Title: “I Was Glad When They Said Let Us Go to the House of the Lord. Script: Psalm 122
Type: Expos./Event Where: 5-17-20
Intro: What brings you joy? This is a personal question and I am sure there are a variety of answers. For some it is a relationship or upcoming wedding. For some, it will be the birth of a child or grandchild. For some, it will be having the family together for Thanksgiving or Christmas. For others, it will be a dream house or fishing boat or brand new pick up truck or Harley Davidson. Some might say that winning the lottery will give them joy. Some might say seeing major league baseball start back up again. Some might say, just going back to my job. How you answer this question says a lot about you. In the text this morning, we will see that going to the Lord’s House to worship brought King David joy. I dare say that after our last several weeks of Covid-inspired isolation, many of you are simply glad today that we too, like the Psalmist of old, can go to the “Lord’s House” to worship.
Prop: Exam. Psalm 122 we’ll notice 3 Items Associated with Worship
BG: 1. This is a Psalm of David. Most scholars agree David wrote at least half of the Psalms.
2. This is a “Psalm of Ascent”. In fact, Psalms 120-134 are all labeled “Psalms of Ascent” they were sung by worshippers as they would ascend towards Jerusalem during the annual Feasts for the Jews.
Prop: Let’s look at Ps. 122 this am as we notice 3 items Associated with Worship.
I. David Delighted in a Specific Worship Environment vv. 1-2
A. There was an Invitation Given.
1. David offered an Invitation to Other Worshippers: “Let us go” This is a song about moving toward the love of God in worship, which speaks to the core truth in all of us that we’re made for worship. “The chief end of man is to worship God and enjoy Him forever.” But the focus here is not on personal worship only. This song celebrates the beauty of the rhythm of worshiping God alongside others in an ongoing way… as they walk towards God and enter the Holy City. The Temple did not exist in the days of David it would be built by his son, Solomon. Instead, the Ark of the Testimony was placed in a tent (The tent of Meeting).
2. Illust: Earlier this week you received an invitation to “Let us go”.. to Good News Bible Church to worship this Sunday! For the past 8 weeks we have been separated from one another in worshipping the Lord. There is a beauty in being together with the people of God and we are grateful that we can begin to come back together to worship. It is a privilege to worship and serve Christ. God is honored when the church gathers to worship Him in spirit and in truth. We are renewed and encouraged in doing so! One lesson the last 8 weeks has taught me personally, “Don’t ever take going to church for granted.”
B. There is an Impact in Going: Gladness.
1. These Psalms (120-134) were always sung as a joyful procession as the people were going up to Jerusalem for one of the annual Feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Booths. It was usually sung as the people entered one of the 12 main gates that allowed people into the Holy City. The Psalmist declared that “he was glad”. He was happy. He was grateful. He saw it as a pleasure to go to the Lord’s House. You may remember after the terrible fiasco when David disobediently attempted to have the Ark brought in an ox cart and Uzziah was struck dead, the Ark remained outside the city for some time. However, in time, the Ark was properly carried into the city by the Levites, and who was there, dancing with joy making his processional: King David.
2. Illust: I hope you “were glad” when the invitation went out to go to church this Sunday. Notice here the “us.” The worship of God was not just about my own personal experience. “Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.” The LORD is not Lord of one, but of a people. It is a time of joy when God’s people come together into the house of the LORD for worship. We are a redeemed people. We are a holy people. We are a chosen people. We are a people to declare God’s praise. Our faith is a faith about more than just ourselves. Illust: Over the past several weeks I have heard many people gratefully express appreciation for the hard work that Pastor Richard and others have gone to in making our services available online. Many today and for weeks to come. However, many of same people expressed a deep desire and longing to be able to meet in person again.
C. There is an Involvement in Going: A Gathering.
1. The Psalmist was looking forward to a gathering of God’s people. It was a religious festival. A celebration of the Person and provision of God, and the entire nation was to celebrate this together.
