Let's return to the Psalms of Ascent this evening. We've been making our way through a series that will have taken us through the 15 Psalms of Ascent. And for any of you that are new here this evening, we welcome you towards the end of our journey. We've been making our way through these 15 Psalms that are found there. Some have the title of Song of Ascent or Song of Degrees. This is beginning back in Psalm 120. It'll take us all the way to Psalm 134. Of course, we're in Psalm 133 this evening. This is an inspired little hymn book of poetry that has been put together as the Pilgrim Psalms, often would be sung as they would make their way three times a year up to Jerusalem on the Passover in spring and the Pentecost in early summer, the tabernacles in the fall. And we are now in the penultimate Psalm, Psalm 133. It's a very short psalm. You can see it there, just three verses long. It's a wonderful song. What's interesting is that in both Psalm 133 and Psalm 134, the final two of our Psalms of Ascent, they both begin with the same word. Behold, it says. It's an important word. It's a word that sets the tone for these two psalms. It's like an exclamation point at the beginning of the sentence. Grammatically, this is known as the demonstrative principle. And its purpose is to express both surprise and delight, and to summon immediate attention to the listeners. In fact, older English speakers might have said low instead of the word behold. In fact, the 1599 Geneva Bible, which was the Bible the pilgrims used when they came over on the Mayflower, started Psalm 133 and Psalm 134 with the word lo. And the idea would be like a town crier coming in and saying, lo, look, I've got exciting news I want to share. And that is the design of this first word. It is meant to arrest your attention before you ever get even into the meat of the psalm. Pay attention. Lo, this is exciting. This is worth focusing on. And in this case, The focus of Psalm 133 is a focus on unity. Saying, pay attention, delight yourself in unity. That's the focus of Psalm 133. He says in verse 1, Behold, or lo, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments, as the dew of Mount Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore. If you were asked, if you came into this room and a newscaster was standing outside the auditorium today, and they asked you as you came out, how do you feel about being with other brothers and sisters in Christ? What would your answer be? Maybe you would say, well, you know, it's kind of like oil that gets poured and drips down your beard. They'd be like, I'm not sure I quite understand your logic there. And the interviewer, maybe you could fill us out a little bit. And they said, well, it's kind of like dew that kind of comes down from the mountain and kind of gets down into the grass. That's what it's like being around brothers and sisters. They'd be like, I am not following what you're saying. Now, I want us to understand this context in light of the historical context. And you're not going to understand it unless you did. And if you just look at it in a contemporary context, that illustration seems silly because it wouldn't make sense. But you put yourself in the context with which this psalm was written, and suddenly it comes to light. But even as you consider what it's like, what do you feel about being with brothers and sisters, that alone is an interesting question. There's been an interesting transition in political rhetoric in the 20th century, and scholars have actually traced this transition. When a politician was arguing a case to his constituents in the 20th century, he would often say something like, these policies are right, and we're going to pursue them. But all across the political board today, you are far more likely to hear, and again, scholars have demonstrated this, a politician saying something like, I feel good about these policies. There's an interesting transition in our society. The feel good factor has almost become paramount. And what is right has become marginalized. And as a result, I think it's easy for us as Christians to say, we're only interested in doing that which is right. And there's an element of truth to that, but actually the scripture teaches us something rather marvelous and quite fascinating in this regard that may explain why it is that humanity is clamoring to feel good and they can't find it. And here's what scripture says. When things are right, God's people do begin to feel certain things in response to that. And the truth of the gospel transforms all of who we are, including our emotions. And so when someone says, it's time to go to church, let me ask you, how do you feel about that? How do you feel about going to be with brothers and sisters? That's the question in some way that this psalm is intending to answer. Here is our pilgrim who has been singing these psalms for some time. This is now the second to last of these psalms. He has now, as we saw in the earlier two, come all the way pretty much to Jerusalem. In fact, he's likely been in Jerusalem now for most of the week. He has been round and round the city several times. He has seen some of the magnificent liturgy that was built into these three festivals. And now it's almost time for him to go home. It's time to pack up and head back down the mountain. And as we come to this Psalm, it really is time to go home, but here in Psalm 133, he is just pausing to think about what an experience he has just had. What a moment it's been like. And it's obvious that it's been a glorious experience, but what does