WEBVTT

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 And we're going to read that psalm. We've sung it, now we're going to read it.

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 And we're going to think about living for Jesus when truth is under attack.

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! But let's again hear God's Word in Psalm 120.

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 I call on the Lord in my distress, and He answers me.

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 Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

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 What will He do to you, and what more besides you, deceitful tongue?

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 He will punish you with a warrior's sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom bush.

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 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar.

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 Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.

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 I am for peace, but when they speak, they are for war.

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 The truth is under attack.

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 That was the conclusion of a group of scientists down at Portsmouth University in 2024.

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 They were responding to misinformation about viruses and vaccines,

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 about bad science on social media that was affecting treatment that patients were receiving.

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 But don't we recognize that generally the truth seems to be under attack?

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 We are told that we live in the post-truth world.

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 We're constantly having to deal with AI for better and for worse.

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 Deep fakes and fake news are now part of our everyday vocabulary.

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 We encounter all too often serious fraud and deception.

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 And we know words are twisted to generate maximum coverage and maximum outrage.

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 We see it.

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 More personally too, don't we recognize that words can often be used as weapons?

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 And sometimes we are those who weaponize the words.

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 We find ourselves being lied about, being lied to.

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 Truth is manipulated so that we can be manipulated.

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 Our words and our values can be all too easily misrepresented.

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 Truth can be shaded and hidden to put oneself in the best light to the detriment of others.

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 The experience of the people singing Psalm 120 is of a people grieved

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 because they live in a world filled with lies and deception,

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 with people who are choosing words of war over words of peace.

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 Now, I suspect we can echo some of that sentiment in our own hearts.

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 Maybe today some of us are feeling the swords and arrows of lies and slander,

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 perhaps even because you are a worshiper of God.

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 This is an experience that may run very close to home for some of us.

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 And so the question to ask is, how do we navigate that?

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 How do we face this as a follower of Jesus?

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 And so we'll come back to that.

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 But let me just introduce for us these songs of ascent.

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 So what are they?

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 What are these songs that we're going to spend time in?

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 It's a group.

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 It's 15 Psalms, 120 to 130.

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 And they were collected for a particular purpose

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 so that worshipers making their way up, ascending to Jerusalem,

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 they'd have songs to sing on their journey together.

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 And the idea of a journey is something that we see within the Psalms themselves.

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 We're going to move from the groaning that we heard in Psalm 120

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 towards the rejoicing that we come to in Psalm 133 and 134.

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 But there's also a geographical journey.

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 So we're starting here in Psalm 120 in a distant land.

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 Psalm 121, we're moving towards Jerusalem.

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 And then Psalm 122 onwards, we're in the city.

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 And then we're taken right to the heart of the city, to the temple, to the place where God is.

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 So as we're thinking about this journey and these worshipers on a journey to God,

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 Augustine, the saint of the early church, captured it memorably when he said this.

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 He said, the soul, the real us, travels by its affections.

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 If you are in love with the earth, your journey is taking you far from God.

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 If you are in love with God, you are claiming towards Him.

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 So we're going to come to these Psalms and read them as Christians after the New Testament,

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 after the coming of Jesus, and to recognize they present for us the picture of Christians

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 as pilgrims on a journey.

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 Followers of Jesus on the way to, not geographical Jerusalem, but to the heavenly Jerusalem.

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 Life with God.

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 And to understand that the journey that we take as Christians is both towards Jesus and

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 also with Jesus.

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 So let's follow the pilgrims of Psalm 120 as we recognize that in a world spoiled by lies

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 and deception, the pilgrim walks with Jesus and waits with hope for His return.

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 So let's begin in the first couple of verses and to see the distress.

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 Here are the people distressed by lies and deception.

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 Words have that power.

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 They can drive us to distress and despair.

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 Remember that playground rhyme many of us grew up with?

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 I think we've all come to know it's not true that sticks and stones may break our bones,

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 but names will never hurt us.

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 And most often it's those names, it's those words.

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 They're the ones that sting the most.

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 When we come to Psalm 120, there's a really striking contrast with the Psalm that comes before.

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 Psalm 119 is a celebration of God's words.

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 God's words are a source of joy and life and light.

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 They're good and they're trustworthy.

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 If this is a path, it's a safe and a broad path.

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 But now we're being confronted by a different kind of language.

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 For the pilgrim follower of Jesus, we may find that lies like arrows will pierce our own soul too.

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 And we identify with the pilgrims here and we identify with God's people in all time.

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 If you were here last week and the week before, you'll remember this was something that was true for Nehemiah.

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 He was constantly attacked by lies and slander from enemies.

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 Maybe you know King David, most famous king in the Old Testament.

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 He was falsely accused by the first king, Saul, and he was betrayed by the lies of his own family.

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 Come to the New Testament, we meet a man called Stephen, the first person who was killed for being a follower of Jesus.

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 And he was falsely accused of speaking against God.

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 It's a pattern.

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 Words are used sometimes to assault us as Christians too.

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 And so we might find ourselves being whispered about or openly mocked.

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 We may find that our faith is misrepresented in our classroom and in our mainstream media.

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 You might have already had to deal with people accusing us and people accusing God of being responsible for all the problems in the world.

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 You may find yourself accused of hatred and bigotry because of what you believe.

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 And words can bring distress.

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 Like these pilgrims, trying to live for God means living with a different set of beliefs and values.

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 And that puts us in the spotlight and sometimes that puts us in the storm of attack.

