The Capstone of The Psalter of Israel - The Hallelujah Chorus

Temple Baptist Church - 9-20-2026

Psalm 150

 

Introduction:

A. Tonight, we will finish the Book of Psalms, Israel’s Psalter or Hymn Book.  Psalms – A Divine Masterpiece of Praise! It consists of 150 Psalms, Verses – 2461, Words – 43,700. 

 

1. I call Psalm 150 THE HALLELUJAH CHORUS! If you look in our Hymn Book, you will find beginning page number 479, eleven pages of The Hallelujah Chorus. The last song in the hymnal!

 

2. Psalm 150 is a remarkably fitting conclusion to the entire Book of Psalms because it gathers up the major themes of the Psalms and brings them to one final destination: praise.

 

3. The Psalms contain almost every human experience imaginable and help us to get through the trials of life in spiritual triumph.

 

4. The Psalms turn: sorrow into joy, defeat into victory, doubt into faith, lamentation into worship, sin into repentance, fear into confidence, suffering into deliverance, and questions into answers!

 

B. And after all those experiences, the Psalter ends with: “Praise ye the LORD.” — Psalm 150:1, and closes with: “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” — Psalm 150:6. The final word of Psalms is not trouble, suffering, enemies, death, or even sorrow. The final word is praise.

 

C. It has been a joy, but I could have preached a thousand sermons had we dissected each Psalm.

 

1. The Book of Psalms is one of the most beloved books in all of the Bible. It is a book of songs, prayers, praises, cries, questions, struggles, and expressions of faith.

 

2. Psalms is different from many other books of the Bible because it gives us a look not only at what God's people believed, but also at what God's people felt and experienced when suffering.

 

3. The Psalms take us through the entire range of human experience. There are Psalms of joy and sorrow, victory and defeat, confidence and fear, praise and pain, hope and despair.

 

4. Sometimes the psalmist is shouting, “Praise ye the LORD!” At other times he is crying, “How long, O LORD?”

 

5. Sometimes the psalmist stands on the mountaintop of faith. At other times he is walking through the valley of trouble. And yet, through all of it, he keeps turning toward God.

 

6. The Psalms teach us that it is alright to talk to God when our hearts and lives are troubled.

 

7. They teach us that it is alright to ask God to help us when we do not understand. 

 

8. Too often, we try to hide our feelings and do not question.  Ye have not because ye ask not! If you do not ask the question, the answer is already no!

 

D.  The Psalmists knew what it was like to be: afraid, lonely, persecuted, betrayed, discouraged, sick, surrounded by enemies, and confused about what God was or was not doing. The Psalms teach us that when you cannot track God’s doings, you can trust His promises.

 

E. Throughout the Psalms, we find the people of God in one kind of a predicament or another!  These words open these Psalms as God’s people question God. How – 50x, How long – 19x, Why – 24x, When – 129x, Wilt thou – 16x, Awake – 12x, Where – 43x.

 

F.  They began by questioning God, but God did not allow them to stay that way.  We find the answers to their questions also. Praise – 160x, Sing – 70x, LORD – 793x, Peace – 27x, Safety – 5x, Trust – 71x, Worship 15x, Praise ye the LORD – 23x

 

G. In each of these Psalms of predicament, the answer to God’s people came and trust was restored and they became thankful for God's blessings and were overwhelmed by God's goodness.

 

H. Faith does not mean that we never have questions. Faith means that when we have questions, we know where to take them. The Psalms therefore meet us where we live and always bring us back to God, where we should live. We often begin our prayers with complaint and end up with confidence.

 

J. This blessed book of Psalms is God's answers to the heartaches of life.  Psalm 1 encourages the believer to walk with the Lord while Psalm 150 encourages the believer to worship the Lord!  A fitting climax to the Psalter.

 

K. Psalm 150 brings the preceding 149 Psalms to a wonderful conclusion: the God who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent is both with us and for us until we finally get Home where we belong.

