Doorkeepers or Tent-dwellers?
05/28/2000 (Psalm 84:1-12) RPBC a.m.
ILL: This is an alleged New Year’s letter written from a church member to the pastor.
Dear Pastor:
You often stress attendance at worship as being very important for a Christian, but I think a person has a right to miss now and then. I think every person ought to be excused for the following reasons and the number of times indicated.
Christmas Holidays (the Sunday before & after) 2
New Years (the party lasted too long) 1
Easter (get away for the holidays) 2
July 4th (national holidays) 1
Labor Day (need to get away) 2
Memorial Day (visit hometown folk) 1
School closing (kids need a break) 1
School reopens (one last fling) 1
Family reunions (mine & wife’s) 3
Sleep late (stayed up too long Saturday night) 9
Deaths in family 2
Anniversary (second honeymoon) 1
Sickness (one per family member) 5
Business trip (a must) 1
Vacation (three to four weeks) 6
Bad weather (ice, snow, rain, clouds) 2
Ball games 2
Races 2
Unexpected company (can’t walk out) 2
Time changes (spring & fall) 2
Special on TV (superbowl, etc) 3
Pastor, that leaves two Sundays per year. So, you can count on us to be in church on the 4th Sunday in February and the 3rd Sunday in August unless we are providentially hindered.
Sincerely,
A Faithful Member
This letter illustrates a point. Some people will make any and every excuse why they cannot come to church. These reasons, and dozens of others, are being employed on a regular basis in every church. Some people do not like to go to church. They say it is boring. The songs are unfamiliar. The preacher’s sermons are dull or uninspiring. The prayers are meaningless and irrelevant. The people aren’t friendly.
On the other hand, there are those who do enjoy coming to church. To them, church is exciting. The songs are uplifting. The sermons are inspiring. The prayers bring them closer to God. The people are friendly and inviting.
What is the difference? The difference is their motivation for coming to church. We come to church to be in the presence of God. We come to meet with God. We don’t come because of the preacher, or the music, or the people. We come to meet with God. If you will get the motivation right I guarantee you that you will enjoy coming to church. You see:
BI - "The reason some have little desire for God’s House on Sunday is because they have had little desire for God throughout the week."
Look at the passage this morning and let me share three things with you from the words of the psalmist. First, consider:
I. THE DESIRE OF THE PSALMIST -
"To be in God’s House"
Literally, the psalmist said that he would rather be in God’s House than anywhere else he could be. In contemporary terms, he would rather have been at church than at Disney World, or Carowinds. He would rather have been there than to be on the golf course. He would rather to have been at church than to have been at a baseball or football game, or a nascar race. He would rather to have been there than to be at the campground, or at home in bed, or in front of the TV set. He desired to be in God’s house because he:
A. DESIRED TO BE IN GOD’S PRESENCE - (1)
How amiable (lovely) are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!
The psalmist did not yearn for the building (the church). He yearned for the Lord. God’s House represented the place where he could go to meet with God.
B. DESIRED WITH HIS WHOLE PERSON - (2)
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
The psalmist sought the presence of God with his body, soul and spirit. He put everything he had and all that he was into seeking and experiencing God.
Can I ask you a question - "Are you enjoying church? If not, what have you put into it? What have you done to make the worship experience meaningful? When Jeff attempts to lead us in meaningful worship, do you participate? When we stand to read the Word of God do you stand with your feet but not with your heart? When the offering plate is passed, do you worship God with your tithes and offerings, or do you just tip God?" When there is something to do, do you jump in and do it, or do you expect someone else to?
Why do you come to church? Do you come to meet with God as the psalmist did? If you will get your motivation right, you will enjoy coming to church just as the psalmist did. Folk, we are not here this morning to impress or be impressed. We are here to meet with God, and I know He is here because He promised to be in our midst.
APP: If you will seek God with your whole person you will walk away from the services with a fresh encounter with God. Not only that, if you will seek God in that fashion, you will not be able to stay away from the church house when God’s people are here meeting with Him!
HE DESIRED TO BE IN GOD’S PRESENCE. HE DESIRED WITH HIS WHOLE PERSON, THIRDLY:
C. DESIRED WITH A STRONG PASSION - (3,4)
Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.
He had watched the birds of the air find a refuge in the temple. He had seen them build their nests at the altar. He wanted to pursue God like the birds of the air had. He was like the psalmist David who said:
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. {Maschil...: or, A Psalm giving instruction of the sons, etc} {panteth: Heb. brayeth} My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1-2)
True worship involves the pursuit of God. We may have heard or sung some beautiful songs. We may have heard some wonderful prayers. We may have given our gifts, but we have not worshipped until we have met with God. When we come to church in pursuit of God, our souls will be filled when we meet with Him.
ILL: A pastor told of a telephone message wherein a member called on Saturday night to remind him that his entire family would be in church to honor their father and mother for their 50th wedding anniversary the next morning. He was reminded to please recognize the family.
