The Happiness of the Heavenly Minded

James Guthrie was a Scottish preacher who lived from about 1612-1651. He preached in a day in which it was a crime to disagree with the state-run apostate church. He was arrested, hung and his head was put on display at the gate of the city as a warning to others who might preach the gospel.

On the morning he was hanged to death he was asked how he was. His response was “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

I am afraid that type of joy is missing from our churches today.

We see little joy in preaching.

We see little joy in singing.

We see little joy in listening.

We have more than enough reason to be overwhelmed with joy.

Our sins are forgiven.

Death has been defeated.

We have a home in heaven.

I am afraid we have little joy in our churches because we think very little of the things I just listed.

Our joy comes from:

Sports

Video Games

Social Media

Sinful pleasures

It is a foolish thing to find your happiness in those things. Let me illustrate that for you. You have a yuoung person who will not pay you any attention. They are consumed with their phone. You are talking away, trying to get their attention. You are showing interest in them yet they’re ignoring you. They are happy, you are not. Finally, to get their undivided attention you snatch the phone away. All the joy that child had has just evaporated.

Now they are sad.

They are mad.

They are anxious.

That which brought them joy has been removed and they have finally become aware of how much they depended on something other than themselves for happiness.

Dear friends, that is what will happen to many people at death. God will snatch away everything that made them happy. They will be eternally dissatisfied.

That’s not the case with the child of God. The child of God finds his joy in God. When death snatches every earthly thing away from us, we still have God. The key to joy is to find our ultimate pleasure in God.

This morning we look at a heavenly minded saint whose joy is in God. The Psalm is divided into three sections by “Selah’s” (1-4, 5- 8, 9- 12). In each of those sections there is a beatitude (blessed). The word “blessed” in the Hebrew describes a state of bliss, of happiness. We’re gonna use that word to outline the Psalm.

1. Blessed are they who dwell in the house of God (1-4).

2. Blessed are they whose strength is in the Lord (5-8).

3. Blessed are they who trust in the Lord (9-12).

1. Blessed are they who dwell in the house of God (1-4).

A. Sons who did not follow their father.

This is a Psalm for the sons of Korah.

Korah was an apostate and a rebel. Attempted to draw Israel away from the leadership of Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16).

God opened up the earth and swallowed him and all who followed him.

Numbers 26:11 says the sons of Korah did not die. They did not follow their father. In fact, they became workers in the Temple. 1 Chronicles 26:1 says they became doorkeepers in the house of the Lord. They guarded the gate. They were the security of the Temple.

God did not cast them away because they had a wicked father.

In verse 1 the Psalmist says the house of God is beautiful. It is lovely! Their heavenly Father was the author of all that is good and beautiful. Their earthly father was the author of that which was ugly and sinful. They had to make a choice. They chose the beauty of their heavenly Father.

If your earthly father goes to the bar, don’t follow him there!

If your earthly father goes to play instead of pray on Sunday, don’t follow him there!

If your earthly father goes down the broad road, don’t follow him there!

These were men who did not follow their daddy to hell. We ought to learn from them. God mightily saved Korah’s descendants.

Korah opened a door to hell.

His descendants opened the door to God’s house.

The Korahites were also known as singers (2 Chr. 20:19). They were filled with joy because they were saved. No thanks to their earthly father, but all thanks to their Heavenly Father! The father was cursed the children were blessed. Men, don’t make your family choose between you and Jesus. Lead them to Christ!

B. Birds who found a home for their young (3).

The Psalmist makes an observation about the house of the Lord. Birds have nested there. Birds will build nests in odd places:

Window sills

Gutters

Garages

Under porches

I’ve removed many nests because they were in a place they shouldn’t be. But the Lord lets these birds build nests in his house. There is some symbolism here. Two birds are mentioned:

The sparrow: Of very little worth. Jesus said two sold for a farthing of five for two farthings. Buy four you get one free. Farthing had a very small value. Like our pennies.

