about them. But for them, it was worth the journey. It was worth it to get together, to get their families together, to take however long it took. It was abundantly worth it to pause and worship with others who shared the same true values. And they made this journey because of their commitment to the Lord. They made this journey because it refreshed their soul. For this brief parenthesis in time, they would leave the world behind, and they would gather with God's people in God's house, and it was worth it. I think the application, before we go further in this psalm, should be abundantly clear at this time. Wherever you live, it is worth the effort to be with other believers in God. It is worth it. Wherever you live in this city, I am thankful for you tonight that you made the extra effort to be here. To you, it was worth it to come to church again on an evening because it was abundantly worth it to gather with other believers. And you would make your way down all those stoplights, and there is a ridiculous amount of stoplights And it was worth it to you to get through all those stoplights to come to church, to turn off the TV after the Red Sox won. I'm thankful the Red Sox won. And then to come in to church, it was worth it. And that's the dynamic they felt in Psalm 120. Keep walking, keep trusting, it's worth it. And they were willing to come from afar, from wide, to come together. And I thank the Lord you're here tonight. I thank the Lord that you hold this common commitment with my heart. It is worth it to be with believers. But having said that, let's look at this psalm more carefully. Let me give you the overview before we walk through it, and it's a wonderful psalm to stand in its shadows, but I want you to note something. It's a kind of a challenging psalm in this regard. Psalm 119 is really kind of the Everest of psalms, isn't it? I mean, it is just immaculate. And Psalm 121, we'll get to next week, and even Psalm 122, write themselves. I mean, they are easy to preach. I'm looking forward to it. But Psalm 120 is a somewhat neglected psalm, sandwiched between some mammoth psalms. But sometimes when you look at the mountains, the valleys become really pretty. And so in between what we may think of as some mammoth psalms, I want us to bask in Psalm 120 for a moment. And as we bask there, there's a truth, you know to be true, that's seldom talked about, but it's very real. And that is that the world we live in is wearying, troubling, and often discouraging. It really is. And this Psalm is all about trouble. The songwriter, the singer is far from Jerusalem, distant from God in a faraway land. And you might wonder why the Psalms of ascent, which we read will end with joy in 134, begin with trouble. Why not start the journey energized? Hey, if I'm gonna gather together for you for a camp meeting, I might rally the troops. This is gonna be awesome, can't wait to do this. But he doesn't start that way at all. He starts this way. And nobody likes trouble. But people, God can use trouble to draw you closer to him. In fact, the starting point of our journey is always discontent with this world. That we might find our complete contentment in God. Our home is another place and although we should enjoy the good gifts God gives to us in this world, we are never fully comfortable in this world because we never should be. We are journeying for something more and so Psalm 120 starts our journey by teaching us about how we should respond to a world that is deeply troubling and often discouraging. And as it shows us, it shows us that God is there even when the pains of this world seem at times to be overwhelming. And there may be some in this room this evening that there really are hurting. And there is a growing tide coming against you and you feel like your head is going under the water. And what do you do in a wearying world? Well, number one, if you're in a weary world, you can run to God. You can run to God when you are weary in this world. The psalmist is very transparent with us. He is not trying to hide the fact that he has troubles and he has distress. He says in verse one, I call on the Lord in my distress. Sometimes well-meaning preachers will give this idea to their congregation. They'll say if you commit your life to the Lord Jesus and you follow him, all of your problems will evaporate and go away. Or if you have any problems that remain, it's just because you have a lack of faith and you just need to name it and claim it and your problems will go away. And they give this kind of idea that somehow if you follow Jesus, life will be peaches and cream. But nothing is further from the truth. God has promised to save us through our trouble, but not from all our trouble. And the psalmist is honest. He is not giving false hope. I want you to say that if you live your life always trying to escape trouble, you will be like water trying to find the lowest point in your life. You will always be there and you will always take the path of least resistance, but God's will is not found in the path of least resistance. And what is the trouble that is facing the psalmist here? What is it that is plaguing him? What is it that is wearying him? And not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but I still think it's important for us to note as we start, what is the problem? that he is facing, and you'll see it there in verses two and three. