Temple Baptist Church - 10-6-2024
Psalm 122
Introduction:
A. Before we move on to another wonderful Psalm, I want to spend one more night on the 122nd Psalm.
1. How wonderful it is to be enthusiastic and excited about going to the house of God! I fear that has been lost in our days because of Laodicean thinking and lifestyles. People are more worldly minded than spiritually minded because their lives are spent “making ends meet” because they have too much to maintain.
2. When Barbara and I married, we did not have enough credit to buy an eight hundred dollar car! We did not have enough credit to finance a $4,200.00 dollar mobile home without someone co-signing for us. With an old used car and the cheapest mobile home that we could buy, we started out.
3. Today, young married and old married people can virtually buy every convenience and every “toy” that they want on credit and live on the edge with many falling off. I am not complaining, just explaining because this “have need of nothing” mentality has become a “spiritual wedge” that divides the heart.
4. Make church special! It is special but will not be special to us individually unless we make it so. It thrilled my heart Wednesday night to hear little Micah say “Preacher” and wave to me as his family started to leave. If he said “Preacher” once and waved, he must have done it a dozen times.
5. One day, I believe that this special little boy will stand in my pulpit and preach! Create an excitement within your hearts that will bubble over to excitement in your children’s hearts. Church is special and needs to be shown that way by us older folks.
B. With all that said, (Whew, aren’t you glad that I got that over with?), what makes going to church so special? I believe that it is so simple, biblical, yet profound that we should see just how important that church is.
1. It Is The Place That God Loves. Hebrews 10:22-25 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (23) Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (24) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: (25) Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Verse 25 is a much quoted one but why is it so important to the believers
There are three usages of the words “let us” found here. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works!
When you get saved, you love what God loves!
The local church should be heart and soul
2. It Is The Place Of Worship - Psalms 5:7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
I can worship anywhere but the church house is a special place. It was a place built to worship in. I can go there and sing as loud as I please; I can say “Amen” or shout “Glory to God;” I can give my tithe and offerings scripturally in God’s house. What a blessing!
3. It Is The Place Of Preaching And Teach God’s Word - 1 Timothy 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
You probably know it by now, but I love this blessed old King James Bible that I hold in my hand. I can read it at home; I can study it at home; but here in the house of the Lord, men of God preach like they know what they are preaching about! I rejoice with the Apostle Paul when the Bible is heralded, and the preacher lifts up his voice like a trumpet!
4. It Is The Place Where God’s People Gather - Psalms 55:14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
The greatest people on earth are there! When I got saved, I fell in love with a lot of things that please God but one of the greatest of all was the people of God. No, they are not perfect, but they are my brothers and sisters in Christ! We are all in the Body of Christ which is the Family of God, and I love you!
5 It Is The Place Where Sinners Are Both Sought And Loved - Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
Matthew 9:10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.
God loves sinners! God hates sin but God loves sinners! Don’t ever forget that! We do not look down on people because of who they are and what they wear. Let them come, get saved, and watch—not push—while God changes their lives. We all once sat where they now sit!
6. It Is God’s Instrument For World Evangelism - 1 Thessalonians 1:6-8 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God–ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.
It is here that you and I get to “go into all the world and preach the gospel.” I love to give an offering to missions! I can help support precious families as they cover the globe preaching the same gospel that I preach. Missionaries are the greatest people in the world! There is no greater calling than that. Carrying the Word of God to a world that needs Jesus Christ, and I can help go by giving!
7. It Was There That I Heard The True Gospel Preached And Was Gloriously and Eternally Saved – Luke 18:10, 13-14 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican … And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
If it weren’t for the local church, this pastor would still be lost in my sin. I got saved on a Sunday night in an independent Baptist Church. Thank God for Pastor Bob Lamb! God laid it upon his heart to come to Madisonville, Ky and start a church under an old gospel tent! Barbara and I were saved because of it! Ask me why I love the local church!!
8. It Is A Place Of Comfort And Spiritual Joy - Psalms 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
The church is a refuge; a stronghold; a place of peace and tranquility; a place where we come and enjoy the things of God. It is a place of comfort to the troubled and a source of joy to those who are hurting.
9. It Is An Encouragement Filling Station - 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
I get filled up at church. I go to put something into the service and also to get something out of it. If you do not get a blessing, then it was because you were not blessable! I know blessable is not a word, but I can make one up if I wanna! If you want a blessing, you will get one. If you do not want a blessing, don’t blame it on anyone or anything but yourself. You get out of a church service what you put into it.
10. It Is Just A Little Bit Of Heaven On Earth - Psalms 84:1-2 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
If you don’t like church, don’t go to heaven! You won’t like it there because the church is a little bit of heaven on earth!
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