 

L. Now, for a short look at Psalm 150. The importance of the word “praise” is found here. The word “praise is found 13 times in 5 verses.  God tells us:

 

1. Verse 1. Who to Praise. The LORD, Jehovah God, our LORD and Saviour, Christ Jesus and Him ALONE! We are not here tonight to be praised. We are here tonight to “Praise ye the LORD!”

 

2. Verse 1. Where to Praise.

 

a. “In His Sanctuary!” In His House, the local church. 

 

Psalms 103:1-5 A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.  (2)  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  (3)  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;  (4)  Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;  (5)  Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

 

b. “In the firmament of His Power!”  Outside of the local church. What a wonderful world Hie has given us to live in!

 

Psalms 19:1-4  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  (2)  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.  (3)  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.  (4)  Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

 

3. Verse 2. Why to Praise.

 

a.  “Praise him for his mighty acts.” Because of what He does! The LORD is good all the time. The LORD is good to us all the time!

 

b. “Praise him according to his excellent greatness.” Praise Him for who He is! Hallelujah, What a Saviour!

 

4. Verses 3-5. How to Praise. With trumpets, psaltery, harps, timbrel, dance (a holy dance),

stringed instruments (piano and hand held), organs (instruments and tongues [physical tongues], loud cymbals, and high sounding cymbals!  An orchestra of praise!

 

5. Who are to Praise. Verse 1.  “Praise ye”  Verse 6.

 

a. “Ye” and “Me!” Praise is not to be a spectator’s sport, it is to be with personal involvement from everyone in the church!

 

b.  “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”  If you are not going to praise the LORD, QUIT breathing because you are spiritually dying anyway!

 

Conclusion:  Psalm is the final touch of the Master’s Hand!

Prayer and the Church

 Temple Baptist Church - 9-20-2026

Mark 11:15-18

Introduction: 

 

A. There are many prayers found in your Bible as God’s people have always spent time in prayer.  Praying without ceasing is a command of God found in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Prayer is the avenue by which we approach the throne of God and commune with Him.  What a privilege to have a personal conversation and communion with the great “I AM THAT I AM!”

 

Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Boldly means confidently not disrespectfully)

 

1. The greatest prayer is found in John chapter 17 when our Lord prayed to our heavenly Father prior to going to the cross. I thank God that our Lord prayed for you and me that day as well as for all that those who would one believe on Him.

 

2. The Model Prayer, Lord, teach us to pray. A prayer to be modeled after, not memorized and repeated.

 

3. Possibly the second greatest prayer was the dedication prayer of King Solomon at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple. 

 

a) Solomon was one of the most Prominent and Powerful kings who ever lived.  957 BC, in the eleventh year of his reign, King Solomon dedicated the Temple. This prayer is found in 1 Chronicles chapter 16 and God’s response to that prayer in chapter 17. 

 

b) The Lord’s Model Prayer is often quoted and sung because of its structure.  It was a pattern given to His disciples when they asked Him to teach them to pray.

 

c) I believe Solomon’s dedicatory prayer would be a second Model Prayer to be mirrored by today’s churches.

 

3. That prayer took me 6 minutes to read!  When we think of prayer, we think of hours spent talking with God.  Though that is a good thing, God is more interested in content than length.  Solomon got a lot said in 6 short minutes.

 

d. God answered Solomon’s prayer immediately with fire falling from heaven and consuming the sacrifices on the altar! Divine approval!

 

B. Almost one thousand years later, we find Israel’s Messiah, Christ Jesus, entering Zerubbabel’s Temple.

 

1. Things had greatly changed in the Temple since the days of Solomon when the first Temple was built!  As He entered the Temple, Christ saw the corruption of the money changers and those who sold flawed animals to be offered a sacrifice to God.  When Jesus came into the Temple, He cast out those who perverted the Temple’s real purposes. 