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee, or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue. And so the psalmist, we know his trouble is he's being attacked. He is being falsely accused by unbelievers. He's being attacked by the community. Their lives are standing out as lights, and darkness doesn't like light. And so he runs to God, and what he does, he recognizes that our best defense is real and not imaginary. When the psalmist finds himself wrongfully slandered, he runs to God, and the reason why is simple, and yet it's also remarkable. God is real, and he really hears when you pray. In my distress, I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me. When you pray, the God who created all things, the God who is bigger than the universe, pays attention to you. He hears your word. Never take that for granted. God is real. In fact, the Hebrew words unto the Lord in that verse come first in that verse and are meant to be emphasized. That's who he's coming to. Everyone cries out when they are in trouble, but what matters is who you cry out to. If I am sinking in the swimming pool and I cry out to a toddler, he's not going to do much. But if I cry out to a lifeguard, he can help. And so he cries out to the Lord and he believes that God was real. Jesus would expand on this belief when he says in John 16, verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he will not give it unto you, hitherto have you asking nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full. The word translated distress in this verse. really means trouble or anguish. In other words, trouble is closing in all around you. You are in great anguish because you don't see a way out. And apart from God, there is no way out. To illustrate the existence of God, Frederick Nietzsche said in 1889, have you heard, have you not heard rather of the madman? who lit a lamp in the bright morning and went to the marketplace crying ceaselessly, I seek God, I seek God. There were many among them standing there who didn't believe in God, so he made them laugh and said, is God lost? And one standing there who didn't believe in God laughed and said, well, has he gone astray like a child, said another. Or is he hiding? Has he gone on board a ship and emigrated? And they laughed and shouted to one another. And the man sprang into their midst and looked daggers at them and said, where is God? He cried, I will tell you where he is. We have killed him, you and I, we are his killers. But now have we done this? How have we done this? How could we swallow up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the horizon? What will we do as the earth is set loose from its sun? We have killed him because we have forgotten him, end quote. Nietzsche's point was not that God doesn't exist, his point was that God has become irrelevant to us. Men and women assert that God exists but practically they don't really lean on God like they should. Friend, God is not an imaginary fairy god in the sky, he is real. And our best defense is real and it is not imaginary and therefore our best defense is spiritual and not verbal. And the psalmist begins with a general fact. God is real. And then he asks God to deliver him from specific troubles that he faces, which in his case is slander. The word save here means to deliver or to rescue or to snatch away. And the psalmist is surrounded by liars and slanderers and he asks God to save, to deliver him, to snatch him away. The word deceitful is a word that means treacherous. It is related to the word that means to shoot an arrow. In other words, they have said things that shoot, they sting, they hurt. These are nasty, cutting, wounding lies that damage your reputation and they pierce like sharp arrows and deceit implies intent. They are intentionally, purposefully pulling him down. And what does he do? Maybe you've heard it say, well, smarts cannot extinguish sparks. Do you notice what he does? It's a hard lesson to learn. Waging war on our knees is far more beneficial than waging a war of words. And instead of recording for us the snarky comeback that he had to those who would say something mean to him, oh, you say that about me, well, instead we record that this man gets on his knees before the Lord. This is a tough lesson for all of us to learn. Because we would rather, wouldn't we, wage a war of wits than a war on our knees before God. For myself, I did, for my junior and senior year of high school, I did debate, and I did it all the way through college as well, and I found myself loving debate. That's not helpful in these cases. Proverbs says in 15 verse one, a soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger. How many friendships have been ruined because there's no peacemaker? There was no one who could turn away the harsh words with a soft response better than the man who's on his knees before God. Your best defense is spiritual and not verbal. So what do you do? You keep walking. Have you ever been lied to? Been lied about? It hurts, doesn't it? Lies about you are never good. Nobody lies to make you better. I feel like they always lie to make you worse, and they hurt. What do you do? Well, you can totally run to God. The psalmist knew the pain of words. He recognized, I can run to God, but as I run to him, I can completely put my confidence in him. And number two, you can rely on God when you are weary in this world. The second application is this, know that God will judge the wicked. The awful and overwhelming wrath of God awaits those who persecute with the tongue. The judgment of this man comes in the deterioration of his own character and the lost confidence and love of his neighbor and in the just judgment of God and those who slander will always be brought into God's hall of justice. And so we can rely on God to take care of it because God's judgment on the slanderer is always appropriate. When preaching on this particular psalm, Charles Spurgeon put it this way, the law of retaliation can hardly meet the case since none can slander the slanderer. He is too black to be