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 And this too is not new.

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 Remember Old Testament Noah.

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 Faithful to God, building the ark to be spared from judgment.

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 Preaching that others might come and to be saved.

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 And he's mocked.

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 Think about Daniel and his three friends as they determine to live for God in a foreign country.

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 They're thrown into a furnace.

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 And they're thrown into a den of lions.

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 I discovered this week that in some state schools in China,

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 there are stories being told where Jesus and his disciples are the enemies in the story.

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 And they're being regarded as evil.

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 If you know anything about the persecuted church around the world,

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 you will know that parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa,

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 it says that if you call yourself a Christian, you are automatically an enemy of the state.

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 I call on the Lord in my distress and He answers me.

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 Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

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 And in all of this, we need to recognize too that Jesus, the pilgrim, went there too.

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 As Jesus lived as the man of faith, slander and lies were hurled at Him and they stuck like tar.

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 You're lying about your identity.

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 You're not the Son of God.

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 You're not God's chosen King.

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 You can't deal with sin.

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 You can't forgive and save.

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 Even as He went to the cross, He was mocked and abused and slandered.

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 Yet did you hear what Peter told us?

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 Jesus committed no sin.

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 Jesus committed no sin.

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 And no deceit was found in His mouth.

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 What did Jesus do?

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 He entrusted Himself to God, His Father who judges justly.

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 And the journey of faith, that follows His path.

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 Notice the wisdom of the pilgrim in verse 1.

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 And we need this.

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 When we are confronted by lies, when we are confronted by deception, two related things we must do.

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 First, we must turn to prayer.

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 I call on the Lord in my distress.

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 That's wisdom.

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 To the Savior who sustained His people in the past, who has sustained us in the past.

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 He is strong and kind and He has promised that He will do so again.

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 We turn in prayer to the Father of comfort.

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 Maybe He's the only one who can comfort us in our distress.

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 So we turn to Him.

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 And we pray knowing the Spirit of God is within us.

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 And remember, the Spirit is given to His people to be our comforter.

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 We turn to prayer.

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 We take it to the Lord.

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 Capital letters, Lord.

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 The personal, covenant-making, covenant-keeping God.

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 We trust the one who said,

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 Vengeance is mine, I will repay.

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 As Christians, we don't get mad.

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 We don't get even.

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 We go to our God.

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 We turn to the Lord Jesus.

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 That sympathetic high priest in heaven.

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 We consider what is waiting for us.

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 That the reward of knowing Jesus and being with Him,

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 it makes all the suffering worth it.

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 And we look to Jesus and we remember that He walked the road for us.

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 And now He walks the road with us.

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 Pilgrims are often distressed by lies and deception.

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 Secondly, and this is the middle of the psalm,

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 we think about the promise of being delivered from lies and deception.

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 Delivered from lies and deception.

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 Some of us may have seen in the news this week that in New Zealand,

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 a surf competition had to be paused this week

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 because a surf cameraman who was working in the water,

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 he was attacked.

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 Some still unknown animal, either shark or a sea lion,

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 locked their jaws onto his foot.

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 I know, thankfully, jet skis came and he got the medical attention he needed.

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 But think about verse 2 and think about that story.

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 Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

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 There is an echo here of wild beasts that look to snap and threaten and devour.

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 Only this time it's not a wild animal.

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 It's enemies with their words.

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 John Chrysostom, another church father,

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 he said, actually, this is worse than any wild animal.

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 If you see a lion or a bear or a shark,

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 well, there's trouble.

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 But at least you know that they have ill intent.

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 But people, Chrysostom says,

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 well, they often conceal their nature

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 with a veil of sweet reasonableness.

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 And so it's so painful as we discover someone's really nice to our face,

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 but they're vicious behind our back.

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 Somebody who's really civilized and sophisticated sometimes,

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 but become absolutely savage towards us

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 in attacking what we believe.

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 From the beginning,

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 God's people have been assaulted

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 by the devil and his lies.

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 Again, to think about Peter,

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 he talked about the devil as a roaring lion

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 seeking whom he may devour.

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 We think about the words of Jesus

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 describing the devil as the father of lies.

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 He's been the liar from the beginning.

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 In the Garden of Eden,

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 he spoke lies to Adam and Eve.

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 God is not good.

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 God's Word can't be trusted.

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 You won't really be judged

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 for turning your back on God.

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 Life will be better without God.

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 The devil's lies like poison

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 work their way into the human bloodstream.

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 And so pilgrims always need to pray,

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 deliver my soul.

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 Remember the Lord's Prayer,

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 deliver me from evil,

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 deliver us from the evil one.

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 But there's a promise.

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 I don't know if you saw it,

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 the promise in verse 3 and 4.

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 It's a really necessary promise.

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 Here it is.

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 It's the promise that one day

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 Satan and his lies

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 will be fully repaid in judgment.

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 Here's the promise.

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 A world is coming free of lies and deception forever.

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 When God deals with all lies and deception.

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 Notice in the description how the punishment fits the crime.

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 People have been using lies and slander and deceit to attack.

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 Verse 4,

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 He will punish you with a warrior's sharp arrows.

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 With burning coals of the broom bush.

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 So, the broom bush was like a really popular charcoal

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 because it burned hot and long.

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 And it's a reminder that those who would wound,

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 those who would slander,

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 those who would turn their words against God and His people,

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 if they do not turn from that,

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 then God's fierce anger burns hot and long.

