JOY IN THE JOURNEY

Joy in The Journey --- Call on the Lord

“I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.”

Today we begin our journey to Jerusalem for the Passover. We join thousands upon thousands of Jewish people who journey yearly to Jerusalem for this high and holy day. We also join Christians all around the world as we begin our Lenten season and we prepare our hearts and homes for the crucifixion, the cross and crisis of the empty tomb.

Our handbook for this journey to Jerusalem are the Psalms (or songs) of Ascent found in the Bible. There are 150 Psalms in the Bible but only are what we call “The Songs of Ascent.” Today we begin our study of the Word with , the first of the 14 songs. The Jewish people call these 14 songs, shir hama’aloth. The first word, shir, means a hymn or song, but the second word, ma’alah (the singular of ma’aloth) means both a step or a stair and a “going up.”

The question that has been debated by theologians throughout the centuries is, “Going up where, how, and when?” Some scholars think that the Israelites sang these songs as the captives returned home from captivity in Babylon. Other scholars suggest that these songs were sung as the people climbed the 15 steps that led from the courtyard of the women to the courtyard of the men. Most scholars believe that these fifteen songs were sung by the people as they journeyed from their homes to Jerusalem for the three major festivals: Passover, Pentecost and Day of Atonement. The faithful Jewish people would leave home and journey back to Jerusalem. The scholars believe that Mary, Joseph and Jesus sang these Psalms as they returned back home to the high and holy festival days. Think about this, Jesus and His disciples would have sung these songs as they climbed the hills from the Sea of Galilee up to Jerusalem. It would normally take 3 days to walk from the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus had his home base, to Jerusalem. And that is only if they went through Samaria. If they avoided Samaria and went around it instead of through it, it would take five days. The Dead Sea is 1,412 feet below sea level and Jerusalem is 2,474 above sea level. The climb up from the Dead Sea, or the ascent, is 3,886 feet straight up winding, mountain trials. To put it in perspective for us today, Mt. Baldy is 4,193 feet in elevation. It would be like walking slowly up to Baldy and singing songs as we ascend. Whenever I drive up to Mt. Baldy, I usually see people riding their bikes to the summit. I always say, “Boy, that looks like fun!” Don’t you think so?

Before we turn to our Wonderful Words of life, let us come before the throne of grace and mercy and seek God’s face. Let us pray. “Lord, God we call out to You, come quickly to our assistance and let Your Words be life as we study the songs of ascent. We begin our Lenten journey to Jerusalem this morning where the cross, the crucifixion and the crisis of the resurrection awaits us. In Jesus’ most powerful and mighty name, we pray. Amen”

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

2Save me, O Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

3What will he do to you, and what more besides, O deceitful tongue?

4He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom tree.

5Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!

6Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.

7I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war.[i]

Call Upon The Lord

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said that any man can sing in the daytime, but only the man of faith can sing in the night.[ii] I would have to agree. Being in the ministry, nighttime is a very special and holy time of the day, especially for those of faith. The light is never overcome by the darkness, and this fact remains steady in the darkness of the night every single night.

I believe that this song is one of those songs that we need to learn to sing in the night. There are some valuable lessons we can learn from this Psalm. First, we are to call upon the Lord. Second, we are strangers in this world. We are pilgrims on a journey. Third, we need to remember that God hears our call.

Eugene Peterson is one of my favorite authors and he actually wrote a book on these Psalms in one of his books, “A Long Obedience In The Same Direction --- Discipleship In An Instant Society.” I would highly recommend that book to you. Wouldn’t it be great to have an additional handbook on these songs of ascent as we take our Lenten journey together?

The Hebrew word for “call” is the verb in this sentence and in Hebrew it means “to call, to shout, to proclaim, to name, to announce, to summon and to read.” The word for “distress” means; “distress, anxiety, to be in need.”