There was a place for these worthless birds in God’s house. Reminds us that God will receive us no matter how little we are worth.

The swallow: These are swift birds. They are anxious, restless. The martin is in this family. The martin seems to never stop. Virtually all of its eating is done in flight.

The restless, the anxious, the worrier can find a place to rest in God’s house.

If the birds are welcome, then certainly we are welcome. Jesus said we are of more value than the birds.

Notice these birds put their young near the altar of God.

Mother’s, do you bring your children to the altar of God? Do you lay them before the Lord? Do you make sure they are in the Lord’s house, with the Lord’s people hearing the Lord’s Word?

Don’t let the mother birds out do you!

There’s a mother who forsook her duty standing before the Lord.

“Why didn’t you bring your young to the house of the Lord?”

She replies, “I didn’t know I was supposed to!”

The Lord says, “Even the birds know!”

C. A soul who longed for heaven (2).

He desired to be in the house of the Lord.

His heart and flesh cry out for the living God.

More is meant in verse 2 than just the physical Temple. He wants to be with God.

The aged saint can grow in joy because he or she knows the greatest reward lies ahead. Old age should not lead to depression.

Here was a man whose heart and flesh cried our for God not the Temple. We can fake our actions:

Going to church.

Tithing.

Volunteering.

But we can’t fake our desires.

Do you long for the Lord?

When you sing, do you long for Him?

When you pray do you long for Him?

When you listen to sermons or read the Bible, do you long for Him?

Christ is the joy set before you.

I long for church because I long for Christ!

The Bible is a joy because I long for Christ!

Worship is a joy because I long for Christ!

Sunday is a joy because I long for the eternal Sunday that is coming soon!

Blessed are they who dwell in the house of God!

2. Blessed are they whose strength is in the Lord (5-8).

A. Loving God with our strength (5).

The truth is it is God’s strength that empowers us to be strong in Him. Verse 5 says the ways of God are in the heart of the Psalmist. The word “way” refers to a road or a highway.

Three times a year the Jewish men had to travel to the Temple for special feasts. This wasn’t an easy trip. It took strength and stamina to walk the many miles to the temple. But the men of God did it because they loved the Lord.

What strength we have ought to be used for the Lord! Why is it so many folks seem to be tired on Sunday but not on Saturday? Loving God with our strength means that we strain, we sweat we labor for the Lord! We use our strength for God because we find joy in what we do for Him.

B. Suffering with strength (6).

The road to Zion passes through the Valley of Baca. Baca means weeping. Ironically, it is a dry valley, wet only from tears. But the one who finds joy in God experiences blessings even in sorrow. They transform this dry valley of sorrow into a place filled with refreshing springs.

The Christian will suffer. The narrow road is to narrow to go around valleys. It must go through them. When your joy is found in God even times of suffering can be rewarded with joy.

Today is Mother’s Day. Perhaps some of you are thinking of your mother who had passed. I certainly am. If it were not for Christ there could be no joy in this valley. Because of Christ my tears will be wiped away one day.

Don’t feel alone, saint. Look behind you. Here comes another passing through the same valley you passed through. The children of God have been passing through the Valley of Baca for ages. There is a well-worn path through this valley. Down in the bottom of this valley is a spring we can all drink from. Christ is there. He gives us joy even in the darkest of days. We suffer, but God gives us the strength to pass through this valley.

C. Growing in strength (7).

They go from strength to strength. How will we ever face the sorrows of tomorrow? We will be stronger tomorrow. Those men walking that path don’t even realize they are building up their muscles and increasing their stamina. All that we go through in this world is stretching our spiritual muscles. We are growing in grace. We will be able to endure things we never thought we could. God is taking us from strength to strength!

D. Gathered before God (7).

I love the end of verse 7. “Every one of them appeareth in Zion before God!” The entire caravan made it to the temple. In the strength of God, they made it!