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 It's a hard thing to think about.

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 But do we recognize that judgment is necessary?

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 The only way for there to be true salvation

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 and true peace and an end to lies

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 is if God deals decisively once and for all with those realities.

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 Think about it in the context of a war.

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 Imagine a city under siege.

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 We see it on our news.

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 The only way for that city to have true and lasting peace

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 is for the enemy to be so decisively defeated

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 that there is no prospect for them to attack.

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 God promises such a day in His Word.

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 Again, to think about another New Testament story,

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 some of you will know about the road to Damascus,

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 Saul's remarkable encounter with Jesus.

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 He was on his way to Damascus

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 and he was breathing out threats and murder

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 against the people of God and the church of God.

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 And then Jesus appeared

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 and the glory of Jesus knocked Paul, Saul, off his horse.

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 And there was a conversation between Jesus

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 and Saul, the persecutor,

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 which ended with Jesus saying to Saul,

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 remember, when you persecute them,

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 you persecute a Christian, Jesus says,

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 you persecute me.

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 Now, remember that.

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 This psalm is about people turning their hatred,

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 their lies, their slander against God's people.

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 To stand against God's people

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 is an injustice and an assault against them,

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 but also against their God.

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 It's to assault God's honor and God's holiness.

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 And that's a really serious thing.

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 And if we find ourselves in that situation today,

00:17:50.420 --> 00:17:53.960
 there is an urgency to turn away from that

00:17:53.960 --> 00:17:57.259
 because we're reminded of future judgment here.

00:17:57.940 --> 00:17:59.600
 But back to our pilgrim.

00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:01.200
 Here they are.

00:18:01.279 --> 00:18:02.279
 They're facing lies.

00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:03.420
 They're facing slander.

00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:05.160
 And so they cry out to God.

00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:06.380
 And the answer is actually

00:18:06.380 --> 00:18:07.880
 a glorious vision of the future

00:18:07.880 --> 00:18:09.519
 where there is no more lies.

00:18:09.620 --> 00:18:10.539
 There is just truth

00:18:10.539 --> 00:18:11.779
 because judgment has come

00:18:11.779 --> 00:18:13.200
 and so salvation has come.

00:18:14.580 --> 00:18:15.720
 Now, just for a moment,

00:18:15.840 --> 00:18:17.360
 try to imagine this with me.

00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:20.559
 Try to imagine new creation.

00:18:21.179 --> 00:18:23.299
 Try to imagine a redeemed world

00:18:23.299 --> 00:18:26.679
 where for all eternity,

00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:29.019
 in any conversation you have,

00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:32.539
 you will never encounter any gossip.

00:18:34.619 --> 00:18:38.219
 There will never be any slander.

00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:42.059
 You will not be called names.

00:18:42.959 --> 00:18:45.500
 You will not be spoken about behind your back.

00:18:45.500 --> 00:18:49.000
 There will not be any lies that cause division.

00:18:50.779 --> 00:18:52.019
 And positively,

00:18:52.339 --> 00:18:54.519
 every word that you hear

00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:56.279
 will be truth,

00:18:56.980 --> 00:18:58.720
 will be life-giving,

00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:00.960
 will be full of love.

00:19:02.339 --> 00:19:04.259
 When the bullets and bombs

00:19:04.259 --> 00:19:06.079
 of cruel lying words

00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:07.680
 will be melted down,

00:19:08.039 --> 00:19:09.380
 never to return.

00:19:09.380 --> 00:19:13.500
 Don't that sound like

00:19:13.500 --> 00:19:14.960
 the kind of world we all want?

00:19:16.460 --> 00:19:18.160
 It's a world that God promises

00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:18.960
 through Jesus.

00:19:20.320 --> 00:19:21.540
 Truthfully, it's a world

00:19:21.540 --> 00:19:22.560
 that for us as Christians,

00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:23.340
 we are looked to,

00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:24.740
 begin to see now.

00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:26.360
 And so it's always a reminder

00:19:26.360 --> 00:19:27.760
 of how we use our words.

00:19:28.440 --> 00:19:29.640
 But how can we have

00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:30.860
 this hopeful future?

00:19:31.160 --> 00:19:32.940
 How can we live with hope

00:19:32.940 --> 00:19:36.140
 when we're surrounded by lies?

00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:37.280
 We look to Jesus.

00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:40.000
 We see Him as the forerunner,

00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:42.039
 the pilgrim who has gone before us.

00:19:42.299 --> 00:19:43.920
 In His first coming,

00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:47.119
 some 2,000 or so years ago,

00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:49.460
 He faced those lies,

00:19:49.579 --> 00:19:50.339
 that slander,

00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:51.720
 as He lived by faith.

00:19:53.099 --> 00:19:54.599
 And recognize this too,

00:19:54.680 --> 00:19:56.839
 that He died to pay the punishment

00:19:56.839 --> 00:19:58.799
 for our lies,

00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:00.980
 for our slander,

00:20:01.420 --> 00:20:02.180
 and gossip,

00:20:02.720 --> 00:20:03.859
 and half-truths,

00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:05.279
 and broken promises.

00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:08.440
 Understand that Jesus faced

00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:10.700
 all the arrows of evil

00:20:10.700 --> 00:20:11.960
 there on the cross

00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:13.700
 and won a great

00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:14.960
 and decisive victory.