Do you know God’s phone number? It is and it says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

When I became sick with led poisoning, I called out day and night for the Lord to heal me and strengthen me. I would call and ask God to show me great and unsearchable things I did not know. Why I went through that ordeal of lead poisoning and three rounds of chelation with one more to go, I will never know. And maybe I will never know on this side of heaven. But I do know that it has taught me to trust the Lord more. It has taught me to call upon the Lord more.

I love what Eugene Peterson said in his book --- “A Long Obedience” --- “A person has to get fed up with the ways of the world before he, before she, acquires an appetite for the world of grace.” (repeat that)

The first note to study in this song of ascent, is that we are to call upon the Lord. We are to summon the Lord. We are to name the Lord. We are to proclaim the Lord. We are to read the Lord. I don’t know where you are in your walk with the Lord, but it is never too late to call on the Lord. Just from my 65 orbits around the sun, I know that at different times in our lives we will become distressed, anxious, and in need. This is when we come to the end of ourselves. We come to the end of the world’s ways. This is a great time to repent and turn our heart back to the Lord. All we need do is call on Him. “God, I’m calling upon you.” (Can we say that together?)

Strangers In This World --- Pilgrims on the Journey!

Long, long ago, when Abraham followed God, he was told that his children and people would be aliens and strangers. In we read, “Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.”

In the New Testament book of Hebrews, there is a chapter called the “Hall of Faith.” Stuck in the middle of that chapter are these words, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.”

Most of you know that I was able to fly to Florida last weekend. I sat with my wife as we held her mother’s hand. Together with Dad, we slowly walked JoAnn to the gates of heaven. The truth is that this earthly tent that we each live in is temporary. We really are aliens and strangers in a foreign land waiting to get home. We are pilgrims on a journey.

A pilgrim is a person who has grown dissatisfied with where he or she has been and is on their way to something better. Peterson says that a Christian pilgrim is one who has repented of the lies that surround him (and are in him) and who is now going to call upon God, and whose path for getting there is Jesus Christ. (repeat that)

The world preaches that we are all basically good and we will continue to get better. The world would teach us to be self-sufficient. The world teaches us to seek wealth, riches and honor. The world teaches us to be independent. The world teaches us that there is no God. Why would a person like to serve or, even worse, become a slave to a God who causes so much pain?

If we want to be Christians, we need to ask God to deliver us from these lies, as the psalmist does in verse 2, --- Save me, O Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

Peterson elaborates on what this verse should mean in our culture:

Rescue me from the lies of advertisers who claim to know what I need and what I desire, from the lies of entertainers who promise a cheap way to joy, from the lies of politicians who pretend to instruct me in power and morality, from the lies of psychologists who offer to shape my behavior and my morals so that I will live long, happily and successfully, from the lies of religionists who “heal the wounds of this people lightly,” from the lips of moralists who pretend to promote me to the office of captain of my fate, from the lies of pastors who “leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men” (). Rescue me from the person who tells me of life and omits Christ, who is wise in the ways of the world and ignores the movement of the Spirit.[iii]

Meshech is a real place. It was a far-off tribe, thousands of miles from Jerusalem. They people of Meshech lived on the southern border of present-day Russia. The people of Kedar were a wondering Bedouin tribe that had a reputation for being barbaric. These lands were hostile and strange. Which leads me to think:

Our world can be hostile and strange. Our world has many lies to tell us.

The lesson that we need to learn from this Psalm is that we need to learn to say, “No” to the ways of the world and we need to learn to say, “Yes” to the ways of God. We are talking about repentance. Repentance is a turning around from walking in one direction and heading in a new direction. John the Baptist began his ministry with a call to repentance. --- “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus began His ministry in with the exact same message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” When Peter preached his first message on Pentecost he called out and said, “Repent, and be baptized.”

