June 22, 2003
Morning Service
Text: Psalms 84:1-12
Subject: God’s House
Title: Better is One Day in Your House
I want to start out today by talking to you about this church. Why do you come here? We have all heard the excuses people make for not coming to church, but have you ever really stopped to think about why you do come? I know many of you would say, “Well this is where we have always gone. I can’t imagine going any place else.” Others might reply, “I go here because my family does” or, “The people are friendly” or, (this is my favorite) “I really like the pastor.” Or it may be that you just come and have never really thought about why. I’m glad you do, for whatever reason.
Now I want to ask another question. Now that you are coming, are you getting anything out of it? Are you taking in the word and digesting it? Are you being led into God’s presence through the ministry of music? Are you being encouraged by the words of others through the time of fellowship?
One last question! Is there enough here at this church that you would feel comfortable inviting others to come and here and worship with you? If so, are you? And if not, what are you doing to make it better?
Francois Fenelon was the court preacher for King Louis XIV of France in the 17th century. One Sunday when the king and his attendants arrived at the chapel for the regular service, no one else was there but the preacher. King Louis demanded, "What does this mean?" Fenelon replied, "I had published that you would not come to church today, in order that your Majesty might see who serves God in truth and who flatters the king."
Source Unknown.
I have preached before about the importance of church attendance. One of the things I like to throw out to you is, “If what you have isn’t enough to get you into church, then what makes you think it will get you into heaven?” We are going to look today at Psalm 84 to help us see the many reasons why we should be delighted to be able to attend this church. I want you to pay close attention because what you hear today will give you a new perspective on church attendance.
I. THERE IS SHELTER IN GOD’S HOUSE (1-4)
A. It is God’s Dwelling Place. The Hebrew word translated “dwelling place” can mean “a residence, habitation, tabernacle (NKJV), tent, or it can be a shepherd’s hut.” It is the place where the Great Shepherd lives. It can be the wilderness tabernacle or the great temple in Jerusalem or now we know it is His church. Paul wrote in I Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Now Paul was talking about the church here and not the indwelling of the Spirit in individuals. The church is the place where God dwells.
B. It Is the Place Where God’s People Long To Be. “My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1 says, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’.” Our response to God’s mercy towards us should be rejoicing. “Come into His presence with thanksgiving in your hearts and give Him praise.” Verse 2 indicates that every part of man, body, soul, and spirit will “cry out for the Living God.” Jesus wanted to be in church. Luke 4:16, “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was His custom.” Why is it natural for humans to long to be in God’s presence? Because we are His creation.
C. It Is the Closest Thing To Our Home. The birds of the air long to build their nests there. It is only normal for the creation to long to be with the creator. Romans 8:19-21, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom to the children of God.” Every aspect of God’s creation longs to be brought back to intimate fellowship with Him. That process of restoration began with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and continues through the operation of the church as God’s tent of meeting, where His people can come and be in the presence of God.
D. It Is Where We find Blessings. Verse 4 says, “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house!” There are four different Hebrew words that are translated “blessed”. The first two refer to blessing God in praise and being blessed by Him as a benefit. The word today refers to one who is happy, right, honest, or is being prospered. “How happy (right, honest, prosperous) are those who dwell in Your house.” So it is easy for us to be able to find shelter from the cares of this world when we come into God’s house. But there is much more for us to receive by attending church.
II. THERE IS STRENGTH IN GOD’S HOUSE. (5-7)
A. Who is Your Strength? Most people, even Christians, tend to operate in their own strength. With all the current technology available to mankind, there seems to be nothing we can’t accomplish. But as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ our strength must be in the Lord. Paul told the philosophers in Athens, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” God has created us in His own image. We have the creative nature of God as is seen by the works of our own hands. We have the ability to reason and make decisions. We have strength within ourselves. But we do not have enough strength in ourselves to stand against the wiles of the devil. Verse 5, “Blessed are those whose strength is in You.” There are 18 Hebrew words in Psalms alone that are translated “strength. In this instance we see a word that reflects security, majesty, praise, boldness, might, power… . Blessed are those whose security, boldness, power … is in You. With this strength comes the desire to be in church. Those who have God’s strength in them will do whatever it takes to be here at the appointed times. “They have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” In other words, they have made up their minds to be in church. It is no longer a decision made on Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday nights, it has become a lifestyle.
B. I’ve Got Strength in Low Places. In verse 6, the Valley of Baca is thought to be any place where the pilgrim goes where struggle is involved. (That is everywhere, for there is a constant spiritual battle taking place in the heavenlies.) But look what happens when Christians, who love to be in God’s house, travel life’s roads of struggle. Verse 6, “They make it a place of springs; the autumn rains cover it with pools (blessings).” John 7:38, “Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” Remember “strength” can also be translated as “boldness”? If you are baptized in the Holy Spirit you have those rivers flowing from you. You can pour out blessings on the parched desert land by telling people about Jesus and inviting them to come to a place where they can meet with the Father every time they come.