he mean when he says these things? What was it like? How did he feel? What really stood out to him about being gathered together with brothers and sisters in the family of God? And as he pauses for a moment to reflect on the magnificence of these feasts, he immediately says, oh, lo, it was awesome to be unified. Let me ask you, what should it be like to be among God's people? And I like the brevity and sharp focus we get from a simple three-verse psalm. The whole subject is given in the final word of the first verse. Again, this is a psalm all about true unity. And the structure of the psalm is actually very simple. It divides into three parts with each verse being a part of the whole. Verse one, how unity is good for your soul. Verse two, how unity sanctifies the entire body. And verse three, how it refreshes the land. Now the demonstrative principle that starts the psalm, behold or lo, gives it the flavor of a great sigh of relief, or a great prayer of thanksgiving, a gentle plea. And this is a subtle admonition to the brethren, urging them to maintain what we so often struggle to maintain. Because the interesting thing is that Christian unity is a dangerous subject because it is ironically one of the very things we are most divided over. The idea of a functioning body of people biding at one another over little issues is almost germane to the very topic of church. We think that's just how church is supposed to be. But that is not at all what the Bible seems to indicate. The Bible seems to indicate that there is this wash of relief. You actually can almost feel the psalmist stepping away from the clamor and the division of his world and getting into the unity of being with brothers and sisters. And he says, behold, just low. Wow. What a wash of a difference it is from being around fighting people to being around people that are unified. What a blessing. And so I ask you again, the question of the hour, how do you feel about being around brothers and sisters? When you come into the body of believers, is it like you're separating yourself away from divisions and fightings and you come into church and it's just like, wow, this is great. The psalm is presenting the positive side of these spiritual principles. It's saying it is good and pleasant for the people of God to dwell together in unity. And what we're going to see is that God himself places a high value on this. And I trust that every one of you has a sense of how good and pleasant it is to gather together with brothers and sisters. It is a blessing. A truly godly church should be characterized by a unity where the people of God delight to hear the Word of God taught, to sing hymns together, to worship together. But to not have this is actually to be a cause of great alarm. It should actually scare you to your core if you can come to church and not have this attitude. There's something wrong there. Is it good to be at church? Is it pleasant to be here? Is it life giving? Now let's look at the three parts of this Psalm as we consider the question of unity even in our midst. And we see in verse one that true unity is well pleasing. Let's talk about why unity is such a virtue as well as what genuine unity looks like. Because there can be union without unity, right? As the old preacher says, tie two cats together by their tails and throw them over a clothesline and you have union without unity, right? There is possibility there. Now people today, I think have a totally skewed idea of what unity means and what it's supposed to achieve. There's a true unity, and that's what this psalm will celebrate. And there's a false unity that's an artificial brand that is harmful and even hurtful. And that's what this psalm first seeks to break down for us. If we're going to have unity, we want to pursue the real thing. And true unity will be well-pleasing, he says in verse one, both to God and to man. And false unity then, by extension, will be displeasing both to God and to man. And so as we parse out these verses, we want to parse out the well-pleasing, true unity of God for God's people. And notice the two adjectives of verse one. How good and how pleasant is this unity? And that's an important descriptor. You ever notice that lots of things that are good are not pleasant? Or lots of things that are pleasant are not good? But unity is both good and pleasant, and therefore it is the finest of all the virtues, and it is well-pleasing, because it is first a reflection of God himself. True worship is a reflection of God. Unity is embodied in the very nature of the Godhead. We just sung about that. God is a unified being, three in one. And he says, behold how good, Nothing is good outside of God. And that's why we put so much emphasis on the necessity of sound and accurate teaching. Unity is good because it reflects the true character of God. It's virtuous and honorable. It's an expression of righteousness. But there are those who think what we need is basically just a group hug with everyone who claims to be a Christian, regardless of what they teach. And that is a recipe for error and ultimately division. It is not a pathway to unity. There's a notion that goes something like this. Truth and doctrine are obstacles for unity. Don't just sit around and talk about doctrine. Let's just sit around and talk about what we have in common. As if you could have unity among people who don't agree with you on things. But lots of people think precisely that way. They believe we might as well be able to get along if only we would refuse to make truth an issue. But that's not unity. In