00:20:15.019 --> 00:20:15.899
 And the proof of that,

00:20:16.539 --> 00:20:17.259
 His resurrection.

00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:19.139
 So that in Him,

00:20:19.220 --> 00:20:20.119
 trust in Him today,

00:20:20.879 --> 00:20:21.859
 your sins are forgiven.

00:20:22.859 --> 00:20:24.139
 You have new life with God.

00:20:24.359 --> 00:20:25.200
 You get a new heart.

00:20:25.299 --> 00:20:26.059
 You have new power.

00:20:26.379 --> 00:20:27.299
 You have a new motive

00:20:27.299 --> 00:20:28.339
 to speak the truth

00:20:28.339 --> 00:20:29.359
 and to seek peace.

00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:31.920
 And you're now a person

00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:32.720
 with a new hope.

00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:35.140
 Because there was the first coming

00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:35.579
 of Jesus,

00:20:35.700 --> 00:20:36.339
 but there's the promise

00:20:36.339 --> 00:20:36.720
 in the Bible

00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:37.799
 of a second coming.

00:20:38.259 --> 00:20:39.200
 And when He comes again,

00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:39.980
 He will finally,

00:20:40.180 --> 00:20:40.940
 once and for all,

00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:42.279
 judge all evil,

00:20:42.360 --> 00:20:42.740
 the devil,

00:20:42.839 --> 00:20:43.640
 and his lies.

00:20:43.720 --> 00:20:45.299
 There will be a decisive punishment

00:20:45.299 --> 00:20:46.180
 and an end to that

00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:47.160
 so He can establish

00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:48.360
 a new and renewed

00:20:48.360 --> 00:20:49.819
 and redeemed world forever.

00:20:51.420 --> 00:20:52.299
 With Him

00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:53.480
 and in Him,

00:20:53.660 --> 00:20:54.900
 we have this promise

00:20:54.900 --> 00:20:55.700
 of a new world

00:20:55.700 --> 00:20:56.480
 and a new home

00:20:56.480 --> 00:20:57.839
 where it's only truth

00:20:57.839 --> 00:20:58.920
 and it's never lies,

00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:00.000
 where it's always peace

00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:01.079
 and it's never warfare.

00:21:02.259 --> 00:21:04.180
 And to have this wonderful hope

00:21:04.180 --> 00:21:05.019
 in our hearts,

00:21:05.319 --> 00:21:06.279
 we need to ask God

00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:06.819
 to help us

00:21:06.819 --> 00:21:07.700
 to cut through

00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:08.839
 the lies of the devil,

00:21:08.940 --> 00:21:10.059
 the lies that we encounter

00:21:10.059 --> 00:21:10.819
 in this world

00:21:10.819 --> 00:21:12.119
 to the truth,

00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:12.759
 to Jesus,

00:21:12.920 --> 00:21:13.339
 the way,

00:21:13.700 --> 00:21:14.220
 the truth,

00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:15.279
 and the life.

00:21:19.339 --> 00:21:20.680
 But we need to keep going

00:21:20.680 --> 00:21:22.180
 and we need to see thirdly

00:21:22.180 --> 00:21:22.839
 and finally

00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:24.400
 what it looks like

00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:25.640
 for the pilgrim dwelling

00:21:25.640 --> 00:21:27.779
 among lies and deception.

00:21:27.779 --> 00:21:29.899
 After the hope

00:21:29.899 --> 00:21:30.440
 and the promise

00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:31.099
 of verse 4,

00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:32.160
 verse 5 to 7,

00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:32.899
 kind of take us back

00:21:32.899 --> 00:21:33.460
 down to earth

00:21:33.460 --> 00:21:34.500
 with a crash somewhat.

00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:36.279
 Here is the pilgrim.

00:21:36.359 --> 00:21:37.259
 He's prayed in distress

00:21:37.259 --> 00:21:38.799
 and he's been given

00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:39.639
 a hopeful answer

00:21:39.639 --> 00:21:40.440
 for the future,

00:21:41.259 --> 00:21:42.220
 but in the present

00:21:42.220 --> 00:21:44.619
 still loaded with groaning

00:21:44.619 --> 00:21:46.240
 and with woe

00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:48.700
 and the longing for home

00:21:48.700 --> 00:21:51.299
 which makes the distance

00:21:51.299 --> 00:21:52.319
 a source of grief.

00:21:53.319 --> 00:21:54.000
 Woe to me

00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:55.279
 that I dwell in Meshech,

00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:56.119
 that I live among

00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:57.219
 the tents of Kedar.

00:21:57.979 --> 00:21:59.179
 Too long have I lived

00:21:59.179 --> 00:22:00.519
 among those who hate peace.

00:22:00.879 --> 00:22:01.799
 I am for peace,

00:22:01.879 --> 00:22:02.699
 but when they speak

00:22:02.699 --> 00:22:04.279
 they are for war.

00:22:04.459 --> 00:22:04.879
 I wonder,

00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:07.159
 do you know homesickness?

00:22:07.739 --> 00:22:09.959
 Have you ever felt homesick?

00:22:10.839 --> 00:22:11.759
 I remember as a student,

00:22:11.959 --> 00:22:12.979
 actually both at the beginning

00:22:12.979 --> 00:22:13.739
 of my student days

00:22:13.739 --> 00:22:15.319
 and the end of my student days,

00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:16.839
 having those pangs

00:22:16.839 --> 00:22:18.539
 of wanting to be home.

