A Desire to Worship

Introduction

Psalm ascribed to David aka the time of the undivided kingdom.

Perspective of a pilgrim journeying to Jerusalem and entering the city gates.

The Psalm begins and ends with mentioning the house of the Lord.

It celebrates Zion.

Main Emphasis: God’s people desire to worship.

Because there is glad gathering, unique unity, and particular prayers (peace and prosperity).

I. Glad Gathering (v. 1-2)

a. A Glad Invitation (v. 1)

David’s initial reaction: joy and gladness.

David, a man after God’s own heart, desires to worship and go to the house of the LORD.

The Psalm begins by remembering an invitation to go and worship in Jerusalem.

perspective of already having arrived.

The joy and privilege of being able to take such a journey.

Journeying from the scattered parts of Israel.

Joy in these people’s willingness to assemble in the house of the Lord.

David’s time – tabernacle.

Later times – the temple.

Now -  the church of Christ.

An invitational shout (!).

Jerusalem is pictured as God’s chosen city where He chose to dwell.

These people inviting David, along with David himself, were loyal believers in the covenantal promises of God.

Gathering for worship is fellowship with the one and only God.

Many miles to go between v. 1-2. (Let’s go!)

b. A Glad Gathering (v. 2)

“Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!”

After the long and perilous journey, the pilgrims arrived in Jerusalem.

They continued to trust in the promises of God as they made it through the pilgrimage.

When they arrived at the city's gates, they looked around and marveled at Jerusalem.

The gates open so that they would enter and would eventually be shut so that their enemies would not follow.

That sense of joy among the pilgrims in gathering for worship is something that we should desire to have when we gather for worship every Sunday morning.

Do you have this joy, or has it drifted away from you over time?

Illustration/Application:

How do you recapture the joy of gathering for worship?

Remembering what worship is all about.

Earnestly seeking God and grateful for the privilege of worshiping Him for being our Creator and Redeemer.

Journey – tiring, expensive, and risky. Not as much today – though it may be if you have little kids.

You and I can sing this Psalm to reinforce our deep sense that reaching Jerusalem is worth the pain.

Old Covenant – Jerusalem

New Covenant – New Jerusalem (the holy city that will come down from God)

In between – the Church of Jesus Christ.

Intertwining all of these, we discover

II. Unique Unity (v. 3-5)

a. Bound Firmly Together (v. 3)

Once again, the pilgrims marvel at the city of Jerusalem.

Bound firmly together.

Walls surround the city. The city that was the spiritual and political center of a united Israel under King David’s rule.

The city that we would consider today to be one of close proximity – living and business spaces close.

There was a sense of physical coziness in the city as the pilgrims expected to find unity within it.

Everyone in community, everyone assembling to worship.

Bound firmly together – alliance/association. A finely honed and functioning city.

b. Degrees of Unity (v. 4)

In Jerusalem:

The city where the tribes go up.

Diverse groups of people.

The city where the tribes of the Lord gather.

Diverse groups of people belong to the covenant-keeping God.

The city unified as Israel.

The diverse groups of people make up a single entity.

One people yet divided by tribal distinctions.

Decreed – a testimony for Israel about the place that God had chosen to dwell among His people.

Undivided kingdom – the 12 tribes were to go up, and David’s house supplied their divinely approved rulers.

Divided kingdom – preserve this vision for Jerusalem and all of Israel.

Degrees of unity in the church:

People of every tribe, nation, and language.

People of the Lord.

People unified in the church of Jesus Christ.

One people yet divided by many different distinctions.

Charles Spurgeon – “Many waves, one sea; many branches, one tree; many members, one body.”

Even if this unity isn’t present, it should be sought after.

A unity of belonging to God and giving thanks to His Name in worship.

Unity involves…

c. Security (v. 5)

In Jerusalem, thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.

Judgment – ruling justly (fairly) for the people.

The king as the dispenser of justice.

Established in the Davidic kingship.

So, it should foster a commitment to justice on the part of the kings in David’s lineage.

Sadly, Judah’s faithfulness fell, and the Holy City went into exile.

Temple destroyed. Temple rebuilt.

It nurtures the hope that the promises to David would eventually come to fulfillment in the ultimate heir in his line, the Messiah.