fact, that's confusion. And it's also not humility, it's actually arrogance. Because truth is settled from God. God alone is truth. We are not to sit around and debate truth, we cling to truth as God defined it for us. And if you can't agree on truth, you can't agree. And yet we are told to just accept all lies as truth, all heresies as doctrine, and all false teachings as proper revelation. And that's not good. In fact, 1 Corinthians 14 verse 13 says God is not the author of confusion. God is the author of peace. I found it interesting, Charles Spurgeon's sermon on Psalm 133, and he said this quote, to remain divided is sinful. Did not our Lord pray that they may be one, even as we are one? In John 17, 22. And yea, a chorus of ecumenical voices keep harping the unity tune. This is Spurgeon speaking in the 1800s. He says, what they are saying is, Christians of all doctrinal shades and beliefs must come together in one visible organization regardless. You must unite. And such teaching is false, reckless, and dangerous. Truth alone must determine our alignments. Truth comes before unity. Unity without truth is hazardous. Our Lord's prayer in John 17 must be read in its fullest context. Spurgeon continues, look at verse 17. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. And only those sanctified through the word can be one in Christ. To teach otherwise is to betray the gospel." End quote. He might as well have been preaching in 2023. But real unity is not only about being of one opinion. As Christians, we are driven by one affection. our love for Christ. We share one loyalty to the Lordship of Christ, and we have one duty, love for God and love for our neighbors. Truth unifies. Unity without truth is not unity. But it is well pleasing when it is divided, or when it is fully founded, rather, on God, and it is also refreshing to God's people. More than that, unity is described not only as good, but as pleasant. And there are two obvious facets to this. It is pleasant to God. He takes pleasure in it. He delights in it. And it is pleasant to those who experience it. It is truly pleasant and joyous, an exhilarating thing to dwell in unity with other people. And this is perhaps the easiest, most immediate path to tranquility on earth, and peace is the path through which we have unity. Sad to say, though, there are many who seem to have a perverse need for strife. There are the kind of people who are always needing counsel because of a new strife with someone in their life, be it at work or more often with family. And unfortunately, there are often the same people who are resistant to the counsel they've heard time and time again. And I think some people are so addicted to conflict that they simply cannot abstain from picking fights. They just don't understand that there is a peace only found here. But this is a sin. It creates its own pointful and painful consequence. Unity is pleasant. Then by definition, living disunified is unpleasant. In fact, the scripture bears this out in Proverbs many times, but to give you some samplings. In Proverbs 21, verse nine, it says, it is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop than with a brawling woman in a wide house. I think you'd get his point. In Proverbs 15, or 25 verse 24, Solomon actually repeats 21 verse nine verbatim. So I gather Solomon must have felt strongly about this, or at the very least he had a specific ax to grind, but he repeats it twice. But he doesn't just talk about bickering wives. Here's what he says in Proverbs 17 verse one. Better is a dry morsel and quietness therewith than a house full of sacrifices with strife. Bottom line, a lack of unity makes everything in the house unpleasant. You don't even want to be there. But here's the pleasant point. True unity is well-pleasing. It is pleasing for the heart. It is good for the soul. In a family, it makes the household pleasant. In a nation, it fosters prosperity. In the church, it pleases God. It honors Christ. It cultivates joy. It stimulates love. It is good and pleasant in every conceivable way. It is well-pleasing. That's the whole point of verse one. That is true unity. When things are right, God's people do begin to feel certain things. It is well pleasing. But verse two, true unity is also sweet smelling. Now the imagery of verse two is vivid, but bear in mind the subject is still unity. And I know Mike Schrock already preached a message on do you look good? So now my point is, do you smell good? All right, you've got look good, smell good here. And the imagery of the psalmist now uses hearkens our attention back to the Old Testament practice of anointing the high priest. Read with me at verse two. As he hearkens back to the practice of anointing the high priest, he says, unity is like this. It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments. And what I want you to understand is if you're reading a different translation, it might speak of oil running down to the hem of his garment, or you might read that oil ran down to the collar of his robes. The Hebrew expression means going down to the mouth of the garment. And the Hemer expression refers to going down to an opening in the garment. In fact, the same Hebrew word was used to speak of both the lower and upper openings of a garment. So the text isn't really specific if it's talking about a collar or a hem. Some commentators say this is a reference to the lowest hem of the garment, and literally the oil in that picture would have saturated the entire man. It would have gone from his head all the way down to his feet just