00:22:18.639 --> 00:22:19.219
 There are times

00:22:19.219 --> 00:22:20.459
 when it is hard going

00:22:20.459 --> 00:22:21.819
 to be far from friends

00:22:21.819 --> 00:22:22.399
 and family

00:22:22.399 --> 00:22:23.500
 and what is familiar.

00:22:23.500 --> 00:22:25.759
 As these pilgrims

00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:26.980
 begin their ascent,

00:22:27.420 --> 00:22:28.059
 as they begin

00:22:28.059 --> 00:22:28.960
 the long road

00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:29.619
 to Jerusalem,

00:22:30.180 --> 00:22:31.180
 they are living

00:22:31.180 --> 00:22:32.420
 as exiles

00:22:32.420 --> 00:22:33.559
 and they have

00:22:33.559 --> 00:22:34.359
 that sense

00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:36.099
 of homesickness.

00:22:36.839 --> 00:22:37.519
 So they speak

00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:38.359
 of woe.

00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:39.759
 They lament

00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:40.460
 the misery

00:22:40.460 --> 00:22:41.700
 of their exile.

00:22:42.099 --> 00:22:42.660
 They long

00:22:42.660 --> 00:22:43.240
 for Jerusalem.

00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:44.420
 That's their spiritual home.

00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:45.140
 That's where they can

00:22:45.140 --> 00:22:46.420
 share faith together

00:22:46.420 --> 00:22:47.420
 and they can share

00:22:47.420 --> 00:22:48.539
 worship together.

00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:49.700
 But these places,

00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:50.779
 Meshach and Kedar,

00:22:50.980 --> 00:22:52.180
 they're like way out here

00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:52.940
 in the frontiers,

00:22:53.019 --> 00:22:53.820
 in the badlands.

00:22:53.940 --> 00:22:55.080
 It's places of darkness

00:22:55.080 --> 00:22:56.519
 and aggression

00:22:56.519 --> 00:22:57.640
 where people are hostile

00:22:57.640 --> 00:22:58.480
 to God.

00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:01.259
 And so they find themselves

00:23:01.259 --> 00:23:01.720
 saying,

00:23:01.880 --> 00:23:03.320
 too long have I lived there.

00:23:03.400 --> 00:23:03.980
 It's the lament

00:23:03.980 --> 00:23:04.620
 of a foreigner.

00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:06.799
 I want to be home

00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:07.799
 among my own people,

00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:08.660
 my own values,

00:23:08.740 --> 00:23:09.640
 my own culture.

00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:12.700
 Sometimes I think

00:23:12.700 --> 00:23:13.259
 if we're honest

00:23:13.259 --> 00:23:13.980
 as Christians,

00:23:15.460 --> 00:23:16.220
 living in this world

00:23:16.220 --> 00:23:17.080
 can weight us down.

00:23:17.079 --> 00:23:20.079
 maybe it's because

00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:20.659
 we're surrounded

00:23:20.659 --> 00:23:22.519
 by blasphemy

00:23:22.519 --> 00:23:23.439
 where Jesus

00:23:23.439 --> 00:23:25.240
 and His Word

00:23:25.240 --> 00:23:25.740
 and His name

00:23:25.740 --> 00:23:26.759
 has been so cheapened,

00:23:27.679 --> 00:23:28.839
 where we live every day

00:23:28.839 --> 00:23:29.599
 with a disrespect

00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:30.359
 for God

00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:31.159
 and His church.

00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:32.879
 Or maybe it's because

00:23:32.879 --> 00:23:33.819
 we feel surrounded

00:23:33.819 --> 00:23:34.779
 by lies

00:23:34.779 --> 00:23:35.819
 and anger

00:23:35.819 --> 00:23:36.379
 and rumor

00:23:36.379 --> 00:23:38.099
 where the truth

00:23:38.099 --> 00:23:39.199
 is tossed aside.

00:23:39.579 --> 00:23:41.460
 It can be hard

00:23:41.460 --> 00:23:43.919
 to live

00:23:43.919 --> 00:23:45.079
 when there is

00:23:45.079 --> 00:23:46.199
 a spirit of lies

00:23:46.199 --> 00:23:46.919
 and warfare,

00:23:47.740 --> 00:23:49.039
 when people's beliefs,

00:23:49.159 --> 00:23:50.279
 when people's values,

00:23:50.759 --> 00:23:51.679
 when people themselves

00:23:51.679 --> 00:23:52.799
 are being attacked

00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:55.740
 can feel like a war zone.

00:23:56.639 --> 00:23:57.859
 And so the psalm ends

00:23:57.859 --> 00:23:59.859
 with a sense of grief

00:23:59.859 --> 00:24:00.519
 and groaning

00:24:00.519 --> 00:24:01.119
 and longing.

00:24:01.899 --> 00:24:03.259
 It literally begins,

00:24:03.659 --> 00:24:05.099
 I, peace,

00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:09.119
 but they, war.

00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:12.759
 The pilgrim worships

00:24:12.759 --> 00:24:13.879
 the God of peace

00:24:13.880 --> 00:24:15.380
 and longs for peace

00:24:15.380 --> 00:24:16.100
 but he feels

00:24:16.100 --> 00:24:17.320
 beaten down

00:24:17.320 --> 00:24:18.360
 by lies

00:24:18.360 --> 00:24:19.460
 and longs

00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:20.040
 to be home

00:24:20.040 --> 00:24:20.720
 with God

00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:21.300
 and the people

00:24:21.300 --> 00:24:21.940
 of peace.

