Psalm 122:1
“Why I Come To Church”
During election times we often hear about the various polls that are taken during this time. You have what is known as a straw poll, then you have a telephone poll, then in recent years they have even come up with what is known as the online poll. All of these polls usually take place before the election. But there is a poll that is taken after a person has cast their vote. This poll is known as an exit poll. And we know what an exit poll is right? It is a poll taken immediately after the voters have exited the polling stations. In this exit poll the voter is asked which candidate they voted for and why did they vote for that particular candidate.
Well this morning let us suppose, assume or imagine that after the benediction is given here on today and you’re preparing to enjoy the rest of your Sunday. As you’re on your way out the door and into your cars, there is on the outside of this church a Heavenly reporter with cameras flashing and notebook in hand, ready to take an exit poll. Not in reference to whom you may have voted for in the last election, but as it relates to why you showed up at church this morning? Why did you get up from the comfort of a warm bed, browse through clothes in your closets, jump into the shower, get dressed, get into your cars, and drive to this place? Why did you show up at church this morning? Was it because of religion, ritual, or rite? Because you do know that on a comparative scale other than our homes, the church is the one place that we spend the majority of our time. So the question this morning is why? Why come to church? I come to let you know why I come to church. Verse one of Psalms 122 says. “I was glad when they said unto me; Let us go into the House of the Lord.” The first thing that we need to know about coming to church is that it is a personal journey. The writer said “I was glad, when they said unto me.” That’s personal. Although it talked about others, it says “Let us go into the House of the Lord.”
I don’t care how many people show up, I don’t care how many may be in the “US CROWD” you still need to understand that this journey of coming the church should be personal. The reason I say that is because I often hear people say that they’re not coming to church or going to church because of someone else or some thing that has happened. My brother and my sister church ought to mean too much to you to allow somebody else to stop you from coming. Church means too much to me (personal) to allow some other person or some other thing to stop me from showing up on Sunday mornings.
From the very first verse, we can sense the excitement, enthusiasm, and the exhilaration of the Psalmist in this Psalm. Unlike other Psalms, you don’t have to wait until you get down to the five or tenth verse to experience the joy and spirit filled emotion of the writer. You can almost hear the rise in his tone as he talks about the delight of his worship experience, saying "I was glad when they said unto me; Let us go unto the House of the Lord".
Another thing that I need to tell you about coming to church is this: notice that verse and the writer tells us that he was excited, eager, and energized before he ever made it to the church. You see it? He said I got happy just by somebody telling me or inviting me to go to church. He was well prepared before he even got to the church. Many of us who used to club, had what was known as “pre-club preparation,” that’s when you would stand in the mirror, pat your hair, put on your make-up, and straighten up your dress or skirt.
And my brothers and my sisters that the way we ought to be as it relates to coming to church. Coming to church is not only personal, but it demands some “pre-church preparations.” Meaning that before you make it to the parking lot on Sunday, matter of fact before Sunday even gets here, you ought to be excited about coming into the House of the Lord. On Saturday nights you ought to send up a praise because you know that Sunday Morning is right around the corner.
Now there is some controversy about the author of this beautiful poem. It is generally credited to David. Those who hold this view say that when David speaks of the House of the Lord he is referring to the city of Jerusalem, because Jerusalem was considered the Holy City or the City of God. That would seem a logical conclusion since the temple had not been built under David’s kingship of Israel. If David did in fact write this psalm, it’s clear that he associated the entire city of Jerusalem with the presence of God, and as he approached the city limits, his recorded words reveal that he was overwhelmed and overjoyed by the very thought of where he was headed. I was glad when they said unto me; Let us go unto the house of the Lord.
On the other hand, some scholars say that this psalm was not written by David and that it was written at a much later period, perhaps the period of the post exile. They say that in all probability, when some of the captives were allowed to return to their homeland in the 5th century B.C. as they neared the city and anticipated viewing the remains of Solomon’s magnificent temple to God, they burst forth in song as they sang with unbridled, uncontrolled, unrestrained and unreserved emotions: I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go unto the house of the Lord.
I don’t know who wrote the 122nd psalm, but whoever wrote it, it was written by someone who experienced the joy and the pleasure of God’s presence when he entered into the House of the Lord. If this psalm had not already been written, I would have written it myself this very morning. When I drove into the parking lot, an image of the sanctuary filled my memory, and I could hardly contain my emotion. This is God’s house, the place where we come to ask His blessings on our newborn children and the place where we come to seek refuge from Satanic attack and the place we come to worship the One who holds the world in the palm of His hand. I could hardly wait to open the door and come inside. If these words had not already been penned, I would have written them myself - I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go unto the House of the Lord.
So can I tell you why I come to church? I come first of all because I knew that I would hear some: scriptural promise, Singing and praying, servant preaching, I might hear shouting and praising, but lastly because one day I’ll be in the Saviors presence. I come to hear
I. Scriptural promises: Promises from that book someone once described as a roadmap that leads from earth to glory. It’s the book that’s been called the blueprint for peace and happiness. It’s the Book that contains our recipe for salvation. These promises offers comfort to the oppressed, strength to the downcast, and encouragement to the weary. Promises such as: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” Promise such as “they that wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings like an eagle; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Promises such as “If my people which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, will forgive their sins and will heal their land.” Promise such as “let not your hears be trouble if you believe in God believe also in me, in my Father’s house are many mansion, if it were not so I wouldn’t have told you, I go away to prepare a place for you and where I am there you shall be also”, those are just some of the scriptural promise you might hear when you come to church. So I don’t know about you, but I was glad.