about. Other commentators say no, this is not speaking of it going all the way down. This is only talking about the collar, because the idea of a priest literally drenched from head to toe in oil is not a pleasing mental picture. In fact, John Gill says, for example, that it wouldn't have been decent to have his clothes greased from top to bottom. The fact is that the outer garment of the priest's outfit was a sleeveless smock that was called an ephod. And the high priest would wear the ephod. And you read about how the ephod was made in Exodus chapter 28. In Exodus chapter 28, it would say in verse 31, this is the instruction on how to make this ephod that the high priests would wear. Thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue, and there shall be a hole in the top of it, and the midst thereof, and it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of a habergeon, that it be not rent. So in other words, there was a band of woven cloth encircling the opening of the neck. And in one class of commentators, they'd say, that's why the oil flows from his head to his collar, not down to the hem of his garments. It is flowing to his collar because we know if he was wearing the ephod, he would have had that there. Now, I don't know if it's vitally important how far down the oil went. But I did find that study interesting, and so now I just did it with you. But the point is, collar or skirt, either way, this is a picture of the oil copiously flowing down from the heights to the depths. And it is being diffused over a long distance. And it comes from above, and it saturates that which is below. And that's the picture. That's how unity works. It comes from above, and it saturates that which is below. A disjointed church can suddenly be unified by abundantly flowing grace that comes only from God. A fighting couple can suddenly come together when grace is poured out from above onto their marriage below. A discontented workforce can work in tandem only when God pours out unity. And the point is, you can't make this You can't foster this. Unity comes only when you allow yourself to be poured out from above down below. God is the source of true unity. And secondly, this scent fosters an air of reverence. And what is described in verse two is really something that is not normally done. Priests, just regular priests, would routinely be anointed, but when they were anointed, they were anointed only with a sprinkling. But when a high priest was anointed, He was anointed with a pouring of the oil. And this verse specifically mentions Aaron and the oil being poured out on Aaron. And this is a reference to the first tabernacle inauguration where Aaron was anointed. And we read about that taking place in the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 18, verse 12, it says, and he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head and anointed him to sanctify him. And this clearly implies that there was a large amount of this special fragrant oil used. Now this precious ointment we read about in verse one in our psalm refers to something very specific and very unique. This is not just going into the cabinet and picking up your, you know, vegetable oil and using it, if you will. This is a very unique And it's an anointment oil that was prepared for the tempernacle and set aside only to anoint priest and sacrificial offerings. And this oil was made from a God-given recipe. And the recipe was not to be used for any other purpose. And by the way, it's not a secret recipe. It's actually described in full in Exodus 30, verses 22 through 25. We know exactly the kind of oil. So you can even read those verses and maybe try to see what it smelled like at home this week. And the passage describes a recipe for a very aromic oil. And the passage describes a lot of this oil. In fact, it's about a gallon and a half of this oil. That's how much they're gonna make. And it was unique and holy, but most important were the instructions. It was such an important symbol of holiness that anything that touched it, among the things it was not meant to be touched, were thereby deemed holy. If the oil touched it, it was holy. And anything it touched illegitimately, if it wasn't supposed to touch that, if it flowed down and hit the water bottle below and it wasn't supposed to hit that, that thing that it touched was now supposed to be destroyed. So it was only supposed to be used to anoint that which was supposed to be holy. And the oil belonged to the Lord and was set apart for one purpose and that one purpose always and only was to sanctify instruments for worship and men for that worship. So when our psalm compares unity to oil running down through Aaron's beard and down into his clothes, the message is very obvious when you understand the context. Here's the message. Unity is actually a sanctifying element. The church, the body of Christ, is sanctified by our unity in a way that even exceeds the mere symbolism of Aaron's oil. Many will say, man, how is it that you could grow closer to God? Well, I'll tell you one way you can't. You cannot grow closer to God and have odds with someone else. You can't do that. But I'll tell you one way you can. You can grow closer to God when you work in tandem with someone else. Praise the Lord, you were not saved into a lone ranger salvation walk. God did not intend that for you. And God says this unity actually has a sanctifying element to it. It flows from the heights to the depths. It fosters an air of reverence. You understand now why it is that we come to passages like 1 Corinthians