00:24:22.940 --> 00:24:24.060
 In here,

00:24:24.920 --> 00:24:26.080
 by God's design,

00:24:26.220 --> 00:24:26.840
 there ought

00:24:26.840 --> 00:24:27.500
 to be

00:24:27.500 --> 00:24:28.480
 peace.

00:24:29.480 --> 00:24:30.000
 We meet

00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:30.800
 with the God

00:24:30.800 --> 00:24:31.860
 of peace

00:24:31.860 --> 00:24:32.880
 and we are

00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:33.660
 to pursue

00:24:33.660 --> 00:24:34.600
 peace.

00:24:35.560 --> 00:24:36.120
 And we think

00:24:36.120 --> 00:24:36.540
 about that

00:24:36.540 --> 00:24:37.880
 in all our conversations

00:24:37.880 --> 00:24:38.940
 and as we worship.

00:24:39.720 --> 00:24:40.300
 But what about

00:24:40.300 --> 00:24:40.820
 Monday

00:24:40.819 --> 00:24:42.639
 when we're

00:24:42.639 --> 00:24:43.399
 the only Christian

00:24:43.399 --> 00:24:44.359
 in our classroom

00:24:44.359 --> 00:24:45.200
 or our workplace

00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:46.240
 or in our family?

00:24:47.539 --> 00:24:47.960
 What about

00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:48.659
 the next time

00:24:48.659 --> 00:24:49.399
 we read

00:24:49.399 --> 00:24:50.759
 our social media feed

00:24:50.759 --> 00:24:52.000
 and someone else

00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:52.799
 is looking

00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:53.839
 to tear down

00:24:53.839 --> 00:24:55.299
 our Christian faith?

00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:56.200
 What about

00:24:56.200 --> 00:24:56.939
 if our family

00:24:56.939 --> 00:24:57.480
 and our friends,

00:24:57.579 --> 00:24:58.240
 they don't accept

00:24:58.240 --> 00:24:59.319
 Jesus as truth

00:24:59.319 --> 00:25:00.279
 and don't accept us

00:25:00.279 --> 00:25:01.220
 because we do?

00:25:02.259 --> 00:25:03.059
 Do we find

00:25:03.059 --> 00:25:03.899
 ourselves groaning?

00:25:03.900 --> 00:25:06.860
 Here's what I want

00:25:06.860 --> 00:25:07.380
 us to finish.

00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:08.540
 How can we

00:25:08.540 --> 00:25:09.820
 dwell well

00:25:09.820 --> 00:25:11.380
 if we feel

00:25:11.380 --> 00:25:11.920
 that we're living

00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:13.000
 in our Meshach

00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:13.660
 and Kedar

00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:14.340
 places?

00:25:15.380 --> 00:25:16.300
 Two things.

00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:16.980
 One way.

00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:18.400
 Commit

00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:19.420
 to saying

00:25:19.420 --> 00:25:20.340
 even when it's

00:25:20.340 --> 00:25:20.680
 hard,

00:25:21.040 --> 00:25:22.120
 I am

00:25:22.120 --> 00:25:23.500
 for peace.

00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:26.440
 Commit

00:25:26.440 --> 00:25:26.940
 to pursuing

00:25:26.940 --> 00:25:27.519
 the truth

00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:28.640
 even when

00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:29.400
 it's costly.

00:25:30.440 --> 00:25:30.800
 Stay

00:25:30.800 --> 00:25:31.840
 on the path

00:25:31.840 --> 00:25:32.380
 that Jesus

00:25:32.380 --> 00:25:33.600
 has placed us

00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:33.839
 on.

00:25:35.059 --> 00:25:35.459
 Commit

00:25:35.459 --> 00:25:35.959
 to being

00:25:35.959 --> 00:25:36.859
 a peacemaker

00:25:36.859 --> 00:25:38.379
 in relationships.

00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:39.740
 Pour water,

00:25:39.859 --> 00:25:40.480
 not oil,

00:25:40.599 --> 00:25:41.500
 on flames

00:25:41.500 --> 00:25:42.879
 even if

00:25:42.879 --> 00:25:43.639
 our instinct

00:25:43.639 --> 00:25:44.219
 tells us

00:25:44.219 --> 00:25:44.539
 otherwise.

00:25:45.819 --> 00:25:46.459
 Practice

00:25:46.459 --> 00:25:47.159
 the truth

00:25:47.159 --> 00:25:48.139
 in every

00:25:48.139 --> 00:25:49.139
 part of life.

00:25:49.480 --> 00:25:50.059
 Let God's

00:25:50.059 --> 00:25:50.619
 Word sink

00:25:50.619 --> 00:25:51.419
 so deeply

00:25:51.419 --> 00:25:52.480
 into our hearts

00:25:52.480 --> 00:25:53.059
 and our minds

00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:54.039
 that it shapes

00:25:54.039 --> 00:25:54.959
 all of our

00:25:54.959 --> 00:25:55.599
 interactions.

00:25:57.659 --> 00:25:58.699
 Ask yourself,

00:25:58.839 --> 00:25:59.179
 think about

00:25:59.179 --> 00:26:00.000
 what are my

00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:00.839
 patterns of

00:26:00.839 --> 00:26:01.899
 speech and

00:26:01.899 --> 00:26:02.480
 conversation

00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:03.439
 in my family

00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:03.940
 or in my

00:26:03.940 --> 00:26:04.360
 friendship

00:26:04.360 --> 00:26:04.779
 group.