blackened. Neither would any of us blacken him if we could, wretched being. He fights with weapons which true men cannot touch. Like the cuttlefish, he surrounds himself with an inky blackness into which honest men cannot penetrate. Like the found skunk, Spurgeon continues, he emits an odor of falsehood which cannot be endured by truth and therefore he often escapes unchastised by those whom he has most injured. His crime, in a certain sense, becomes his shield. Men do not care to encounter such a base fellow lest they stink like him. But what will God do with lying tongues? Spurgeon says, he has uttered his most terrible threat against them. He will terribly execute them in due time, end quote. And so the psalmist asks, what shall be given unto thee, thou false tongue? Nothing that you or I could ever do could cure the weary world that continues to punch against light as best they could. And so he says, this is what will happen. Sharp arrows of the mighty, burning coals, that's the reply. The tongue, which itself is said to be a sharp sword, is to be transfixed by sharp arrows. And the tongue, which itself is said to be a fire, is to be consumed by burning coals. As the sin, so the sorrow and shame. This reminds me of Gilbert and Sullivan's. The punishment fits the crime, right? And so the tongue that is deceitful, that is hurt, will be hurt itself. In fact, Proverbs 26 put it this way, whoso diggeth a pit shall fall in therein, and he that rolls a stone, it will return upon him. I need someone to proofread my verses. In other words, a man reaps what he sows. You might call it poetic justice. But what it means here in Psalm 120 is that God's judgment is appropriate. I wanna pause here because there are two sides to this. On the one hand, There may be some that are being hurt and you need to recognize, you need to let, as Paul told us in the book of Romans, vengeance is mine, I will repay. And there may be others on the other side of the towing that have the cruel tongue and you need to know God will judge the fiery tongue with fiery arrows. And by the way, God's judgment on the slanderer is assured, it's a guarantee. While judgment is appropriate, it's also certain We learn from Psalm 120 that this judgment is actually quite severe. The arrows speak of the suddenness of this judgment, the fact that they are a warrior's sharp arrow of skill and the accuracy he draws his bow. And when God draws his bow, as Jonathan Edwards rightly remarked in his sermon, Sinners and the Angry God, when God draws his bow of justice, he never misses. And so he draws his bow and the coals speak of the severity of this judgment. The coals are said to be from the broom tree. The broom tree is a tree about 12 feet in height. It was known for its exceptionally hard wood. And from this exceptionally hard wood, it would produce exceptionally hot charcoal that would retain its heat for a long period of time. This is what they would use, especially during the winter months, because it would hold its heat for so long. And so he says, these calls, that's the kind of call that's coming. It's not gonna quickly be snuffed out. These verses in Psalm 120 are both a warning to the wicked and a reassurance to the righteous that God will punish every sin. Exodus 34 verse seven says, God does not leave the guilty unpunished. Nahum 1 verse three says, the Lord is slow to anger and great in power. He will not acquit the wicked. Romans 12 verse 19, dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, for it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. It's not your place to judge the sin of others, so when people attack you, love them and forgive them and pray for them, but also recognize, as the Lord said in his Sermon on the Mount, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you. You can do all that knowing God is the righteous judge. You might look at a wearying world and say, how is it that a God in heaven can possibly allow such rampant wickedness? I mean, I don't know about you, but it's almost gotten to the point where you can't even turn on the news with your kids in the room. Feels that way. I don't even know if it feels that way. I think it is that way. Is God gonna judge wicked behavior? He is. Does that motivate my prayer life for the wicked? It does. Should you as well. Many times we are hurt, we are tempted ultimately to get even, but the shafts of denigration that we have will miss the mark, but not so with the arrows of God. The coals of malice that we have will cool, but not so with the coals of a mighty God and the fire of justice. You may be tempted to get even, but be assured that you need to rely on God. But thirdly, and finally, remember God when you are weary in this world. And as we come to the end of this text, a purpose is reaffirmed for those who are being slandered. Friend, if you have gone through a slanderous situation, either you have a tortoise's hide and it just hasn't gotten to you, or you just haven't lived long enough. Those are the two kinds of people there are. And so it is that we are to be reminded of God in the midst of slander. We remember God, and as we are in the midst of a world that we have to be honest, it is wearying, and it is troubling, and it does feel like it just keeps getting darker. What do we do? Number one, we'd be discerning as we remember God. Note verse five. Woe is me, he says, that I sojourn in Meshach, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar. The psalmist wasn't so concerned about rhyming in his poetry, as we'll learn as we go through the Psalms of Attent, as he was about getting across logical messages. And the logical message of this text is seen, as we understand, Meshach and Kedar in the Old Testament. Meshach, he