and we read of Paul's instructions on the communion and Lord's table, and Paul gives them with such precise nature that he says, be careful when you come to this moment to celebrate the Lord's Supper. Be careful, some come unworthily. Why is he putting it so strong? Why does he say if you have aught with someone, leave your gift at the altar and go and make it right. Here's why he says it. You can't walk in close relationship with God and have odds with another brother and sister in Christ. It is impossible to do. But when you have true unity, there is a sanctifying element to it. You will find yourself growing closer to God in true and holy reverence. And that's what verse two is all about. A special sanctifying influence of brotherly unity. So again, verse one is all about unity as good for the soul, and verse two is all about unity being good for the body. But what about verse three? And verse 3 says, true unity is life giving. Verse 3 pictures the dew of Mount Hermon flowing down upon the mountains of Zion. If you have one of those Bibles with maps in the back, you may want to look there. Otherwise, I'll put it on the screen because you might be a little confused. Say, Mount Hermon was the highest and northernmost point in all of Israel. Those who know these things say it stands about 9,000 feet tall. In fact, the peak stands over 9,000 feet above sea level compared to the shorter mountain, Mount Zion. And Mount Zion was the furthest south, which is less than 3,000 feet above sea level. So you have a high point, and then you have a low point, and Mount Zion was not known for its moisture. There is heavy dew that comes upon it, but it is not known, and Mount Zion was known for being dry region. It's the area surrounding Jerusalem, but Mount Hermon was known for its moisture, its dew that would come up, and it would be lush, and it would be green, and it would be a lot of agriculture there. And now the psalmist says, as the dew of Mount Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord commanded blessing, even life forevermore. And this statement seems a little bit hard to unravel, because Mount Hermon and Mount Zion are 120 miles north as the crow flies, nowhere close to Zion. And given the geography of the region, There is no way for the dew of Hermon to literally run downhill and end up in Mount Zion. It would actually have to go thousands of feet downhill, thousands of feet back uphill, and then come into Zion. And for this reason, there are many skeptics of the Bible who will cite this passage as an example of an egregious geographical error. And they'll say, clearly, God didn't know what he was talking about when he wrote the Bible, because if he did, he wouldn't have given this analogy. That's impossible. Now, what do we do with that? I know I just opened up a huge can of worms to some of you. The solution is actually really quite simple. It's right there in the title of this book that we are reading. This is a psalm, which makes it poetry. And what is the psalm doing here? What is he describing? Well, the psalmist is describing a hypothetical scenario where heavy dew gathers on Zion and runs down. And Zion doesn't generally get that kind of dew, but the psalmist is comparing brotherly unity to what it would look like if the dew that they got on Mount Hermon ever was on Zion. In fact, you could translate the Hebrew more stringently this way. It's as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. That's what it would look like. And it would refresh the land by watering and enlivening what is normally barren ground around Jerusalem, causing the whole land to be refreshed and invigorated. And there's a similarity between verse 3 and the illustration in verse 2. Both verses picture unity flowing down, diffusing, and dispersing blessings. In verse two, it's the blessing of holiness and the sweet-smelling fragrance. And verse three is the blessing of refreshment and life-giving hydration. Perhaps some of you know what it's like to live in a more desert region of the world or the country. And you're just kind of waiting for that rain to come. And man, when it comes, it's like all of those plants just liven up. They just stand right up, and they're there. I was amazed when we were in Florida, we had a fellow that worked in kind of the agricultural world and some of the state parks. Florida is not at all like California in the sense that they do do controlled burns. And they do it in an effort to actually help the environment grow. And he let me come one time to one of his controlled burns after it was already done. And you see just everything just kind of burned off. And then he said, now wait just like a week or two. That's all it would take. and wait for that rain to come. And when that rain come, you come back, he showed me pictures of it, and you couldn't even tell there'd been a fire there before. I mean, it was just, it was just, it was all back. That's the picture here. What if a dry place got tons of water? What would happen? Well, it would be like unity. Psalmist is saying, that's what unity in the brethren looks like. You ever been to a church that's just so dried up? There's no life left. There's no excitement in the song service. There's no encouragement from the message. There's nothing going on. I mean, it is like dead in the water. There is nothing happening. And you say, man, churches ought not be like that. How can we bring life back to this church? I'll tell you how, unity. But as I tell you how, I also tell you why many churches are lifeless and dead. Disunity. Romans 15 