Why Should I Go to Church?
Text: Psalm 84:10-12
I. Go to church
a. God’s people love church
i. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. (Psa 27:4)
ii. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. (Luk 4:16)
1. That synagogue had people in it – it was not perfect
b. Better use of time
i. 1,000 to 1
ii. Consider what a day for a king could mean (Ecc. 2:4-8)
iii. Spiritual pleasures excel temporal pleasures
1. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Rom 8:5-6)
c. Better position
i. A lowly and binding position in church is better than roaming freely in sin
1. Church often leads to responsibility
a. We bear fruit through church
II. Get what God has for you
a. Sun
i. For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Mal 4:1-2)
b. Shield
c. Grace
i. Grace leads to glory
1. A man who was once homeless and now pastors a large church in west Knoxville
2. “Unshackled”
3. HEAVEN
ii. Church is a means of grace
d. Glory
i. Sinners seek glory, honor and immortality
1. They seek all these things from man
2. They want their name in lights but will certainly get their names in stone
ii. We seek glory, honor and immortality
1. We by patient continuance in well doing
2. With constant recognition of grace
3. We seek glory from GOD
e. Any good thing
i. God owns everything good
ii. God loves to give good gifts to His children
iii. Are all the things we want good?
1. Good things
a. Healing – spiritual/physical
b. Food – spiritual/physical
c. Bills
2. Bad things
a. A man who prayed that his cocaine business would prosper
b. Our prayers ought not be focused on self
iv. We don’t miss anything good by walking uprightly
f. Who walk uprightly
i. Conditional
1. Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. (Jer 5:25)
2. Be not deceived…you’ll reap what you sow
3. God may withhold good things from you to lead you to repentance like the prodigal son
4. Church helps; man is social
a. Don’t stand in the way of sinners nor sit in the seat of the scornful
b. Can’t hang out with a skunk and come out smelling like a rose
Have you ever wondered why the Canadian geese fly only in the V formation? For years specialists in aerodynamics wondered the same thing.
Two engineers calibrated in a wind tunnel what happens in such a V formation. Each goose, in flapping his wings, creates an upward lift for the goose that follows. When all the geese do their part in the V formation, the whole flock has a 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. Each depends upon the other to get to its destination. – Something else-When a goose begins to lag behind, the others "honk" it back into place."Let us consider one another, to provoke unto love and to good works" (Heb_10:24).
III. Goodbye worry
a. Well placed trust
i. His power
ii. His faithfulness
b. We can trust better when we’ve been faithful
c. Church attendance symbolizes trust in God
i. People read our lives
ii. If we really believe God’s word we’ll want to be in church
1. Heaven
2. Hell
3. If I forsake Him He’ll forsake me
4. Rewards
iii. By going to church you encourage unbelievers to trust God
iv. At church you can encourage other believers to trust God
1. You may feel like you don’t need church but church needs you
d. Trust in God will make you happy
i. Free from worry
ii. You’ll believe Him when He says “no good thing will I withhold…”
1. Material things
a. Healing
b. Food
c. Work
d. Car
2. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Mat 6:33)
3. Spiritual things
a. Wisdom – a necessity
i. Wisdom often leads to wealth
b. Satisfaction
c. Spiritual gifts edify
d. Strong conviction to lost loved ones