was the son of Japheth, spoken of in Genesis 2. or Genesis 10, rather, and his children came to live in the area, as we noted at the beginning of the sermon, surrounding the Black Sea, and their reputation of the children of Meshach is one of cruelty. These are evil, cruel people. And Kedar, he was the son of Ishmael. You ought to know that Ishmael was not the son of promise, and would come to be known as a wild man. You just push around, a bull in a china shop. And there can be little question that the names that are used, typically here in the Psalms, are used to convey something. Here's what the psalmist is saying. Woe is me, for I live in the midst of a culture filled with cruel people, like Meshach, who are wild men wanting to do me harm, like Kadar. Does that sound like 2023 just a little bit to you? What do you do? Well, that's discernment. That's where we are. As we are in this pilgrimage, the reality is we are surrounded by those with sharp wits and sharp tongues who will use what they can to tear down God's messengers and God's church and denigrate God's reputation by denigrating the people that claim to follow God. And they are wicked and they are evil. And discernment then is more than just a process. Even from the most material or nitty gritty matters, there is a spirit work that ought to be nudging us, leading us, even pulling us. It is indeed an essential discipline of God's children to learn to be discerning in an ever darkening environment. To learn to constantly come back to the light, and I think it draws in well to the Psalms of Ascent. Here are these people that are dwelling in a dark culture, and as they begin this journey, they are singing about such a dark culture, but they are singing about it together with other believers in the same right values to remind them that the only way to penetrate darkness is with the light of God's truth. And the best way to grow in God's truth is to grow together with God's people. Say, how do I learn to be discerning? Well, I learn to be discerning in God's word as I study God's word with God's brethren. Again, I highlight, that's why I'm thankful for a crowd such as this that says, I wanna come back again on a Sunday night because I value that kind of learning and discernment as I see the way our culture's going, I wanna know the truth that's found in God's word. And by the way, as I learn God's truth, I'm gonna be devoted to peace. As the psalmist closes this passage, he assesses his situation rather honestly, as he has done throughout the entire psalm, and I think perhaps this is why we love the Book of Psalms. We love the Book of Psalms because of their brunt honesty. At times, you might find yourself in doubt, and there's a psalm for you. At the times you find yourself discouraged, certainly this would be the kind of psalm for you. If you find yourself, it's almost like the psalms are the emotions of the spirit, it feels like at times. And I think that's why so many of us in this room, if you've been saved at any length of time, you probably have a favorite psalm or two. depending on what situation in life you were in. Whether it be the death of a loved one, you might have a psalm for that. Or a discouraging time, you might have a psalm for that. Some of you may have gone through cancer and there was a psalm that really encouraged you through that. It's just an amazing book because of its honesty. And so he's honest here. He says in verse six, my soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. He's being honest. He knows that he is being surrounded by those who would rather not live in peace, but what is his commitment? I am for peace. When they speak, they are for war, but I am for peace is literally, really, you'll know that the word for in I am is in italics there. This is basically saying I peace or I am peace. What he's saying is this is my very nature. Not that I am for something out there. I am peace. In other words, this has become part of my very nature. Now the word peace in Psalm 120 is the Hebrew word shalom. Shalom is a beautiful word, signifying not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of health and wholeness. It's a wonderful word, it's often used as a greeting. First time my parents went to Israel, they brought my brothers and I back Nike shirts that said, shalom, just do it. I'm not sure that's quite the message meant to be conveyed with the word shalom, but shalom is this wonderful greeting. The psalmist, he says, is a person of peace, longing for peace, but he's living with those who hate peace. And that sounds a whole lot, again, like the situation the church finds itself in today. We strive for peace, we preach about peace, we long for peace, but preaching about peace and longing for peace also means calling out things that are against peace. And isn't it interesting that as you call out sin, many will say, you can't do that, that's not peaceful. But I would say, as we see the message of Christ, that the opposite is true. If you don't call out what is evil, it is not, by definition, peaceful. It's the definition of arrogance. Arrogance is saying, I can define truth for myself. Humility is saying God has defined it already for me. And I am for peace. What he's saying is I am peace, I have ingratiated myself the best I can into the values that are set in stone in God's word. Matthew Henry, which Spurgeon said you can't read Matthew Henry without doing it on your knees, said peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it but truth. Do you long for peace in the midst of this world? The Bible urges you as a Christian to pursue peace in every aspect of your life. Jesus said, blessed, happy are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Psalm 