2. For the Christian, the Church is in some ways God’s “house”, God’s school, God’s hospital, God’s bank. It is also where God’s people meet, give, and grow. Illust: Donald Grey Barnhouse told the story about former Chief Justice Charles Hughes. When he moved to D.C., to take up his duties as Chief Justice, he transferred his membership letter to a Baptist Church in the area. The custom was for all new members to come to the front of the sanctuary at the close of the worship service. The first to be called that morning was an immigrant laundry man, who had moved to the capital from China. He took his place at the far side of the church. As a dozen o people were called forward they stood at the opposite side of the church, leaving him standing alone. When Chief Justice Hughes was called, he took his place beside the laundry man. The wise pastor turned to the congregation and said "I do not want this congregation to miss this remarkable illustration of the fact that at the cross of Jesus Christ the ground is level." "Mr. Hughes behaved like a true Christian. He took his place beside the laundry man, and by his act he prevented embarrassment to the humble Chinese; he showed, too, the love of Christ -- he had this gift of standing by."
D. Applic: Today we are able to begin to “stand by” one another. But let us not forget those who cannot yet. Call them. Write them. Love them. Let us continue to “Stand by one another.” There is a value we cannot have on our own when we worship together.
II. David Describes His Worship Environment vv.3-5
*Today we’ve a unique worship environ.. Next week should be inside familiar surroundings.
A. There is a Togetherness there. V. 3
1. David described the gathering place of Jerusalem. V. 3 “Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together”. The Hebrew word means to have fellowship, to be joined together, not scattered, not separate. All too often, we believers take our fellowship for granted. Separatists. Selfishly wanting our own way instead seeking the good of my brother.
2. There is a “togetherness” at GNBC. Many visitors often remark to me that it seems like one very large family more than a church. Friends, there is an internal union of God’s Chosen people, the Church. Fellowship is one of the key functions of the Church. This recent pandemic has tested the bonds of fellowship in our physical distancing during quarantine. We cannot do it on our own. During the past few weeks a handful of people have worked overtime in an attempt to keep us connected and concerned. Illust: The movie, “Beau Gueste” is an example of the way some churches function. In the movie, the Arabs are attacking a French Foreign Legion outpost. There are only four legionnaires left alive in the post. But they want the enemy to think they have lots of strength so they propped up the dead bodies of their comrades in the turrets and the four men ran around the walls shooting the dead men’s guns for them. This is the plan of many churches today. They hire a large staff of clergy to prop up the spiritually dead and fire their guns for them. But this will never accomplish God’s plan. We need to be in contact with one another. See one another. Be a part of one another’s life.
B. There is a Testimony there. V.4
1. Look at v. 4 with me, please. “An ordinance for Israel--- to give thanks to the name of the Lord.” The “testimony” here speaks specifically of the ark of testimony. The old tabernacle had been erected at Gibeon, some six miles northwest of Jerusalem. But the ark was beneath a tent at Jerusalem. Within the ark were the two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments (Exodus 25:16, 21), considered to be the basis of the covenant between God and His people Israel. Thus the ark was often called the ark of the Testimony. The purpose was to “Give thanks to the Lord”.
2. Friend, we need to worship! We were created to worship. It’s good to testify to what God has done for you and me. The Word of God has to be central in our worship as we reflect upon, are encouraged by, and look forward to what God has, is and will do for us. We can give thanks! “God is in control, and therefore in EVERYTHING I can give thanks - not because of the situation but because of the One who directs and rules over it.” –Kay Arthur “In happy moments, PRAISE GOD. In difficult moments, SEEK GOD. In quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. In painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD.” –Rick Warren
C. There is a Throne there. V.5
1. judgment – Hebrew 4941. mishpat, mish-pawt'; from H8199; prop. a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judgment. As the highest judicial authority in the land, the king periodically held audience to hear cases that were being appealed. A throne was set up precisely for this purpose, either in an audience hall in the palace complex or at the main gate of the city. A sentence could be quashed or commuted, a decision could be overturned, a plea for forgiveness could be made.