 

2. Twice, our Lord cleansed the Temple! If the Lord were to come to the churches of America today, would he commend the church or cleanse the church?  He would probably spend more time cleansing than anything else.  God is not pleased with the casual worship of our day as the Temple was a holy place.  Today, the come as you are, do as you please, coffee and donuts available churches are becoming more and more prominent.

 

C. After He cleansed it, our Lord quoted Isaiah 56:7 saying, “Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?” 

 

Isaiah 56:7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. 

 

D. Not a house of prayer, but THE HOUSE OF PRAYER!  They even had special times just to go to the Temple and pray. 

 

Acts 3:1  Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 

 

The ninth hour was three o’clock in the afternoon, one of the three times that it was customary with the Jews to pray.  At 9:00 AM, 12:00 Noon, and 3:00 PM.

 

Daniel 6:10  Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

 

Psalms 55:17  Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. 

 

E.  We, here at Temple Baptist Church, pray often. 

 

1. We open Sunday School with prayers. We pray in men and ladies’ prayer rooms before the morning service.  We pray to begin the morning service.  We pray several times in the process of the service and dismiss in prayer.  Sunday evenings we open in prayer, pray during the service over the offerings, pray at the end of the service, and often have special prayer for people who are sick or in need.  Wednesday evening is Prayer Meeting where we open in prayer, go over our prayer lists and pray, pray over the offering, close in prayer.

 

2. All of the above-mentioned prayers ought to be done, but do we pray for the power of God and His blessings upon us or do we pray out of ritual?  That is where we find the Jews at the Temple in the days of Jesus Christ.  Prayer should never be a formality but communion with our heavenly Father!

 

 

 

F.  It would do us well at this point to go to the first mention of prayer in the Temple to better understand what the Lord meant when He called it the House of Prayer.  In these verses, we will see both the direction and quality of praying. 

 

1.  It Was A Prayer Of Humility – vs. 12-13

 

a.  Humbled In The Sight Of Man – vs. 12 – “in the presence of all the congregation and spread forth his hands”  (Not caring what man thinks.)

 

b.  Humbled In The Presence Of God – vs. 13 – “kneeled down on his knees…spread for th his hands toward heaven”  (Caring what God thinks!)

 

2.  It Was A Prayer Of Remembrance – vs. 14-18

 

a.  Remembrance Of God’s Person – vs. 14 – “there is not God like thee”           

 

b.  Remembrance Of God’s Presence – vs. 14 – “nor in the earth”

 

c.  Remembrance Of God’s Power – vs. 15 – “fulfilled it with thine hand”

 

d.  Remembrance Of God’s Promises – vs. 16 – “keep…hast promised”

 

3.  It Was A Prayer Of Intercession – vs. 19-31

 

a.  For Forgiveness – vs. 21 – “when thou hearest, forgive”

 

b.  For Restoration – vs. 27 – “send rain upon thy land”

 

4.  It Was A Prayer Of Missions – vs. 32-33

 

a.  Foreign Missions – vs. 33a – “that all the people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee”

 

b.  Home Missions – vs. 33b – “thy people Israel…may know this house”

 

5.  It Was A Prayer Of Deliverance – vs. 34-39

 

a.  From Enemies – vs. 34 – “go to war…enemies by the way”

 

b.  From Defeat – vs. 35, 39 – “maintain their cause”

 

6.  It Was A Prayer Of Enthronement – vs. 40-42

 

a.  God In His Rightful Place In The Temple – vs. 41a – “arise, O Lord God, into thy resting place”

 

b.  God In His Rightful Place In The People – vs. 41b – “let thy saints rejoice in thy goodness”

Anathema Maranatha

 Temple Baptist Church - 9-16-2026

1 Corinthians 16:22

 

Introduction: 

A.  Tonight I want to look at two words, Anathema Maranatha. 

 

1. Very unusual words because they both are First Mention, Last Mention, Full Mention, and Only Mention words found in succession.  This is the only case that I have found in the Bible. 