verse 19 says, let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and the things wherewith we may edify one another. First Peter three verse eight says, finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous. That's the same message of our song. Let me ask you, how do you feel about going to be with brothers and sisters in Christ? Ever since the fall in Genesis 3, conflict seems to come naturally to us. And it's not getting better, is it? It's not as though we can just snap our fingers and all of a sudden there's no more animosity, belligerence, or violence. It's all gone. The church, by the way, has not been spared from this contention. In fact, the church is often the home for most people's contention. And the people we encounter as brothers and sisters in Christ, sad to say, are not always nice people. Christians don't stop being sinners the moment they believed in Christ. They don't suddenly metamorphosize into brilliant conversationalists who are always exciting to be around either. So what do we do? J.R. Packer was right when he said, fellowship is not always a means of grace and a gift of grace, but most often it's a test of grace. Whether it's over milk, or a personal grievance, or social issues, or just because of the way we live, it's rare for churches to experience this kind of unity. That's how Psalm 133 offers a better way. Behold, lo! A sigh of relief in the midst of all this fighting. Behold how good and how pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity. You were made for this. It was what Jesus died to create. In Ephesians, Paul describes the salvation that God has given us through Jesus for three glorious chapters. And then he begins to explain what he means. After three chapters of riveting conversation on the grace of God, he says, now what does that mean? And he starts with unity. That's where he begins. 1 John would say, by this will you know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. When things are right, God's people do begin to feel certain things. It was what you were designed and wired to be. During World War II, a man named Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived in Germany with 25 vicars. Hitler and the Third Reich crushed everyone in their way, and this small community lived in this destructive environment. And you would think that in such a dangerous environment, the last thing you'd be worried about is something like community. You would more think you'd be worried about just staying alive. But it was there, in the midst of all that unbelievable fighting, Bonhoeffer wrote his classic work called Life Together. And he begins his work that he wrote during the middle of World War II, he begins his work by citing Psalm 133, verse 1. And in the middle of this polarizing and hostile environment, he wrote about the beauty and the necessity of Christians living together in community. And he writes about the gift of community, and one that we only have if we have fellowship with Jesus. And he invites us to enter into that community. I want to close with what he said in his work as we close our message. Here's what he said. Let him, who until now has the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians, praise God's grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare it is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much for your word and for the beauty and majesty, goodness, and pleasantness of true unity. Lord, may we run to it. May we run away from all those things that would push us away from brothers and sisters in Christ. May we run away from those things that would cause our families to be divided, husbands and wives at each other's throats. parents and children no longer on speaking terms, and brothers and sisters in Christ in the church no longer able to speak even in the foyers and the atriums because they are at odds. Lord, if we would ever find life-giving wondrous joy and peace, it will only be found through true unity. Lord, in a moment we're going to set aside what I pray will be a sanctifying time of invitation. Lord, my prayer is even now, before we take this invitation time, that there would be a seriousness and sobriety that you would bring into this room, and an understanding, Lord, that this is what you desire. You desire unity. And if there are any in this room that would be courageous enough to say, Lord, I'm the problem, would they use this time now to make that problem right? Would they be unified? And may that in itself bring life to our congregation. With every head bowed and every eye closed, the instruments are going to begin to play. I trust you will take this as a serious time. Begin to examine your own heart. If there's something you need to do and make right before the Lord, our aisleways are open. You can certainly come forward. You can also go to any door and someone will be there and find you and speak with you, counsel you. We want unity because God wants unity. If you find yourself in disunity, would you use this time to talk to God? Lord, we thank you for the pages of your word and for the continuation of our journey through the Psalms of ascent. Lord, how good it is, how pleasant it is to have unity. We thank you Lord that we can maybe even after this service celebrate some of that unity in our atrium as we discuss with brothers and sisters in Christ who care about each other what it means to walk in your word. Pray that this has been a blessing to many as they continue to study these passages. Bring us back together even in the midweek service as we continue through the book of