I am sure you have heard the story about the big, bulky, house robber who went into an elderly lady’s home to rob her. He broke through the window and startled her awake. She made her way down the stairs and saw the big, bulky robber in her parlor. He had his back to her as she shouted at the top of her lungs --- “Stop --- Stop --- Stop --- !” Immediately the robber dropped his bag and raised his arms. She called 911 and in a few minutes the police were on the scene. The police saw the big, bulky robber standing with his hands raised and they saw the little, old lady in her house coat. The police officer was confused. How could this little old lady disarm this huge house robber? The officer went up and cuffed the robber and asked him why he didn’t run or fight. He said all he heard was “Stop --- Stop --- Stop --- ,” and he was sure that the little old lady had an axe and two 38 caliber pistols.

Repentance is more than a feeling or emotion. Repentance is a decision to move in a new and different direction. Did you hear that? You don’t have to feel anything in order to repent. You can just repent because you decide you need a new direction.

Repentance is finding our that what God wants from us will help us to stop doing the same thing that hurts us over and over. The path of peace is not found in the tents of Kedar or in the land of Meshech. Peace is found in the one and only Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, God’s only Son.

So What? God Hears Our Call --- Peace!

In 1867, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel awoke one morning to read his own obituary in the local paper: “Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than ever before. He died a very rich man.”

The truth of the obituary is that it was Alfred’s older brother who had died. A newspaper reporter had made a mistake. But the account had a profound effect on Alfred. He decided he wanted to be known for something other than developing a means to kill people efficiently and amassing a fortune in the process. Alfred Nobel initiated the Nobel Prize—an award for scientists and writers who foster peace. “Every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph in midstream and write a new one,” Nobel said.[iv] How about us? Is it time for us to correct our epitaph midstream and to begin to write a new one? That is my prayer for us as we begin our PSALMS OF ASCENT this morning. “God, correct us midstream. Teach us to call upon You alone. Don’t let us put more weight in the world than we do in YOU.”

When Jesus, the Prince of Peace, gathered his disciples together the night he would be betrayed, he told them, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Say this with me, “In this world I will have trouble. But I am taking heart today because Jesus Christ has overcome the world.”

So what can we take home today?

1) Call on the Lord. The Lord will hear and answer you. Memorize

2) Remember that we are strangers and aliens in this world and don’t buy into the lies of this world. Seek Jesus and His righteousness and all things will be added unto you.

3) Peace can only be found in one person. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

A simple 3-point message: CALL. REMEMBER. PEACE.

This past Tuesday, my mother-of-love joined the party. Mom had been very sick from cancer. The one thing that Jo Ann hung onto was her faith. Her only focus was getting to the pearly gates of heaven despite the struggle her earthly body faced. Jac’s mom was an amazing person. She was a professional amateur golfer—she had 11 holes in one—all certificated by the golf courses she played. She was an accomplished musician. She played the piano and the organ. She was a church organist for 50 years. She was so good that she played in the St. Louis Cathedral for weddings. Mom also was a talented artist. Colored pencils were her favorite medium. Despite all of these gifts and talents, Mom loved Jesus. By her bedside, were two pictures and a crucifix: a picture of Jesus which she drew, and a family picture taken at her 80th birthday celebration. As mom slipped away, she opened her eyes, reached for the frames and said, “Jesus, I love you most. Family, I love you.” CALL. REMEMBER. PEACE. I will never forget the smile that encompassed Mom’s entire face as she left this world and entered heaven.

We can learn so much from this first Psalm of Ascent. Call out to God. Remember God, not the world and the PEACE OF CHRIST will be ours in full.

Let us pray and prepare hearts for Lord’s Supper.

The Seed Christian Fellowship

Rancho Cucamonga, California 91701

www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

March 1, 2020

Pastor Dave Peters

[i] The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[ii] Hobbs, H. H. (1990). My favorite illustrations (p. 258). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

[iii] Peterson, Eugene, A Long Obedience In The Same Direction, Downers Grove, Il, Intervarsity Press, 1980

[iv] Larson, C. B., & Ten Elshof, P. (2008). 1001 illustrations that connect (p. 123). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.