120 really is only a psalm that starts us on a journey, but John 16 says, these things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace, in the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Psalm 120 really only starts us on a journey, but on this journey, the psalmist, as we learn about, recognizes, I need to run to God in my journey. I need to be honest with God is another way we could say it. Some of you may just need to learn to have an honest relationship with God, to say, God, at times I'm struggling here, I'm doubting here, I'm discouraged here, and maybe you come into church and maybe you've been given, and I fear many of us have a false impression that you have to come to church perfectly right. You gotta come to church as if you've figured everything out and it's just great. How was last week, it was awesome. You have to say it was a good week, you have to say that. But that's not reality for many of us every week, is it? There are discouraging times, and honestly, I think sometimes we do need to come to church and someone asks how your week is and say, brother, it was a discouraging week, would you pray for me? And I would love to be part of a church where people are out there praying with brothers and sisters because they had a hard week the last week. I would love to be that kind of church, wouldn't you? Where people are ready to run to God and be honest with Him, and as they run to God, they're gonna rely completely on God. Someone comes in, you say, how was your week? And they say, I really had a hard week. And you say, oh, brother or sister, let me pray with you. And you sit down, and you say, as we're praying with you, I would like to show you from God's word maybe a couple passages that I hope would be an encouragement to you. I would love to be that kind of church, wouldn't you? Just go out in the foyer, and the lockup crew's like, man, guys, would you just please go home? It's getting close to midnight. You guys are still praying together. I kind of get the impression when you read Acts that that's the kind of church the early church was. You think about the discouragements they had to face and the persecutions that they had to go through, and isn't it interesting that the persecutions become the catalyst that grew the church? In Acts 7 we see, or Acts 6 we see the institution of the deacons, in Acts 7 we see Stephen stoned and martyred for his faith, in Acts 8 Paul, Saul goes into the houses, he wreaks havoc into the church, but did you read what happens at the beginning of the book of Acts, chapter 8? There is great rejoicing in the city. As a result of what? Well, they're being persecuted and all of a sudden it's like the truth that they are willing to die for becomes so much more real. I'm not praying for persecution in America, but I am saying maybe there could be a holy discontent with how comfortable we are. That we would rely on God and we would remember God when we are weary in this world. Every day. I press by now the takeaways are obvious if we are careful. What does Psalm 120 mean? It means that as followers of Christ, we are in a world, but we are not of the world. The world is opposed to God and his ways. The world hates the light. We will not come unto the light. If we are not careful, we will be sucked down. But we need to recognize that we hold a truth that is ever more precious. And what does Psalm 120 mean? It means that we are pilgrims on a journey. And God has given us a charge to follow him. And so I end with verse one. What do you do when you are weary? In my distress, what do I do? What do I do? In my distress, what do I do? In my distress, I call on the Lord and he answers me. Would you pray with me together this evening? Lord, we thank you so much for your word. Lord, an often overlooked psalm, Psalm 120, in the beginning of a section of verses or scriptures that we will be exploring now for the next 15 Sunday evenings together, And Lord, these are powerful Psalms that are packed with truth. And sometimes, Lord, it's good to just be honest. Lord, especially today as I pray, I know that there are many in this room that I have not yet met, and so as a result, I don't know the struggles that they carry with them into this room, but I imagine that a room this size, there are certainly many who are struggling. My prayer, Lord, is that the message this evening would be conveyed so clearly that they would know that in a weary world they can run to and rely on and remember a God who loves them. And Lord, even now as we give an opportunity to respond, would they run to and rely on God? Instruments are going to begin to play, just a short hymn of invitation. Would you allow God to speak to your heart? Perhaps if you're sitting next to your spouse and you've been going through a difficult time, let me encourage you. You don't have to come forward to do it. You can just pray with your spouse right there. Say, you know, praise the Lord for God that hears. Maybe if you'd like to come forward, Pastor Stockard's down here to my left, your right. He'd love to show you, direct you to a counselor who could help you. Would you respond as God has spoken to you? Let's pray together. Lord, we thank you so much for your word and for the Psalms that we can look to. Lord, may there be even a holy unrest, just a recognition that we do live in a dark culture that pushes against the truth of your word. But Lord, this is an errant, inspired, holy truth. May we live and govern our lives according to it. Lord, we're so thankful for those that are gathered with us this evening. May they go home encouraged and may they come back to us again rejoicing to continue to be around other brothers and sisters in Christ. We pray this in your name.