The State of Joyful Living

Philadelphia Baptist Church

7/15/2007 Sun. a.m.

Psalm 84

Psalm 84:10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Introduction: Do you roll out of bed in the morning with barely enough time to shower, dress, and rush out the door? Are your days or evenings so packed with activities that you don’t have time for the Lord? Does all this business make you feel overwhelmed instead of joyful? Few Christians take enough time out of their schedules for worshiping the Lord daily.

The psalms are written to be sung in the daily life of the children of Israel. Kings, priests, and singers wrote the psalms over a thousand year time period; they took worship seriously. This psalm has the distinction of using the same Hebrew word three times: ’esher. This word means happiness, blessed, good fortune, and state of joyful mind. In this psalm we find four areas of our lives that are influenced by the promise of blessing.

How Amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord! The dictionary gives the meaning of amiable, archaic; pleasing, admirable

Attitudes• In his book, Today Matters, John Maxwell tells about a woman who was out shopping with her daughter a few days before Christmas. The woman complained about everything in the mall—the crowds, the long lines, the quality of the merchandise, the prices, and her sore feet. Finally, after a tense exchange with a particular clerk, the woman left the store fuming and saying, “I’m never going back to that store again. Did you see the dirty look she gave me?” The daughter answered, “She didn’t give it to you, Mom. You had it when you went in!” • When I met Christ, I felt that I had swallowed sunshine. —E. Stanley Jones • Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go. —Oscar Wilde • Your day goes the way the corners of your mouth turn. —anonymous

1. Home (vv. 1–4). The psalmist looks at the place of worship as the only place he wanted to be. It was a place that the psalmist cried out for the living God. We all need a place to call home. We should be at home with the Lord.

Our place to worship is first in our own hearts. In the New Testament we learn that the Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in our hearts when we accept Christ as our personal Savior. The Bible also tells us that we need to make the fellowship of other believers a priority in our lives. Ours is not an individual faith, it is a faith that requires fellowship. Our fellowship is with the Lord and our fellow believers. With that fellowship, we are to manifest praise. Are we praising the Lord in our daily walk with Him?

2. Strength (vv. 5–7). Each morning when we wake up, we need strength to face the day. Our strength has to have a source. As believers in Christ, He promises to give us daily strength to face our days full of trials. We all have to go through valleys in our lives and sometimes they last a long time. The psalms tells us that we can make out well in our times of trial. The Lord will refill us with strength daily. Everyone who appears before God will receive strength through the Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Make time in your morning for the Lord!

Have you ever seen a child in a tizzy—upset, crying, fretful? The dad or mom hugs him close, calms his fears, and he becomes quiet once again. That’s the way the Lord deals with our alarms. He wants to work in us a greater faith.

1. Be still and know that I am God (Ps. 46:10).

2. You need only to be still (Ex. 14:14).

3. Be still, for this is a sacred day (Neh. 8:11).

4. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him (Ps. 37:7).

5. Be still before the Lord, all mankind (Zech. 2:13).

6. Peace! Be still (Mark 4:39).

3. Prayer (vv. 8–9). The psalmist makes three pleas to the Lord. First, he wants the Lord to hear his prayer. We know that the Lord doesn’t hear the prayers of those who don’t confess their sin. Second, he pleads with the Lord to give him His ear. Finally, he pleads for the Lord to look upon the face of His anointed. Each one of us is anointed of the Lord. This model can guide us in our prayers.

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, that calls me from a world of care and bids me at my Father’s throne make all my wants and wishes known! In seasons of distress and grief my soul has often found relief, and oft escaped the tempter’s snare by thy return, sweet hour of prayer.

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, thy wings shall my petition bear to Him whose truth and faithfulness engage the waiting soul to bless; and since He bids me seek His face, believe His Word and trust His grace, I’ll cast on Him my ev’ry care, and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer.

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, may I thy consolation share, till from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height I view my home and take my flight: This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise to seize the everlasting prize, and shout, while passing thru the air, “Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer.”

4. Happiness (vv. 10–12). The one word that is used three times is found in this section of the psalm. It means happiness to all those who trust in the Lord. Our goal is to learn to trust the Lord more and more. One of the ways that we can do this is to spend time in a place of worship. The psalmist said that he would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than to be around the wicked. He realized that the Lord gives light and protects us on a daily basis.

The Lord also gives us grace. Grace is unmerited favor. We are getting something we don’t deserve. At the end of the lives of those who trust in the Lord we will receive glory. We will have a glorified body. We will be in the presence of the Lord forever.

What a blessing! Let’s not wait until that day to look back and see all the neglected opportunities we had to worship. We can begin the eternal task of worship now!

Conclusion: The psalmist helps us understand what he expected from a relationship with the Lord. He expected a place called home. He expected strength for each day. He expected the Lord to answer his prayer requests. Finally, he expected happiness. Do these expectations fill our lives? They should!

Often we substitute activity for adoration. We must recognize:

1. The Need for Worship. The Bible emphasizes the day of worship (Gen. 2; Ex. 20; 1 Cor. 16), the duty of worship (Ex. 20; John 4), and the discipline in worship (Heb. 10:25).

2. The Nature of Worship. The Old Testament concept of worship included a reverent attitude of mind and body combined with religious adoration, obedience, and service. Worship in the New Testament combines the reverent attitude of man and body and feelings of awe, veneration, and adoration (John 4:23–24; Acts 17:25; Phil. 3:3).

3. The Neglect of Worship. To neglect worship is to disobey God. The disposition of saints is affected by neglect of worship. The degenerate nature of society (Rom. 1) can be traced to the neglect of worship.