 

2. Therefore, it is of great importance that the Holy Ghost only inspired it to the Corinthian Church’s first epistle.  Also, it came in the ending salutation to a church greatly loved by the Apostle Paul. 

 

3. It shows his concern for the welfare of the entire church, both spiritual and carnal, and possibly saved and lost! 

 

B.  Verse 22 is a sobering verse.  It expresses a pastoral fear that I am all too familiar with as a pastor.  To love all the people that attend our church and fear that someone may die without a saving knowledge of Christ and spend an eternity in hell!

 

Matthew 7:13-14  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  (14)  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

 

C. It is not that salvation is complex and difficult to obtain, but that salvation is simple.

 

Acts 16:27-31  And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.  (28)  But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.  (29)  Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,  (30)  And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  (31)  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

 

Romans 10:9-10  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10)  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 

D. There have always been people who chose the way of the world over the way of the cross.  From Cain, Adam and Eve’s first born, to the last born of our day, there are some who choose the way of Cain over the way of Abel!  Works over faith, the world over Christ, self over salvation!

 

E.  This verse expresses that fear and reality of the possibility of unsaved within the congregation of the Corinthian Church!  This sobering thought should bring about the self-examination of the individuals.  Paul reiterates this in the Second Corinthians Epistle:

2 Corinthians 13:5-6  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?  (6)  But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.

 

F.  “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” Paul closes his first letter to the church at Corinth with a statement that is both loving and sobering. 

 

1. Up to this point, Paul took everyone in Corinth at their word.  They professed salvation and Paul left that between the individual and God, as it should be. 

 

2. Now he does not question anyone’s salvation! He exposes the possibility. This verse must have had evidence to be put there.  In a carnal church, people are expected to react in a positive way to the truth of God’s Word and, yet some continued to willfully refuse the instruction of God’s Word and remained carnal. 

 

3. Though we know that sinful Lot in the Old Testament was called righteous, just, and godly in the New, failure to hear and heed are also characteristics of the unsaved.

 

G.  What does Anathema Maranatha mean!  Most of you older, more mature believers, have a general idea of what Paul said, but I want to carefully look at it tonight.

 

1. Anathema.  

 

a) In 1 Corinthians 16:22, the word “Anathema” is a very strong one, and understanding its biblical meaning helps us understand Paul's warning.

 

b) In its basic biblical usage, it refers to something set apart for destruction, devoted to destruction, or placed under an eternal curse. This is not a temporal thing but an everlasting one.

 

c) A person who rejects or refuses to love the Lord Jesus places himself under God's judgment. It is not merely saying, “Let that person be disliked or rejected by Christians.” It is much more serious. Paul is speaking of divine judgment and eternal separation from God.

 

d) To quote Paul again, the words ring out: “except ye be reprobates?” God will noy always strive with man.  There comes a time when an individual crosses a line with God and salvation is no longer available!

 

  2. Maranatha.

 

a) This makes the verse even more powerful. “Maranatha” means essentially “Our Lord, come!” A pronouncement of a future event when the Judge of all the earth will come in judgment, not salvation.

 

b) Therefore, Paul's thought can be understood like this: when someone rejects the Lord Jesus, he remains under impending, eminent, eternal judgment of God. But the church is looking forward to the day when our Lord Jesus will return.

 

H.  In verse 22, we find both warning and hope! 

 

1.  Warning to those who continue in willful disobedience to both God’s Word and open invitation.

 

2. Hope that someone will awake out of spiritual sleep, turn to the Lord in repentance and faith, and erase “Anathema Maranatha” from their eternal future!

