THE DOORKEEPER
Ps 84:1-10
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A little girl and her older brother were visiting their grandfather's farm – their first time out of the city. The older brother decided to play a trick on his younger sister. He told her that he had just seen a man-eating chicken.
2. The girl was frightened and ran inside in fear. Then the older brother heard his little sister scream. He ran inside immediately. She was screaming at their grandfather, who was chowing down on a plate of fried chicken.
3. "What is it?" he asked. His sister turned to him in fear and said," It- it's- IT'S A MAN EATING CHICKEN!!!"
B. TEXT
1How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! 2My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. 4Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah. 5Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 10Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Ps. 84:1-5, 10
C. THESIS
Korah, ancestor to the Sons of Korah, died in rebellion against Moses, but his sons loved God & had charge of the doors of the Tabernacle (1 Chr. 9:17-19;23:5;26:1,12). THE DOORKEEPER IS:
I. AN IMPORTANT POSITION IN CHURCHES
A. FRIENDSHIP OFFERED TO THE VISITOR
1. Verse 10 is in part extolling the virtue of being a doorkeeper – someone with the role of opening the door when the owner of the house or visitors approach. That is an important role. A smile and a warm handshake will make newcomers feel at home.
2. When I was in seminary, Angela and I went to several other Churches to fulfil requirements for a class I was taking. In some places we were welcomed warmly and were immediately introduced to other members of the congregation; we felt among friends in the Church family. Sadly there was one place – which will remain ***
nameless - where we were so comprehensively ignored that no would even look at us or greet us! Suppose I’d been a suffering soul looking for solace from the Gospel – what would I have thought and would I have ever returned?
3. The blessed role of doorkeepers! It’s a role which every one of us can share – you don’t need to be pinned with a badge and made official – just search out the newcomers and make them feel welcome.
B. REPRESENTING GOD AS WELCOMING
1. Certainly the Scripture “let the little children come unto Me” has reference to our openness to people coming into our church who are seeking God. We must be careful to not turn them away.
2. John Bisagno former Pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church tells the story of his coming there to candidate for the position of pastor many years ago.
a. He said that as he entered the auditorium it was dimly lit, with just a few people huddled together. They were singing some old slow funeral type song that was depressing.
b. Later that day he took a walk in downtown Houston and came upon a jewellery store. It was some sort of grand opening and there were bright lights and a greeter at the door to welcome you in with a smile. Inside there was a celebration going on. There were refreshments and people having a good time talking and laughing with each other. They welcomed him and offered him some punch.
c. He said that after attending both the church and the jewellery store, if the jewellery store had offered an invitation, he would have joined the jewellery store!
3. The importance of entertaining angels “unawares.”
II. DESIRED BY THOSE WHO LOVE GOD
A. AN INTENSE LOVE FOR GOD’S PRESENCE
1. The Doorkeeper was a person who loved the house of God/ the Presence of God above all other things & pursuits. THE DOORKEEPER SAYS:
2. Ps. 84:1-3; 1How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! 2My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
3. It is also a listening and learning position. Prov. 8:33-35 33; “Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. 34Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. 35For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD.”
B. COMMITTED TO THE CARE OF GOD’S HOUSE
1. Not only that, but this person had permanently committed themselves to the care of God’s house; their occupation was to be a doorkeeper.
2. It might be the catalyst of greater ministries for God. Samuel, who later became a prophet & judge over Israel, began his ministry as a doorkeeper(1 Sam. 3:15).
C. CONTRASTED TO THE WORLD’S ENTICEMENTS
1. As contrasted with the “tents of wickedness” which seems desirable to the ungodly for its wealth or party implications, the doorkeeper position appears to be the most humble position in the house of God, as below those who minister or carry out the sacraments.
2. The Psalmist preferred to be in the least position in God’s service rather than to enjoy great pleasure with the wicked. Better to have some humble place right on the edge of God’s presence than to be wined and dined elsewhere.
III. A SPIRITUAL RESPON. OF BELIEVERS
A. IS ALSO A SPIRITUAL RESPONSIBILITY
1. Jesus told the hypocrites, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.” Mt. 23:13 New Living.
2. They wouldn’t allow those searching for God entrance by refusing to share the Gospel with them. All who know the Truth are “Doorkeepers,” we have the truth but whether we share it with others or not is up to us.
B. SHARING CHRIST IS OPENING A DOOR
1. SCRIPTURES:
a. Acts 14:27 “On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”
b. 1 Cor. 16:9 “because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.”
c. 2 Cor. 2:12 “Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me”
d. Col. 4:3 “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.”
2. DOOR (defined); “a usually swinging or sliding barrier by which an entry is closed and opened”; “a means of access or participation; opportunity: “opens new door” “door to success.”