00:26:06.680 --> 00:26:07.120
 Can my

00:26:07.120 --> 00:26:07.660
 colleagues

00:26:07.660 --> 00:26:08.279
 spot there

00:26:08.279 --> 00:26:08.700
 is something

00:26:08.700 --> 00:26:09.500
 different about

00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:10.080
 me because

00:26:10.080 --> 00:26:10.960
 of the way

00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:11.700
 that I choose

00:26:11.700 --> 00:26:12.519
 to speak?

00:26:13.259 --> 00:26:13.680
 How would

00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:14.660
 Jesus assess

00:26:14.660 --> 00:26:15.779
 my social

00:26:15.779 --> 00:26:16.759
 media feed?

00:26:19.080 --> 00:26:19.940
 Aim for

00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:20.580
 peace

00:26:20.580 --> 00:26:22.180
 within the

00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:22.660
 church.

00:26:23.320 --> 00:26:23.740
 Come back

00:26:23.740 --> 00:26:24.220
 this evening,

00:26:24.360 --> 00:26:25.160
 John 17,

00:26:25.380 --> 00:26:25.740
 we're thinking

00:26:25.740 --> 00:26:26.519
 about Jesus

00:26:26.519 --> 00:26:27.080
 praying,

00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:28.340
 Jesus praying

00:26:28.339 --> 00:26:30.179
 for unity.

00:26:31.139 --> 00:26:32.019
 It matters

00:26:32.019 --> 00:26:32.599
 to Jesus,

00:26:32.599 --> 00:26:33.179
 it needs to

00:26:33.179 --> 00:26:33.619
 matter to

00:26:33.619 --> 00:26:34.000
 us.

00:26:35.519 --> 00:26:36.399
 We need

00:26:36.399 --> 00:26:37.899
 for Beclu

00:26:37.899 --> 00:26:38.359
 to be a

00:26:38.359 --> 00:26:39.159
 safe place.

00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:41.139
 It's only a

00:26:41.139 --> 00:26:41.759
 safe place for

00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:42.439
 people if we

00:26:42.439 --> 00:26:43.099
 choose to

00:26:43.099 --> 00:26:44.240
 practice truth

00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:45.439
 and to

00:26:45.439 --> 00:26:46.319
 pursue peace

00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:47.259
 with love.

00:26:49.459 --> 00:26:50.199
 As the Bible

00:26:50.199 --> 00:26:50.779
 teaches us,

00:26:50.839 --> 00:26:51.459
 we are to aim

00:26:51.459 --> 00:26:52.139
 for peace

00:26:52.139 --> 00:26:53.759
 with everyone.

00:26:53.879 --> 00:26:54.500
 Romans 12,

00:26:54.500 --> 00:26:55.240
 if it is

00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:56.079
 possible on

00:26:56.079 --> 00:26:56.799
 your part,

00:26:57.279 --> 00:26:57.880
 live at

00:26:57.880 --> 00:26:58.579
 peace with

00:26:58.579 --> 00:26:58.980
 everyone.

00:26:59.500 --> 00:26:59.980
 Some people

00:26:59.980 --> 00:27:00.519
 may be for

00:27:00.519 --> 00:27:00.859
 war.

00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:03.319
 For the

00:27:03.319 --> 00:27:03.579
 Christian,

00:27:03.660 --> 00:27:04.000
 we need to

00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:04.400
 get our

00:27:04.400 --> 00:27:05.339
 responses right

00:27:05.339 --> 00:27:05.980
 and pursue

00:27:05.980 --> 00:27:06.359
 peace.

00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:07.220
 So we

00:27:07.220 --> 00:27:07.920
 commit to

00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:08.160
 saying,

00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:08.880
 I am for

00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:09.099
 peace.

00:27:09.140 --> 00:27:09.480
 That's one

00:27:09.480 --> 00:27:09.819
 way to

00:27:09.819 --> 00:27:10.539
 dwell well

00:27:10.539 --> 00:27:11.420
 as we

00:27:11.420 --> 00:27:11.799
 groan.

00:27:11.880 --> 00:27:12.240
 The second

00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:12.500
 way,

00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:13.240
 dwell well

00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:14.299
 by looking

00:27:14.299 --> 00:27:14.740
 to Jesus,

00:27:14.859 --> 00:27:15.220
 the Prince

00:27:15.220 --> 00:27:15.720
 of Peace.

00:27:17.980 --> 00:27:18.460
 Remember

00:27:18.460 --> 00:27:18.859
 this,

00:27:19.039 --> 00:27:19.400
 Jesus

00:27:19.400 --> 00:27:21.119
 sang Psalm

00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:21.660
 120.

00:27:23.079 --> 00:27:23.319
 Jesus

00:27:23.319 --> 00:27:24.000
 made lots

00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:24.660
 of visits

00:27:24.660 --> 00:27:25.319
 to Jerusalem

00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:26.079
 for festivals.

00:27:27.099 --> 00:27:27.400
 He would

00:27:27.400 --> 00:27:27.920
 have joined

00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:28.660
 his voice

00:27:28.660 --> 00:27:29.799
 with others.

