Let us go into the house of the Lord

Sermon Introduction

Providentially continuing in a theme

2 Cor 1:24 “24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.”

Lam 5:15 “15 The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.”

Psalm 122:1 “1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.”

You know how to enjoy friends and family, good food, and good times, but do you enjoy being a Christian?

Will Avery not eating at the dinner he prepared for the Baldridge Boys Home on Monday night.

Thankful for a chance to wrestle with this question.

Our theology has to be tried in the furnace of every passage.

Psalm 122 (KJV)

A Song of degrees of David.

1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.

5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

8 For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.

9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.

I was glad

When was the last time you were able to say that sincerely? What was the cause?

Psalm 37:4 “4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Pleasure in God is the power for purity.

What breaks the power of sin is faith in the promise that the pleasures of sin are temporary and toxic but at God’s right hand are pleasures evermore.

18 year old Jonathan Edwards

On this topic you will often hear me quote Edwards.

They certainly are the wisest men that do those things that make most for their happiness, and this in effect is acknowledged by all men in the world, for there is no man upon the earth who isn’t earnestly seeking after happiness, and it appears abundantly by the variety of ways they so vigorously seek it; they will twist and turn every way, ply all instruments, to make themselves happy men. Some will wander all over the face of the earth to find it: they will seek it in the waters and dry land, under the waters and in the bowels of the earth, and although the true way to happiness lies right before them and they might easily step into it and walk in it and be brought into as great a happiness as they desire, and greater than they can conceive of, yet they will not enter into it. They try all the false paths; they will spend and be spent, labor all their lives’ time, endanger their lives, will pass over mountains and valleys, go through fire and water, seeking for happiness amongst vanities, and are always disappointed, never find what they seek for; but yet like fools and madmen they violently rush forward, still in the same ways. But the righteous are not so; these only, have the wisdom to find the right paths to happiness.

We all are on the search to be shown good. Psalm 4:6-7 “6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. 7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.”

Summary: The problem is not the pursuit but the paths.

Psalm 16:11 “11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

When they said unto me

Note that the invitation comes from fellow believers.

This is part of the joy — that others consider David’s fellowship desirable and that they have determined to worship God corporately.

Psalmist started his journey in Psalm 120 surrounded by people who didn’t care about God or God’s ways. Psalm 120:6 “6 My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.”

Psalm 120:6 KJV

6 My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.

Our feet

Psalm 122:2 “2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.”

Story of a person misunderstanding “corporate worship”

They are arriving together.

Psalm 122 is a song of arrival

Look at the pattern in these Pilgrim Songs

Trouble     120  123  126  129  132 Trust         121  124  127  130  133 Triumph    122  125  128  131  134

Let us go into the house of the LORD

The phrase “the house of the LORD” occurs in the first and last verses of this psalm.

Antagonists to Davidic authorship of this psalm insist that the phrase is a reference to the Temple.

It need not refer to the Temple. Moses, Joshua, and Samuel all three employed this terminology to refer to the Tabernacle: Joshua 6:24 “24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.”

Though the city of Jerusalem is of utmost importance to the Pilgrims and will be our final place of worship what we want to focus on here is what created the desire to go there.

No need to allegorize Jerusalem to make ready application to the church being the place we go to gather for the worship God.

Psalm 122 is the song of a person who decides to go to church and worship God.

If you were to say this to an unbelieving friend, what might they ask of you? What will we do? Worship.

What is worship?

Whole hearted response to God.

Engagement with God on His terms where only He makes it possible.

Worship is our innermost being responding with praise for all that God is, through our attitudes, actions, thoughts, and words, based on the truth of God as He has revealed Himself.

Worship is all that we are, reacting rightly to all that He is.

Psalm 96:8 “8 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.”

“God is not worshiped where He is not treasured and enjoyed. Praise is not an alternative to joy, but the expression of joy. Not to enjoy God is to dishonor Him. To say to Him that something else satisfies you more is the opposite of worship. It is sacrilege”

It is here where I believe I get to be involved in the song service. I treasure our God and sing. I ask God to help me, help you treasure Him more as you sing.

