Psalm 122, a song of degrees of David. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together. Whether the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good. Among all of the Psalms among the Hebrew Psalter that provides God's people with the practical components of corporate worship in a clear and concise way, surely it is the psalm that we have just read, Psalm 122. In Psalm 122, God provides us with a spiritual instruction manual on how worshipers ought to approach and attend the public place of worship. And I'm becoming increasingly convinced that the truths that are declared throughout the psalm need to be communicated and contemplated more frequently by those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. And here's the reason. I fear that it is possible to do that which God commands and expects of us without appropriately analyzing the way in which we do those things God commands and expects of us. In other words, it is possible to be ignorant to the fact or forget that God is not only concerned with what we do, but the manner in which we go about doing what we do. Let me say it this way. Our inward attitude is just as important as our outward actions. Is this true, parents, or not? If you tell your child to do something and they do what you say, sighing loudly, rolling their eyes, dragging their feet in a nasty, bad-tempered, defiant manner. Deep down, parents, you know that they are not doing right. For example, If you tell your child to take the trash that is located inside of the house to the trash barrel located outside of the home, and they say, no, I'm busy right now, I'll do it later. And you, like the good parent that you are, say in response, excuse me, what did you just say? And then you graciously give another opportunity for them to obey what you just said, but they abruptly yank the trash bag out of the trash can. Their facial expression looks like they have just joined MS-13. And on their way back into the house, they slam the door behind them and they say, I took out the trash. Are you happy now? Parents, are you happy? With what you instructed your child to do in that occasion, let me give you a Parenting 101 lesson. You shouldn't be happy in that situation. Yes, the smelly trash that was causing a putrefying stench throughout the home is no longer in the kitchen, but I can assure you that the putrefying stench of your child's attitude is going to create a greater problem for you if the heart of the problem isn't taken care of. And what is the heart of the problem? The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. As a parent, you should never settle for outward compliance if there is inward defiance. The end goal of parenting is not about doing the right things, but doing the right things in the right way. As I heard other parents say throughout the years, we should expect our children to obey what we say quickly, sweetly, and completely. Children ought to be trained to obey the first time, right away, with a good attitude. And in the reading of God's word, we find that this same truth rings true with God's relationship toward his children. God isn't merely interested in our habits. God wants our heart. God isn't interested with our outward compliance. God wants our inward congeniality, especially as it relates to matters of worship. In all things, especially matters of worship, we must understand that the attitude of our hearts towards God is just as important, may I say, even more important to God than the actions we offer to God. How we obey God's word, is just as important to God as the actual submission to the truths of God's Word. Let me illustrate this truth in a perceivable way that relates to what is being emphasized in Psalm 122. The Bible says in the book of Hebrews, that Christians are not to forsake the assembling of their selves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching. So God's word teaches God's people the importance of continuing steadfastly as a church in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in the breaking of bread and prayers, right? Acts chapter two. Well, suppose someone among the fellowship of the church habitually comes in five minutes late to every church service. And as they are here, you can tell by their body language that they really don't want to be here. They sit in the pew waiting for everybody else to say hello to them. They rarely smile. They hardly participate in the song service. And worst of all, when the pastor starts preaching, they start looking at AI puppies working at McDonald's on their Instagram feed. And then during the final prayer, they jet off to their car, repeating that same process Sunday by Sunday by Sunday. Now keep in mind that this is a person who claims to be a Bible-believing Christian. This is a person who says that they love Jesus Christ with all their heart. And as you see such things going on week after week, you become more burdened for the person doing this. So you kindly say, is everything okay? I've been noticing that you're late to every church service, you jet for the door real fast during the closing prayer, you're not very friendly to those around you, you don't sing, and you're distracted with trivial things when the pastor's trying to teach you about eternal things. And they say to you, well, I'm here at church, am I not? I mean, God's word says don't forsake the assembling. I'm not forsaking it. I'm being obedient. God should be happy with that, and you should be happy with that. And quite frankly, I'm offended now, so I'm never gonna come back to this mean-spirit, legalistic, pharisaical, unloving church. How dare you judge me? For those of you who are