00:27:30.740 --> 00:27:31.079
 He knew

00:27:31.079 --> 00:27:31.640
 what it was

00:27:31.640 --> 00:27:32.220
 to be a

00:27:32.220 --> 00:27:32.740
 pilgrim

00:27:32.740 --> 00:27:33.420
 who was

00:27:33.420 --> 00:27:34.039
 grieved

00:27:34.039 --> 00:27:34.619
 as he

00:27:34.619 --> 00:27:35.339
 heard false

00:27:35.339 --> 00:27:36.160
 teaching about

00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:36.599
 God,

00:27:37.180 --> 00:27:37.559
 as he

00:27:37.559 --> 00:27:38.420
 faced lies

00:27:38.420 --> 00:27:39.279
 and slanders.

00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:41.079
 Jesus,

00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:41.740
 too,

00:27:41.880 --> 00:27:42.339
 felt that

00:27:42.339 --> 00:27:42.779
 sense of

00:27:42.779 --> 00:27:43.619
 homesickness

00:27:43.619 --> 00:27:44.180
 for heaven

00:27:44.180 --> 00:27:44.900
 while he

00:27:44.900 --> 00:27:45.359
 lived as

00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:45.920
 an exile

00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:46.460
 on this

00:27:46.460 --> 00:27:46.720
 earth.

00:27:49.700 --> 00:27:50.299
 Now,

00:27:50.440 --> 00:27:50.880
 wonderfully,

00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:51.740
 Jesus has

00:27:51.740 --> 00:27:52.660
 returned to

00:27:52.660 --> 00:27:53.099
 the glory

00:27:53.099 --> 00:27:53.579
 of heaven

00:27:53.579 --> 00:27:54.579
 where he

00:27:54.579 --> 00:27:55.419
 rules in

00:27:55.419 --> 00:27:55.699
 victory.

00:27:55.819 --> 00:27:56.179
 He is

00:27:56.179 --> 00:27:56.679
 the Prince

00:27:56.679 --> 00:27:57.419
 of Peace.

00:27:58.220 --> 00:27:58.720
 And for

00:27:58.720 --> 00:27:58.939
 us,

00:27:59.000 --> 00:27:59.299
 we look

00:27:59.299 --> 00:27:59.699
 to him

00:27:59.699 --> 00:28:00.419
 grateful for

00:28:00.419 --> 00:28:00.720
 what he

00:28:00.720 --> 00:28:01.199
 has done,

00:28:01.779 --> 00:28:02.480
 that he

00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:03.019
 has gone

00:28:03.019 --> 00:28:03.480
 under the

00:28:03.480 --> 00:28:03.879
 sword of

00:28:03.879 --> 00:28:04.279
 God's

00:28:04.279 --> 00:28:04.619
 judgment,

00:28:04.619 --> 00:28:05.259
 that we

00:28:05.259 --> 00:28:05.759
 might have

00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:06.139
 the peace

00:28:06.139 --> 00:28:06.619
 of God.

00:28:06.839 --> 00:28:07.220
 He has

00:28:07.220 --> 00:28:07.839
 made peace

00:28:07.839 --> 00:28:08.399
 by his

00:28:08.399 --> 00:28:09.139
 blood shed

00:28:09.139 --> 00:28:09.460
 on the

00:28:09.460 --> 00:28:09.839
 cross,

00:28:09.980 --> 00:28:10.599
 and right

00:28:10.599 --> 00:28:11.019
 now he

00:28:11.019 --> 00:28:11.579
 is preparing

00:28:11.579 --> 00:28:12.059
 a home

00:28:12.059 --> 00:28:12.460
 for his

00:28:12.460 --> 00:28:12.819
 people,

00:28:13.399 --> 00:28:14.199
 a wonderful

00:28:14.199 --> 00:28:14.799
 kingdom of

00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:15.319
 eternal

00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:16.679
 truth and

00:28:16.679 --> 00:28:17.779
 peace and

00:28:17.779 --> 00:28:18.159
 love.

00:28:18.879 --> 00:28:19.240
 So,

00:28:19.299 --> 00:28:19.619
 may God

00:28:19.619 --> 00:28:20.119
 use this

00:28:20.119 --> 00:28:20.479
 psalm to

00:28:20.479 --> 00:28:21.199
 help us

00:28:21.199 --> 00:28:22.319
 to dwell

00:28:22.319 --> 00:28:23.199
 well even

00:28:23.199 --> 00:28:24.399
 as we

00:28:24.399 --> 00:28:25.839
 groan,

00:28:26.439 --> 00:28:26.859
 as we

00:28:26.859 --> 00:28:27.399
 find the

00:28:27.399 --> 00:28:28.899
 truth is

00:28:28.899 --> 00:28:29.819
 under attack.

00:28:30.239 --> 00:28:30.939
 Let's pray

00:28:30.939 --> 00:28:31.799
 together briefly.

00:28:32.539 --> 00:28:33.179
 God, our

00:28:33.179 --> 00:28:33.839
 Father, thank

00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:34.359
 you for this

00:28:34.359 --> 00:28:35.639
 psalm, because

00:28:35.639 --> 00:28:36.500
 we recognize

00:28:36.500 --> 00:28:38.199
 it's tough

00:28:38.199 --> 00:28:38.979
 honesty.

00:28:40.219 --> 00:28:40.819
 We know

00:28:40.819 --> 00:28:41.459
 lies,

00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:42.039
 deception,

00:28:42.279 --> 00:28:42.959
 slander are

00:28:42.959 --> 00:28:43.539
 all around

00:28:43.539 --> 00:28:43.719
 us.