3. A SPECIAL DOOR OF MIRACLES IS OPENED EVERYTIME WE SHARE THE LOVE OF CHRIST AND GOSPEL WITH THE LOST! The Lord told Peter He had given him the “Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven,” to open the door to the supernatural. We can too! (Mt. 16:19)
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Father John Powell, professor at Loyola University in Chicago, writes about a student in his Theology of Faith class named Tommy;
2. “It was in my first session of the Theology of Faith that I first saw Tommy. He was combing his long flaxen hair. It was the first time I’d ever seen a boy with hair that long. Tommy turned out to be the "atheist in
residence" in my Theology of Faith course. He constantly objected to, smirked at, or whined about the possibility of an unconditionally loving Father/God. We lived with each other in relative peace for one semester, although I admit he was for me at times a serious pain.
3. When he came up at the end of the course to turn in his final exam, he asked in a cynical tone, "Do you think I’ll ever find God?" I decided instantly on a little shock therapy. "No!" I said very emphatically. "Why not," he responded, "I thought that was the product you were pushing." I let him get five steps from the classroom door and then called out, "Tommy! I don’t think you’ll ever find Him, but I am absolutely certain that He will find you!" He shrugged a little and left my class and my life.
4. Tommy graduated and then a sad report came. I heard that Tommy had terminal cancer. Before I could search him out, he came to see me. When he walked into my office, his body was very badly wasted and the long hair had all fallen out as a result of chemotherapy. But his eyes were bright and his voice was firm, for the first time, I believe.
5. "Tommy, I hear you are sick”. "Yes, it’s a matter of weeks." "Can you talk about it, Tom?" I asked. "Sure, what would you like to know?" he replied. "What’s it like to be only twenty-four and dying?" "Well, it could be worse." "Like what?" "Well, like being fifty and having no values or ideals, like being fifty and thinking that booze, seducing women, and making money are the real biggies in life."
6. "But what I really came to see you about," Tom said, "is something you said to me on the last day of class." "I asked you if you thought I would ever find God and you said, ’No!’ which surprised me. Then you said, ’But He will find you.’ I thought about that a lot. When the doctors removed a lump from my groin and told me that it was malignant, that’s when I got serious about locating God. And when the malignancy spread into my vital organs, I really began banging bloody fists against the bronze doors of heaven. But God did not come out. In fact, nothing happened. Did you ever try anything for a long time with great effort and with no success? You get psychologically gutted, fed up with trying.
7. "Well, one day I woke up, and instead of throwing a few more futile appeals over that high brick wall to a God who may be or may not be there, I just quit. I decided that I didn’t really care about God, about an after life, or anything like that. I thought about something else you had said: ’The essential sadness is to go through life without loving. But it would be almost equally sad to go through life and leave this world without ever telling those you loved that you had loved them.’"
8. "So, I began with the hardest one, my Dad. He was reading the newspaper when I approached him. "Dad." "Yes, what?" he asked without lowering the newspaper. "Dad, I would like to talk with you." "Well, talk." "I mean .. It’s really important." The newspaper came down three slow inches. "What is it?" "Dad, I love you, I just wanted you to know that."
9. Tom smiled at me and said it with obvious satisfaction, as though he felt a warm and secret joy flowing inside of him. "The newspaper fluttered to the floor. Then my father did two things I could never remember him ever doing before. He cried and he hugged me. We talked all night, even though he had to go to work the next morning. It felt so good to be close to my father, to see his tears, to feel his hug, to hear him say that he loved me."
10. "It was easier with my mother and little brother. They cried with me, too, and we hugged each other, and started saying real nice things to each other. We shared the things we had been keeping secret for so many years. "I was only sorry about one thing --- that I had waited so long. Here I was, just beginning to open up to all the people I had actually been close to.
11. "Then, one day I turned around and God was there. He didn’t come to me when I pleaded with Him. I guess I was like an animal trainer holding out a hoop, ’C’mon, jump through. C’mon, I’ll give you three days, three weeks.’" "Apparently God does things in His own way and at His own hour. But the important thing is that He was there. He found me! You were right. He found me even after I stopped looking for Him"
12. "Tommy," I practically gasped, "I think you are saying something very important and much more
universal than you realize. To me, at least, you are saying that the surest way to find God is not to make Him a private possession, a problem solver, or an instant consolation in time of need, but rather by opening to love. You know, the Apostle John said that. He said: ’God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God and God is living in him.’
B. ALTAR CALL
1. Do you want a fresh anointing from God? All you have to do is learn how to cooperate with the Lord, and you will be able to do what He has always wanted to do through you: meet the needs of others and do miracles through you!
2. A MIRACLE is when a NEED meets its SOLUTION. A miracle is a divine appointment, when a person with pain meets a person with the power of God within! You are a miracle waiting to happen because you have God inside you, and He is waiting to meet someone’s needs through you!
3. Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me” Revelation 3:20. God will open many doors for us, but there is one door we must open for Him – the door of our hearts! Have you opened your heart’s door to the Lord yet?