honest and acquainted with the truths of God's word, help me out. Does such an attitude bring honor and glory to God? Is such an attitude profitable to the self-confessed worshiper? Are such actions helpful to other worshipers in the church? And is such an attitude appealing to those who are non-Christian people who may attend our services? I rest my case. One's attitude in worship is just as important, perhaps even more important, as one's actions. You say, what does all of this have to do with Psalm 122? Well, in Psalm 122, God the Holy Spirit, through David, provides us with eight helpful truths to consider as it relates to our affiliation with the public place of worship, otherwise known as God's house or the local New Testament church. Before us, I see eight. exemplary elements of worship that we ought to assess our attitudes and actions by as we assemble together week by week, service by service. Looking to verse one. I want you to notice first that going to God's house ought to be a joyful occasion. This is the first truth that is staring us in the face in this psalm. Going to God's house ought to be a joyful occasion. David says, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Now in David's day, the house of the Lord was the tabernacle. As king, David set up a new tent or tabernacle in Jerusalem for the Ark of the Covenant. And such a place, as most of you know, was a centralized location for worship. It was a place where God's people would gather to joyfully reflect upon the coming Messiah, the one who would eventually tabernacle among his people in bodily form. Now, without going into a long dissertation about the types and the shadows of the tabernacle, let me briefly remind you that everything associated with the tabernacle pointed to the person and work of Jesus Christ. The tabernacle itself was a foreshadowing of God dwelling among his people through the promised deliverer. The veil separating the holy place from the most holy place represented Christ's flesh that will be torn to provide direct access to God. The altar of incense symbolized the prayers of God's people going up into the nostrils of God. The table of showbread is a shadow of Christ being the bread of life, which is God's invitation to commune with him. The golden lampstand signifies Christ as the light of the world shining in the darkness. And the Ark of the Covenant represents God's throne and God's presence with the mercy seat being a symbol of God's great grace. So when David, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, was personally invited to go to that place by other believers that focused on his Savior, he unhesitatingly and rejoicingly replies by saying, I would love nothing more than to go with you. Warren Wiersbe notes, quote, David lived in Jerusalem, and had to go but a short distance to reach the tent and the ark. Though he lived in the holy city, David did not take this privilege for granted, for he had a heart for God and for God's house. David was a man after God's own heart. Weersbeek continues and says, in reference to other pilgrims who would make their pilgrimage up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord during appointed times of worship, he says, quote, the pilgrim coming from a distance would not complain about the journey, for his heart was set on the Lord. Love makes burdens lighter and distances shorter. In other words, those who truly love the Lord in sincerity and in truth will love the place where the Lord's people gather to honor and glorify the Lord's name through the hearing of the Lord's word and the praising of God's salvific works in song. For true Christian people, public worship, catch this, is not a dread but a delight. Worship for the believer is perceived to be a blessing, not a burden. It's not a have-to occasion, it's a get-to occasion. Coming to church is about breaking away from all of the sin-filled drama of this life and being encouraged with thoughts of God. And more thoughts of God ought to bring greater joy in the life of God's people. So David says, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. And the same spirit can be found among the first century church. Luke in Acts chapter two says that those who gathered in Jerusalem after the day of Pentecost continued daily with one accord in the temple, breaking bread from house to house, eating their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. And that makes sense because Paul tells us in Galatians five that the fruit of the Spirit is joy. So let me ask under this first point, how is your inward attitude when you come to the house of God? When others invite you to go and you are physically able to go, what is your response? When your children cheerfully ask you, parents, Can we go to church today? What do they hear? What do they see in your face? How do they perceive you as you drive to the public place of worship? Convicting questions. When your wife asks you, husband, are we going to church? What's the response? The question is, do we contribute to the joy of coming together? Going to God's house ought to be a joyful occasion. That's truth number one. Truth number two. Truth number two is found in verse number one and verse number two, and it is this. Going to God's house ought to be a corporate occasion. A corporate occasion. Notice it. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Do you see the truth that is glimmering through the text? The truth is that David is in company with other believers as he goes up to the house of God. Other believers are keeping King David accountable to the worship of God. David is not traveling by himself, but David is traveling with those who know and love the Lord. So this is the second element of public worship described for us in the psalm. Public worship ought to be a corporate occasion. It ought to be an occasion in which all true pilgrims participate in. Not only for the honor and glory of God, but for the practical encouragement of other pilgrims. Trace it out from Exodus to Revelation, from the formation of Israel to the planting of churches throughout the ancient world. From the beginning, God has designed that worshiping him in the public place he ordains ought to be communal. The assembling of ourselves together ought to include, as we see this evening, men, women, and children. the assembling of ourselves together ought to include the exhorting of other Christians to gather during those times in which the church gathers. Hebrews says, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is. Acts chapter two, and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in the breaking of bread and prayers, and all that believed were together and they continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house to eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Going to God's house ought to be a corporate occasion. This means, fathers, that you lead your family to come. You don't send a delegate on your behalf But you say, let us go to the house of the Lord. Point number three, going to God's house ought to be a unifying occasion. It ought to be a unifying occasion. Verse three, Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together. Just as David saw the physical city of Jerusalem joined together as one, with each part contributing to the whole of it, so God's people among a local church ought to be one in faith, one in doctrine, and one in heart. Notice verse four. Though there are various tribes among the nation, during times of worship, they, the individual tribes, go up together. Is the church filled with different tribes? Well, sure. Different families can be considered to be different tribes. Different people can be considered to be different tribes. Here's a shock for you. Sometimes you have people among a church who differ politically, socially, and ethnically. But in Christ, such people are compact together. They're compact together through faith in the name of the Lord Jesus. They're compact together through the truths of God's word. So going to God's house ought to be a unifying occasion. Leave your secondary preferences at the door. and unify around the message of Christ. This is an occasion for us to be built up individually and collectively through the truths of scripture. Truth number four, going to God's house ought to be a worshipful occasion, a worshipful occasion. Notice it, verse four, whether the tribes go up the tribes of the Lord unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. So the question is, why should God's people gather in God's house at all? Answer, to give God praise. And we do this through the receiving of the preaching of God's word, We do this through song, we do this through prayer, we do this through the partaking of the Lord's table, and we do it through the observation of other people following the Lord in believer's baptism. Do you see where the focus remains? The primary focus of God's house ought to be on the Lord, not on men, not on musicians, not on performers, The focus is to be on the Lord. Not on crockpots, not on cookies, not on potlucks, not on pies, but on the cross. Look at the text. The tribes assembled to worship the Lord. Not to play board games. not to stuff their face with unhealthy food, not to talk about politics, not to make business contacts, not to show off musical talents, but to magnify and bless the name of God. Paul says, and he, Jesus, is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. John says he must increase, we must decrease. Why do we come into this place? We come to magnify Him. Tied in with truth number four is truth number five. Not only should going to God's house ought to be a worshipful occasion, verse five teaches us that going to God's house ought to be a reverent occasion, a reverent occasion. Verse five, for there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Now read it from David's perspective. Among Jerusalem, surrounding the place of worship, there were courts of justice. David as king was expected to execute judgment over the nation in accordance to God's word. You say, how does this relate to us? We do not live in a theocratic nation where faith and government are one. True, we do not. But in Christ, we must understand that Jesus has the right to rule and to reign over his people, yea, over his church as he pleases. Among the church, namely the lives of God's people, there ought to be a continual attitude of revering the King of kings and Lord of lords. And when the church gathers, we lift up Christ's word as the governing law of life. We lift up Christ's name as the name above all names. And then we lift up our prayers to the throne of grace from which our sovereign king sits. We need to loathe This casual, flippant, comical, immature spirit that is pervading most so-called churches today. The church is not to be a comedy club. The church is not to be a spiritual Chuck E. Cheese for children. The church is not a religious senior center to play bingo in. The church is to be a place that helps others assess life's matters by. So in that sense, the church is a courtroom. In this life, we meet with times in which we need a king, we need a judge to oversee our difficult affairs. So the pastor, As a representative of the king lifts up the sword of the spirit of the king and says, thus saith the Lord. Going to God's house ought to