 

J.  Evidence of loving God:

 

1. You keep God’s commandments. John 14:15 — “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

 

1 John 5:3 — “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.”

 

2. You love God’s Word. Psalm 119:97 — “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.”

 

Psalms 119:165  Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

 

3. You love God’s house. Psalm 84:2 — “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD.”

 

4.  You love your life in God. Psalm 63:1 — “My soul thirsteth for thee.”

 

Matthew 22:37 — “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

 

5.  You have a hatred for sin. Psalm 97:10 — “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil.”

 

6.  You have a desire to live a holy life.  1 Peter 1:15-16  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;  (16)  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

 

7.  You are faithful to God. 1 Corinthians 4:2  Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

 

8. You long for His appearing. 1 John 3:2-3  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.  (3)  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

 

Titus 2:11-13  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  (12)  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  (13)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

 

1 Peter 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

True Worship

 Temple Baptist Church - 9-13-2026

Psalm 100

 

Introduction:

A. I can think of not better verses to introduce this Psalm with than the words of our Lord in John chapter 4, when speaking to the woman at the well.  In His words, we find both commandment and order. 

 

John 4:23-24  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  (24)  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 

1. In spirit (this is not the Holy Ghost.  Our spirit is God conscious and to be controlled.  We are to be orderly in our worship. 

 

1 Corinthians 14:32  And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.   

 

2. I did not say liturgical, I said orderly for God is not a God of confusion and disorder.

 
1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

1 Corinthians 14:40  Let all things be done decently and in order.

3. And in truth, to be consistent with the biblical teaching of sound doctrine.

 

B. Every line of Psalm 100 has spirit and order with no confusion in either order or purpose.

 

C. I want to look at the Psalm backwards tonight as it shows the Who, Where, and How of worship in a godly, biblical way.

 

1. Verse 5. The Person of Praise.  “The LORD!”  We are not here to elevate this pastor or the people with praise.  We are here to worship the LORD, who alone is worthy of praise.  It there is anything good in this world, He made it. 

 

a. For the LORD is Good!  Every good and perfect gift in life comes from God, who controls everything because He owns everything.  The earth and the fullness thereof!  I have no complaints, no sad stories to tell.  Through it all, the good days and the bad days, the LORD has been better to me than I deserve!

 

b. His mercy is everlasting!  New every morning.  New because of our human frailty will fail today and tomorrow!  Naught of good that I have done turns into prone to wander, LORD, I feel it!  All the days of our lives!

 

c.  His truth endureth to all generations.  We have the same truth that God’s people have had from the beginning through divine preservation.

2. Verse 4. The Place of His Praise.  His gates and His courts, the Tabernacle and Temple in the Old Testament and the local church today. 

 

a. I am glad that we can worship, and should do so, anywhere at any time, but nothing takes the place of the House of God.

 

b. What the world hates and forsakes shows us what God loves and never forsakes.  Where two or three are gathered together, Our LORD has promised to be in the midst.  Not on the fringes but in the middle of it all!

 

3. Verses 1-4. The Performance of our Praise!

 

a. Verse 1. A Joyful Noise! A loud noise! Unto the LORD!

 

b. Verse 2. Serving with Gladness! It is getting more difficult to get people involved in the local churches.  To fill every choir seat, to help out in Sunday School, to work in VBS! Service is a wonderful thing and a glad thing. I will never be sorry for the years that Barbara and I have spent in the work of the Lord! Gladness!

 

c. Verse 2. Singing! Congregational, choir specials, special singing! Singing with the joy of the LORD in our hearts.

 

d. Verse 3. Remembrance!  He is God, we are His, and He is ours!  My little children, write I unto you in 1 John chapter 2 and 3! Beloved, now are we the sons of God! That should thrill our souls to know that we are children of the Lord!

 

e. Verse 4. Thanksgiving! Enter into His gates with thanksgiving ... be thankful unto Him” In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, concerning you!  Giving thanks with a thankful heart for all this and heaven too!

 

f. Verse 4.  Praise!  The last 5 Psalms begin and end with the phrase “Praise ye the LORD!”  Praise Him for His love, compassion, substitutionary death-burial-bodily resurrection, forgiveness, mercy and grace!

 

g.  Verse 4.  Adoration!  Blessing the LORD only with our lips, but also with our lives! We owe it all to Him for without Him I would be lost and on my way to hell tonight.  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name tonight!