What we are to do?

Psalm 96:1-2 “1 O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. 2 Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.”

For what reason?

Psalm 96:4-6 “4 For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. 6 Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.”

To what cause?

Psalm 96:7-8 “7 Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 8 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.”

How do we go about this?

Psalm 96:9-12 “9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. 10 Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously. 11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. 12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice”

Jerusalem is builded a city

Psalm 122:3 “3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:”

Simply:

Jerusalem was important because that’s where the temple was.

The temple was important because that’s where God met with his people.

So why was he so glad to begin his journey? Because he was going to worship God with his people.

Experienced traveling with people taking a pilgrimage to their hole city. Varanasi. / ratio of priests is equal to public school teachers in LA

Place of praise

In the Book of 1Chronicles, we are meticulously introduced to the care and the services of the temple.

King David introduced the program of music into the temple services.

David created instruments of music by which the people praised the Lord. 1 Chronicles 23:5 “5 Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.”

In the days of David, the Levites were numbered from the age of 30-50 years and there were 38,000.

24,000 thousand of them were set forward in the sanctuary they helped the priests in all of their offerings. 

6000 of them were officers and judges they were itinerant judges who went around and helped the people in all of their disputes and altercations. 

4000 of them were doorkeeper

4000 praised the Lord with the instruments

The gifted were teaching the novices. 1 Chron 25:7 “7 So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the LORD, even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight.”

The Gathering is being built near my house. No problem with the traffic but I don’t care for the name.

It may not be God’s plan for us to fill a building with 4000 instruments and people singing worship to Him but He certainly deserves the glory due unto His name.

I anticipate Ben on the guitar, Grant’s updates, the full hallways. Ever aspect of the night should point to the fact we are a Tribe of the Lord

Tribes go up

Psalm 122:4-5 “4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD. 5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.”

Tribes experience the close

Psalm 133:1 “1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Tribes of the Lord

“The ties were more than those of blood or convenience; these were the tribes of the Lord, and Jerusalem was where they were to meet him, not simply one another.”

What a picture. This afternoon as you all set your GPS toward this place.

It is on me and others who lead in this time together to remind you that you did not come ultimately just to be together.

Testimony of Israel

prescribed/ decreed for them

as it was their habit / as it says in Hebrews

Thanks unto the name of Lord

Pilgrims purposed to give thanks to the Lord.

This psalm teaches us not simply what the Hebrew pilgrims felt, but also what God would have us feel.

Psalm 100:4 “4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Thrones of Judgement

Psalm 122:5 “5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.”

Jerusalem was both the religious and political center for Israel.

Receive direction from God’s word.

They anticipated receiving instruction from God’s Word

Pray for peace

Psalm 122:6-9 “6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. 7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. 8 For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. 9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.”

Two things about prayer and God’s people.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem

The city of Jerusalem is vitally important in the Scriptures.

Jerusalem is mentioned over 800 times in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and the New.

Israel, Jerusalem and the Jewish people still have a place in God’s heart, and I believe they still have a place in God’s plan

Jesus is the promised Messiah, and only Jesus will bring the Jewish people true peace

Tony Hess. Peace in the Middle East.. but only during the Millenial Reign when the Prince of Peace Rules and Reigns

Pray for one another

Psalm 122:8 “8 For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.”

There are steps we take to be an informed citizen. Let me encourage you to have a system for collecting and following prayer requests. - It is one of the ways you will participate when you come together.

Pray for those on this pilgrimage with you.

If you do not see that here, I assure you it is found elsewhere in Scripture

Ephesians 6:18 “18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Conclusion

The bottom line is this: if you love God, you will love God’s people. And if you love God’s people, you will love gathering with God’s people to worship God. We need each other for the journey.

Not sure what all brought you here tonight but I am glad you are here.

It is good to be together in worship.

Let’s anticipate getting together.