Haggai 2:23 – “On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”

David’s throne served as a type/shadow of the Messianic reign to come through the throne of the reigning Savior, Jesus Christ.

In the church today, you and I must live under Christ's reign and follow Him, as His kingship defines the church.

He is the only Head of the church, and God’s Word is to be the supreme law of the church.

d. Illustration/Application:

Reemphasize in a different way:

The line of the kings of David abruptly ended with Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, destroying Jerusalem in 586 BC.

Not the end: God brought forth the Greater Son of David, born of Mary, to take that throne and once again reign over Jerusalem and all the earth.  

What the pilgrims of old longed to see, we now understand is fulfilled in the coming of Christ.

This is where we find communion among the members of the church.

One universal church.

One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all.

Purpose of worship: to acknowledge God's grace and goodness and glorify Him.

Our unity as God’s people when we desire to worship involves...

III. Particular Prayers (Peace and Prosperity) (v. 6-9)

a. The Peace and Prosperity (Wellbeing) of the City (v. 6-7)

v. 6a - call to pray for peace

v. 6b-7 - example of how to pray for peace.

Peace occurs 3 times in these final 4 verses.

Peace; shalom. Free from warfare, wholeness, well-being, harmony, complete peace.

The peace of Jerusalem will ensure its stability and accessibility so that God’s people could journey to the house of the Lord.

Jerusalem was an important city for the nation's spiritual, political, and legal stability.

Peace in Jerusalem ensured the security of the nation.

So, David urges everyone in v. 6-7 to pray for Jerusalem’s continued security, peace, and prosperity.

Likewise, peace is to be desired, promoted, expected, and enjoyed in the church.

Think of one of the membership questions you are asked when you join the ARP Church:

Do you promise in all things to promote the unity, peace, purity, and prosperity of the Church?

Strife, suspicion, and division are deadly things.

Daily prayer – peace in the church.

Not only should we pray for peace and prosperity in the church, but also…

b. The Peace and Prosperity (Wellbeing) of Companions (v. 8)

All worshipers joined in to say, “Peace be within you!”

For the sake of my fellow worshipers – so that they may worship without any hindrances.

And for the sake of the house itself (so that it may serve its purpose).

Daily prayer – peace among companions in the faith.

Love for God and our neighbors by being…

c. Committed to Seeking Peace and Prosperity (v. 9)

Praying for the peace and prosperity of the church while also promoting the good of the church.

Seeking out the goodness of the Lord in all circumstances.

Seeking out the goodness of the Lord in worship.

I will seek your good – I will intercede your good or I will strive for your wellbeing (Jeremiah 29:7).

We love, we labor; we see good, we seek good.

Intercessory prayer is one of those ways. It’s a ministry of love – seeking the good of others.

In the midst of talking about peace and prosperity in the church.

We may have to wrestle with a certain question…

d. Illustration/Application:

Are you discouraged with church?

Maybe things aren’t going the way you thought they would or should.

Maybe you’ve experienced church hurt.

Maybe you don’t seem to fit in. Or something else.

Now is not the time to quit.

Now is the time to pray. Pray for peace, security, and prosperity (well-being) in the church.

And not for our sakes, or the world’s sakes, but for the sake of the house of the Lord our God, may we seek His good.

Conclusion

Main Emphasis: God’s people desire to worship.

Do you?

God’s people were made for worship.

When Jesus came, He called Himself the temple (John 2:19-22).

When you and I are united to Him by faith alone in Christ alone, we are also part of that spiritual temple by being indwelt with the Holy Spirit.

In Jesus, we become our true selves.

In the new earth, we will enjoy unhindered fellowship with God once more, not in a limited space but unlimited, not for a limited time but for eternity.

As we await that glorious day, let us be glad when others say to us (or when we say to others), “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

coming to worship eagerly - earnestly seeking God and grateful for the privilege of worshiping Him.

it is worth whatever pains it takes to get to Jerusalem to worship.

Christians who sing this Psalm recognize that in their gathered worship they are carrying out the task of the temple and that their Davidic King (Jesus) is present with them (1 Pet. 2:4-5). Hence, their gratitude, and earnest seeking of God in worship, should be even greater.