C. I know Where My Strength Lies. Verse 7, “they go from strength to strength.” Remember how I told you about the different words translated strength? This word refers to the strength of men – an army, a force, or riches. While we live from our strength, (power, riches) to strength we have the opportunity to come to the house of the Lord to benefit from His strength. While we go from strength to strength we are being transformed into His image from glory to glory. Why do you think that we have church 3 times a week? So you don’t have to rely solely on your strength, but you can come and find strength in God’s house. Not only is there strength, but there is also a holiness in God’s house you can’t find anywhere
III. THERE IS SANCTITY IN GOD’S HOUSE. (8-9)
A. A Place Where God Hears. This sanctity is holiness, a place set aside from the world, where you can go just to be in God’s presence. We come to church looking for the opportunity to have fellowship with other believers, but we often fail to reverence the house of God for what it is, “The house of God”. It is a place to be revered as well as a place to have fellowship. Matthew 21:13, “My house will be called a house of prayer.” If God wants His house to be called a house of prayer it must mean He wants us to pray. If we are doers of the word and not just hearers only,
B. A Place of Protection. It is a shield about us. Ephesians 6:16, “In addition, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Where can you go to have your faith built up? Ephesians 4:11-13, “It was He who gave some … to be pastors and teachers … to prepare God’s people for works of service … until we all reach unity in the faith and in knowledge of the Son of God and become mature …” You come to church to learn, to pray, to worship, all to build you up. How can you not want to be built up? The church alone is set aside to help you mature in your faith.
C. The House of the King. Your anointed one refers specifically to the Messiah, the anointed One of God. When we gather together who shows up? When we come into this house, Jesus is here too, in the person of the Holy Spirit. That is what makes this like no other place. You have heard it said that this building isn’t the church, but God’s people are the church. That is true, but it is only when God’s people come together in one place that we become a collective temple of the Holy Spirit. That is where the power is, not in ourselves, but in the collective faith of the multitude who come together to worship, pray, and hear the word of God proclaimed.
IV. THE SUPREMACY OF GOD’S HOUSE. (10-12)
A. There is No Better Place To Be. “Better is one day in your house than a thousand elsewhere.” We are a people who have been set apart. We are not to walk as the world walks, speak as the world speaks, or act like the world acts. When you aren’t in God’s house on a regular basis you are setting yourself up to be influenced by the world. If one day in God’s house is better than a thousand walking in the world then what happens if you come back to church on Sunday night and again on Wednesday night? Why do you think the writer of Hebrews wrote, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching.” How many of you believe that Jesus is coming back soon? If so then we need to be coming together more often instead of less often.
B. You can be a doorkeeper in the house of God. What does a doorkeeper do? Stands at the door and lets people in and keeps unwanted people out. Thank God that we don’t have to make that decision. He desires that none should perish but all should come to repentance. There is another aspect of this doorkeeper that needs to be seen. Jesus said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.” As doorkeepers, we have the ability to allow the Holy Spirit of God to come into our meetings and have His way, or to keep the door shut and do it our way. “For the Lord is a sun and a shield.” We have already seen that God is our protector, but He is our sun also; our source of light to show us the right way.
C. If we follow His way, we receive favor and honor (NKJV – grace and glory). What are the different kinds of grace we have talked about? Common grace, saving grace, equipping grace. All we need to do is stay on the path that God has laid out for all Christians. Accepting Christ as your Savior, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and then being doers of the word. You will receive the equipping grace to do just that. It is then and only then that you can be the blessing God wants you to be to others.
D. But you will also receive blessings. Now and eternally. Verse 11, “no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Be a man or woman after God’s own heart. David wasn’t perfect, but he was blessed. Abraham wasn’t perfect, but he received God’s promises. How? Because they knew that one day in God’s presence is better than a thousand elsewhere.
Conclusion
We live busy lives don’t we? Trust me, my life is not any different than yours as far as clutter goes. It always seems that there is something else to do. We don’t have to look very hard to come up with an excuse to stay out of church. I’ve heard all the excuses and at one point probably used some of them.
A pastor in a town that was very sports minded had this to say when asked why he never attended any sporting events.
Football in the fall. Basketball in the winter. Baseball in the spring and summer. This pastor has been an avid sports fan all his life. But I’ve had it! I quit this sports business once and for all. You can’t get me near one of those places again. Want to know why...
Every time I went, they asked me for money.
The people with whom I had to sit didn’t seem very friendly.
The seats were too hard and not at all comfortable.
I went to many games, but the coach never came to call on me.
The referee made a decision with which I could not agree.
I suspected that I was sitting with some hypocrites -- they came
to see their friends and what others were wearing rather than to see the game.
Some games went into overtime, and I was late getting home.
The band played some numbers that I had never heard before.
It seems that the games are scheduled when I want to do other things.
I was taken to too many games by my parents when I was growing up.
I don’t want to take my children to any games, because I want
them to choose for themselves what sport they like best.
Author Unknown, At Calvary, Covington, KY.
In closing there are three things I want to ask you. One, what excuses are you using to keep you out of church? Do you realize that excuses are just reasons we make up to try to justify the things we do that we know we shouldn’t. The only thing keeping you out of church is you. God is always looking for the prodigal to return. If that is you today raise your hand.
Two, if you are a regular church attendee, what are you doing to be a blessing to others? Are you a doorkeeper or a bouncer? Are you inviting people in or keeping them out? Are you being a blessing to others in accordance with the way God is blessing you? If you are not doing everything you can today to bless others with the salvation message and get them into God’s house, and you want to change that, raise your hand.
Three, Maybe you don’t have a clue what I am talking about. You don’t go to church much, you don’t feel like you have ever been blessed by God, you don’t even know what that means, you aren’t sure that if you died today whether you would go to heaven or hell. If you stood before God today and had to explain why He should let you into heaven, and you didn’t have a clue how to answer, other than the fact you have been a pretty good person all your life, you need Jesus today.
Maybe I have these three questions out of order. You need Jesus first. Then if you love Him as much as He loves you, you would be in church every time the doors are open. It’s when your hunger to be in God’s presence has become insatiable that the outflow of His spirit will begin to flow from you and bless others. Better is one day in Your house than a thousand elsewhere.