When the pastor hung up, he felt sick to his stomach. He was expected to honor their father in the service that morning, and that is not too terribly wrong. But, the reality is that that is not why we come to church. We come to honor our heavenly Father. Very little of that takes place.
THAT IS THE DESIRE OF THE PSALMIST. PLEASE NOTICE SECONDLY:
II. THE DECLARATION OF THE PSALMIST -
Those who love to dwell in the House of God will have:
A. STRENGTH RENDERED - (5,7)
(Psalms 84:5) Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
(Psalms 84:7) They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.
There is something about being in God’s presence, and in His house, that will strengthen the Christian. The more you come and desire to come, the stronger you will become. The more you stay away and desire to stay away, the weaker you will become. There is nothing mystical or magical about that. It’s just the truth.
Try spending time every day with the Lord and see if that doesn’t strengthen your inner, spiritual man. Try being faithful to the Lord and the church and see if you don’t strengthen the inner man. It works.
B. SPIRIT RENEWED - (6)
(Psalms 84:6) Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
(Isaiah 40:31) But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. {renew: Heb. change} (KJV)
(Romans 12:2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (KJV)
Every Sunday and Wednesday ought to be revival time for the church. Our spirits should to be renewed when we leave church because we have been in the presence of God. We ought to help lift some other brother or sister up whom needed lifting.
Just like the psalmist, we have rough journeys to make. All week long we pass through the valleys of Baca. We are battered by the world, by busyness, by disease, by financial hardship, by our frailties and sins, and by family problems. We come to church laden with the burdens of the week and find it difficult to participate in worship. We bring in too much extra baggage.
ILL: Experienced travelers learn how to pack light because they know that the lighter you pack, the less you have to keep up with, and more you enjoy the journey experience.
Friends, pack light when you come to church. Drop the weights of the world and worry at the doors of the church. Leave them at home or outside. Just bring the essentials: an eager heart, a willing mind, a joyful spirit, and the Word of God.
THE PSALMIST SAID THAT THOSE WHO DWELL IN GOD’S HOUSE WILL HAVE STRENGTH RENDERED TO THEM, WILL HAVE THEIR SPIRIT RENEWED. THIRDLY, THEY WILL HAVE THEIR:
C. SUPPLICATION REWARDED - (8)
(Psalms 84:8) O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
Call me old fashion. Call me whatever you want to call me, but God hears us when we pray, and He will answer our prayers if our hearts are right with Him. The closer will get to God the more obvious the answers to our prayers become. Our heavenly Father wants each of us to experience the joy of praying. In fact, He has much more for us than we can even realize.
(Jeremiah 33:3) Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
(1 Corinthians 2:9-10) But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
D. SIGHT RADIATED - (11)
(Psalms 84:11) For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (KJV)
The psalmist calls God a sun. Like the sun, the Lord is always with His children, (Matt. 28:20; Heb.13: 5). Like the sun, the Lord provides comfort for the journey. Like the sun, the Lord lights our way, and warms our path, and gives guidance along the way. Just as the sun delights the hearts of men, so the Lord delights the hearts of His children and radiates their sight. He provides warmth and light for the journey.
E. SECURITY RAISED - (11)
(Psalms 84:11) For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (KJV)
Not only is the Lord like the sun guiding us along the way, revealing Himself and His will to us, He is also like a shield that is raised to protect us. He is above us to give us what we need and around us to protect us on our journey through life.
F. SATISFACTION REALIZED - (11)
(Psalms 84:11) For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (KJV)
1. Grace while we travel - help for today
2. Glory when we arrive - hope for tomorrow
3. Goodness all along the way -
THE DESIRE OF THE PSALMIST - TO BE IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, THE DECLARATION OF THE PSALMIST - STRENGTH RENERED, SPIRIT RENEWED, SUPPLICATION REWARDED, SIGHT RADIATED, SECURITY RAISED & SATISFACTION REALIZED. ONE MORE OBSERVATION.
III. THE DECISION OF THE PSALMIST - (10)
(Psalms 84:10) For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
The psalmist made a choice concerning two things. Notice that he says it is "better." There are many choices we will have to make. Some of them are good choices, and some of them are better choices. Life is that way. Most of us don’t need help making choices between good and bad, but we do need help in making choices between good and better or god and best.
The psalmist made the decision concerning:
A. THE MOST EXCELLENT USE OF TIME -
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.
Think about it. The psalmist is saying that he would rather spend one day in God’s presence than 1000 days in His absence. He enjoys being in God’s presence and having God in his.
B. THE MOST EXCELLENT PLACE TO BE -
I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Literally, he said, "I’d rather just sit at the threshold and look in the church than to run in the circles of the wicked."
Con: Are you happy dwelling in the house of the Lord? Are you having a meaningful worship experience? Do you get excited about coming to the Lord’s house on the Lord’s day? Or, is it drudgery to you? Do you have to come to church, or do you get to come to church? Which is it?
BI - "The reason some have little desire for God’s House on Sunday is because they have had little desire for God throughout the week."
Is that your problem? Are you happy to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord or would you rather dwell in the tents of the wicked? Are you a doorkeeper or a tent-dweller?