The Joy of Going to Church

 Temple Baptist Church - 9-13-2026

Psalm 122

 

Introduction:

A. What a privilege it is to gather together in the house of God!

 

1. Today’s generation is too busy for church! Yet, in the busyness of life, it can sometimes be difficult to see church as something we truly look forward to rather than another responsibility on an already full schedule. 

 

2. So many of God’s children have lost the joy of their salvation which will cause them to lose their joy of going to church!  The major four things that will cause us to lose our joy are:

 

a) Sin - Psalms 51:12  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

 

b) Situations - Habakkuk 3:17-18  Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:  (18)  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

 

c) Suffering - 1 Peter 1:6-7  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:  (7)  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

 

d) Selfishness - Revelation 3:16-17  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  (17)  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

 

3. Because of this, in many of today’s churches, evening and midweek services have gradually declined as people struggle to make time for them.

 

4. I have often quoted this, but it is a great example of the existing attitude of churchgoers today. Someone once remarked, “Wednesday night services are only held to make busy people busier.”

 

5. We can certainly understand how demanding life can be, and there are seasons when our schedules leave us tired and stretched. Still, perhaps it is worth pausing to remember what a blessing it is to have a place where we can gather with God’s people.
6. The Joy of the Lord is our spiritual strength.

 

B. The house of God is not simply another appointment on our calendar. It is a place:

 

1. Where weary hearts can be refreshed. Wednesday is often called “Hump Day,” as it is the middle day of the week, and Wednesday night services are “Filling Stations” where we can refuel for the remainder of the week.

 

2. Where we enjoy the fellowship of God’s children and can encourage one another, so as to make church about others!

 

3. Where we can worship together. Oh, what joy to come to God’s house and find God at home: Bethel and El-Bethel! Abraham named a place Bethel (House of God), and later, when Jacob returned, he named it El-bethel (God of the House of God). He found God still at His House!

 

4. Where we hear and study God’s Word, so as to not be destroyed for lack of knowledge.

 

5. Where we can bring our tithes and offerings.

 

6. Where we can bless the Lord in the place that we cherish with grateful hearts.

 

C. I love to go to church. I am glad when it is time to assemble. It is not a burden; it is a blessing.

 

D. So many do not now have a love for the local church as we have!

 

1. We can tell by the lack of faithful attendance.

 

2. We can tell by the lack of willingness to stay for a while.

 

3. We can tell by the lack of emphasis placed on it in the home.

 

4. We can tell by the lack of joy and gladness in our services.

 

5. We can tell by the lack of personal invitations we give out.

 

6. We can tell by the lack of effect it has upon our lives.

 

7. We can tell by the lack of grooming of the grounds and buildings.

 

8. Psalms 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand ... I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
   (Is this our outlook on church?)

 

E. Church should be a place to enjoy.  So many of God’s people are discouraged, disappointed, etc. that going to church has become a drudgery or just a discipline.  Going to church has been one of the greatest joys of Barbara and my life.  The joy of knowing that the church needs us!  It needs you!  Often, we needed our church, and you were there when we needed you.  In the hardest times and deepest valleys of our life, the joy of church just got greater.

 

F.  What makes going to church such a joy? In Psalm 122, we find the reasons that David was glad!

 

1. God’s House is a place of Stability — vs. 2

 

2. God’s House is a place of Unity — vs. 3

 

3. God’s House is a place of Testimony — vs. 4a

 

4. God’s House is a place of Worship — vs. 4b

 

5. God’s House is a place of Judgment — vs. 5a

 

6. God’s House is a place of Promise — vs. 5b

 

7. God’s House is a place of Peace — vs. 6a, 7a

 

8. God’s House is a place of Affection — vs. 6b

 

9. God’s House is a place of Prosperity — vs. 7b

 

10. God’s House is a place of Companionship — vs. 8

 

11. God’s House is a place of Sharing — vs. 9

 

Conclusion: This morning, we are glad, sad, or mad!