Secondly we have:
II. Singing and Praying: I may be able to hear some of those songs that kept my grandmamma and yours; songs like: “precious Lord take my hand, lead me on and let me stand, I am tired, I am weak and I am worn.” I just might hear a song that said; “amazing grace shall always be my song of praise, for it was grace that bought my liberty, I do not know just why He came to love me so, He looked beyond my fault and saw my needs.” If I come to church, I might hear a song that says: “ I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more, but the Master of the sea, heard my despairing cry, from the waters lifted me.” If I come to church I might hear a song that says: “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.”
Then the singing is topped off with the icing God calls prayer. We pour out our hearts to the One who has the power to uphold us and remold us, to shake us and remake us! We can pray to a God that will hear us when we call and catch us before we fall. That’s why Charles Scriven wrote in the words of that familiar hymn: “what a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pains we bear, all because we don’t not carry everything to God in prayer.” And I might as well tell you that you’re not here this morning on your own merits, by you own qualities or your own virtues or anything that we done, I know some people brag about making by their own boots-straps, but somebody prayed for you to get the boots. We’re here this morning, because somebody prayed for us, had us on their mind, took their time and prayed for us. The Scriptural promises, the singing and praying, are very important in the worship experience, but then there’s
But thirdly I come to church because of the
III. Servant Preaching: The servant preacher breaks the bread of life to us, standing there in the pulpit - that holy place where God delivers His message to the one who is called into obedience. The preacher stands, having studied to show himself approved unto God as a workman who has no reason to be ashamed - and he entrusts himself to God, who will use him to rightly divide the word of truth. And in case you’re wondering about the content of his message, he’s always preaching about a Savior named Jesus! He’s preaching about Mary’s little boy who was born in Bethlehem and wrapped in swaddling clothes. He’s preaching about a boy-wonder, who at the age of 12, had more knowledge than the greatest scholars in Jerusalem. He’s preaching about a God-man who walked upon the water and calmed the angry sea. He’s preaching about a man who opened blind eyes, unclogged deaf ears, cut loose stammering tongues, healed sick bodies, and raised bowed down heads, he preaching about a man who had the first successful church fish fry, when He fed 5,000 men with two fish and 5 loaves of bread.
Yes, he’s preaching about a man called Jesus. He’s preaching that story of Jesus and His love. That’s why I’m glad to come into the House of the Lord. There’s sure to be some preaching going on! And when you hear the servant preacher preaching things are bound to change. Souls are being saved; backsliders are being reclaimed; the hearts of Christians are being revived. You can come in here raw material and go out a finished product! You can come in here lost and go out found - by Jesus! You can come in here a hell-bound sinner and go out a heaven-bound saint! You can come in here steeped in sadness and sorrow, but leave here with joy and hope for tomorrow!
There’s yet another reason why I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the House of the Lord. I know that I will hear some scriptural promise, I know I will hear some singing and praying, I understand that I will see and hear the servant preaching; but before this morning is far spent, there might be some
IV. Shouting and Praising going on: I can’t predict it with a degree of certainty, but some of us might suddenly be overwhelmed by the goodness of God, and we won’t be able to control the outpouring of joy. Some of us won’t have to do more than reflect on how God woke us up this morning and started us on our way, and before we know it, we’ll find ourselves unable to hold our peace. There’ll be some shouting and praising up in here up in here! There might be somebody who’s not ashamed to raise his hands to the heavens and say, "Thank you Jesus!" There might be somebody who’s not too stiff to get limber - who’s not too tight to turn loose - who’s not too sophisticated to become liberated - who’s not too pretty to get ugly - who’s not too high-up to get down. There might be somebody in here that knows how good God has been to you and in spite of how much people talk about “it don’t take all that.” When God has been sho-nuff good to you, then you just can’t be a silent saint sitting still like a statue in the sanctuary on Sunday.
There might be some lady here who’s not too made up to mess up her make-up. There might be somebody in here who will allow the Holy Spirit to have His way so that you’ll laugh when you’re not tickled, run when no one is after you, cry when there’s no pain in your body. There might be some shouting and praising in here! I can’t hold my peace now. I can’t stand here without feeling my hands get lighter. I can’t hold my peace - I can’t come in here and not thank Him for rescuing me.
Shout and praise God for what He has done for you, you have a right to shout and praise the Lord. Not only should we shout and praise Him for what has happened in our lives, but we ought to take out a little time to shout and praise God for what has not happened in our lives. When you woke up this morning you was not out of your mind, you were not sleeping outdoor, your daughter is not on the corner selling her body, your son is not behind prison wall or strung out on drugs and alcohol, I not only have to shout and praise Him for what has happened, but I have to take out a time to shout and praise Him for what didn’t happen. Praise Him, praise Him, Jesus blessed Savior He’s worthy to be praise. And that’s why, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord!" But wait a minute! My greatest joy - the reason I’m really excited to be here, is because I realize this is a dress rehearsal. I come to church because one day I know that I’ll...
V. Be in the Saviors Presence: All we are doing here is just a rehearsal for what we will do UP THERE! One day I’m gonna put on my robe, and tell the story, how I made it over! I know it’s just a rehearsal, but it’s REAL to me! I can’t help myself, I get happy just to know that one day I’ll be in the Saviors Presence, I just want to See Him!
"Oh I want to see him Look upon his face .There to sing forever of His saving grace ,on the streets of glory; let me lift my voice; cares all passed,
home at last; ever to rejoice."