What a joy to know the redeemed will make it to heaven by the strength of the Lord!

I love that old song Streets of Gold! I used to sing it as a young man. I still sing it.

I remember the first time I heard it. The ole boy singing was just as round as he was tall. He was just as red as an apple. He was singing about going to heaven. He said:

“I made it! Thank God I made it, my feet have touched the streets of gold!

This isn’t an easy trip y’all!

There are valleys we pass through!

There are days we feel weak!

But one day we’ll get there. One day we’ll say “We made it, thank God we made it! Our feet have touched the streets of gold!”

Blessed are they whose strength is in the Lord!

3. Blessed are they who trust in the Lord (9-12).

A. Christ is our shield (9).

The Psalmist asks God to look on the face of His Anointed. This is a reference to the coming Messiah. The Messiah has come. His name is Jesus.

God shields us from the judgment of sin because He looks upon Christ. The Bible says we are hidden in Christ. There’s an old hymn that says:

Because the sinless Savior died,

My sinful soul is counted free;

For God, the Just, is satisfied

To look on Him and pardon me.

Christ is our shield from:

The Father’s wrath

The grave’s grip

The devil’s darts

When the Father looks upon the face of Christ, He is well pleased. Because we are in Christ, He is well pleased with us. Thank God we have a shield!

B. Our worth is found in Christ (10).

The Psalmist says a day in the courts of God is better than a thousand elsewhere. Most people spent more time traveling to the Temple than they did in the Temple. The Psalmist said it’s worth it. He says if he could be anywhere, he would want to be worshipping in the Temple.

He said he would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than to dwell in the tents of the wicked. Remember, that’s what many of the sons of korah were. They were door keepers. They stood outside the door to guard it. That doesn’t sound like a great job, but it was a wonderful privilege.

In fact, he says he would rather be just outside the temple door than to be inside the tents of the wicked.

It’s a great blessing to be a greeter in a church. To stand at the door and watch the saints as they enter is a blessing.

To be the first to greet someone to the church of God is a blessing.

To be the last to say goodbye to someone as they leave church is a wonderful blessing.

The sons of Korah loved their job. They found purpose in it. There is no reason the church should not continue that practice.

I don’t know if there are doorkeepers in heaven. If there are, that’d be a great job! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be the first person to greet someone as they entered the gates of that city?

Imagine seeing the look on their face!

Imagine hearing the shouts!

A doorkeeper for the Lord! It doesn’t take much skill but what a blessing!

The must humble position in the kingdom is better than the most exalted position in the world.

You’re a CEO?

You poor thing, I’m a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord!

You’re a professional athlete?

You poor thing, I’m a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord!

You’re a grammy winning recording artist?

You poor thing, I’m a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord!

Listen to me friend.

Your position in this world doesn’t matter much at all.

Your position in the kingdom of God is what matters.

Any position in the kingdom is better than every position in the world.

Joy is experienced when we realize our worth is in Christ and not in this world.

C. Christ is enough (11).

He is our sun and our shield.

He is our sun. He is the source of all life for us. Without Him we are dead. We are in darkness. We are cold. We are lifeless.

He is our shield. He protects us.

He is our source of grace.

Saving grace

Sanctifying grace.

Dying grace.

Glorifying grace.

No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

This is how we distinguish the believer from the unbeliever. The believer walks uprightly. God promises to take care of every need we have.

The Lord has kept me from many evil things. He has never kept me from the good things. He knows what I need. He knows what is best for me.

A key to joy is contentment. When we understand that God is not keeping anything we need from us we will have increased joy.

One of the biggest lies the devil will tell you is you can’t be happy if you walk uprightly. Sin ultimately leads to sorrow and death. The pleasure of sin is only for a season. Every season comes to an end. If you are searching for happiness, it will not be found in a sinful life. It will be found in Christ.

Are you happy, friend? Is there joy in your heart? If not maybe it’s because you’re not heavenly minded. Your mind is on this world.