2. Praise the Lord, when we come to the Church, the Gospel is preached, the ordinances are administered. Christ can be introduced, forgiveness can be offered, pleas and prayers for help can be made because not only do we know the Judge, we have been adopted by the perfect work of His Son, to be joint heirs with Jesus! In fact, Heb. 4:15-16 tells us that “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
D. Applic: One evening in 1935, Mayor La Guardia of New York, showed up at a night court in the poorest ward of the city. He dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench. One case involved an elderly woman who was caught stealing bread to feed her grandchildren. La Guardia said, "I’ve got to punish you. Ten dollars or ten days in jail." As he spoke, he threw $10 into his hat. He then fined everyone in the courtroom 50 cents for living in a city "where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat." The hat was passed around, and the woman left the courtroom with her fine paid and an additional $47.50. I thank Christ that we have a Merciful Judge that paid the penalty for the punishment that was due me.
III. David Had a Desire for the Worship Environment vv. 6-9
A. He Refers to the Prayer for Peace.
1. David prays for the peace of Jerusalem. He prays that God will prosper them that love Him, that peace and prosperity might be manifested in their palaces. The city of Jerusalem is an ancient city. Its name means “Foundation of Peace.” Melchizedek was called the Prince of Salem, which is probably Jerusalem. It was held by the Jebusites until the time of David who took it and made it the capital of the unified tribes of Israel. Its walls and natural defenses made it a refuge to people in the time of war.
2. One of the foundational elements of a worship service in Christ’s Church is the offering up of prayers. Christians are a praying people. We offer prayers of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. We pray about all sorts of things at all different times. Why do we pray? Because it is command, and because when we pray we experience God’s peace! Phil. 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Our increased isolation during Covid Crisis should have resulted in an increase in our prayer life! . If it has only resulted in a greater obsession with the News, social media, etc., then we have missed out on one of the blessings of this virus: the opportunity for more intimacy with our Savior. Most of us, when we’re facing a challenging situation – whether it’s a work situation, a health situation, or a financial situation – can be quite anxious. Our minds are filled with thoughts of worry and concern. Thankfully, God has a solution for our anxiety. It’s prayer
B. He Refers to the Path of Peace.
1. V. 6 – (read) prosper – to be tranquil, to be in safety. Love – to have affection for. King David, a man of warfare says that peace can be obtained through love. Illust: When I interned in Northern Ireland in 1989 Belfast was a community marked by poverty and hatred. The community I worked in had 69% unemployment. No outside investment and no jobs because of violence. Many had an overt hatred for anyone from the “other side”. There was no tranquility. No peace. No safety…except in the Church, the people of God.
C. He Refers to the Purpose of Peace.
1. V.8 (Read) The Psalmist wants peace for the sake of his friends and family. Wherever my brethren meet, in whatever section of the Church on earth, so long as they belong to the one Church, the Body of Christ, nothing shall stay me from wishing them prosperity and peace. They may not recognize me here, but five minutes in Heaven will do away with all these earthly estrangements. When the Church is at peace within herself she flourishes best.
2. In our context we can have peace in the midst of terrifying and upsetting times. Yes, there has been a virus. Yes, people have gotten sick. Sadly, some have died. Yes, many have lost their jobs some have even had to move away, but in the church we can have prosperity and tranquility through loving Jesus Christ and loving one another. Illust: There is a lot of hatred in our world right now. Politically. Ethnically. Our nation is in knots. I want you to know, however, in the church things should be different. Front end of this crisis, anonymous Christian brother gave church a check for $2000. Use it to help anyone out of work who needs it. Several families were helped. The way of peace is not found in being stingy, greedy, fearful, it is found in lovingly considering others more important than ourselves and meeting the needs of others with the resources God has blessed me with, especially those needs within the people of God.
Applic: We are all worshipers. What do you worship? To what do you give your time and energy and money? In what do you place your hope? Were you glad when you heard the call to go to the House of the Lord?