be a reverent occasion. Now this is not to say that we cannot smile and laugh. This is not a funeral home. This is not to say that we cannot have times of food and fellowship. But this is to say that the overall tone of the church ought to be serious and mature in nature. Remember, Sunday School, we're involved in a fight. If we know Christ, we are soldiers. We are to do the will of the king. We gather for battle assembly, to hear God's commands, and then to go into the world and to advance his kingdom. Those of you in the military, do you bring balloons to your military gatherings when you're preparing for war? Do you talk to your commanders cheaply as everybody's in formation? No, it's serious. So we need to bring some of that seriousness into the battle of the Lord. Let's review. Going to God's house ought to be a joyful occasion, a corporate occasion, a unifying occasion, a worshipful occasion, a reverent occasion. And then we see going to the God's house ought to be a prayerful occasion. Verses six through eight. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, peace be within thee. Three times, peace, peace, peace. Interesting, God is Father, Son, Holy Spirit. When God says something once, better listen. Should God repeat himself twice, you really better listen. If God says something three times in a short amount of times, this is of utmost importance. Now, David doesn't assume that the place that is called the city of peace, Jerusalem, will naturally have peace and prosperity. At any moment, David knows that enemy nations could come against Jerusalem and disturb its progressing developments as a city. And David knows at any moment that those from within the city of Jerusalem or from within the country of Israel might rise up and cause contention to its unifying nature. And thus David calls on others to pray for its safety and spiritual success. Does this have any application for the church? Of course. God's house is called by Jesus Christ a house of prayer. God's word says that God is well pleased when brethren dwell together in unity and God hates it when others sow discord among the brethren. So we pray. What do we pray for? For peace, for shalom, And by peace we do not mean that we will throw away the truth of God's word and just focus on love. We're gonna throw away doctrine and link arms and just sing kumbaya. That's not what we mean by peace. We seek peace that is centered around the truth of God's word. We pray that the God of all peace will cause his people to avoid at all costs unnecessary conflict, strife, and division. We ought to pray that others would come into this place to know the Prince of Peace through the Gospel of Peace. We ought to make this the top priority in our prayer meeting. Among your top requests, pray for peace. Number one, that people would stop warring with God, that they would throw down their swords and be at peace. Being justified by faith, they can have peace with God through Jesus Christ. And then we pray for the peace of God's people. Going to God's house ought to be a prayerful occasion. Truth number seven, going to God's house ought to be an affectionate occasion. Look back at verse six. Now, contextually speaking, David is referring to the city of God. Practically speaking, he is speaking about God's blessing on those who genuinely love God's place of worship, God's people, and God's purposes. The emphasis of prosperity is centered around one's fondness for a certain place. And David says, Psalm 26, eight, Lord, I have loved thy habitation of thy house and the place where thine honor dwelleth. Psalm 84, one, how lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts. Love is the bedrock of all motives. Love is the hinge by which all other features swing upon. Love is the spiritual gasoline that flames our devotion for God. And as it pertains to the local church in scripture, we find that Christians ought to have a burning love for that which Christ loved and died for. Christ said, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have Love one for another. And that love for one another comes from love for God. So God's house ought to be a place where God's love is known, God's love is felt. And then finally, feature number eight, going to God's house ought to be a sacrificial occasion, a sacrificial occasion. Verse nine, because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good. Does this really need any detailed explanation? As we go to the house of the Lord, we ought to remember that the good of the church ought to be promoted, not by a small remnant, but by all who love the Lord and all who love the church. Going to church isn't about sitting, it's about serving. It isn't about taking, it's about giving. It's not about being a loiterer, it's about being a laborer. It's not being a spectator, but a participator. through kind words, through a listening ear, through bearing burdens, through looking outside of yourself and seeing who needs to be encouraged, through inviting others to your home for a meal, through monetarily giving so that missionaries might be supported and the gospel might continue to shine throughout this lost world. Those who go to the house of the Lord ought to be those who sacrifice and build. David on another occasion says, I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing. Going to God's house ought to be a sacrificial occasion. You know, getting kids ready for church, moms, It requires sacrifice. You know, those of you who drive back and forth to 29 Palms, gotta wake up early, gotta endure the drive. It's a sacrifice. But hear this, God always blesses sacrifice. Nobody said it would be easy. Context, this psalm would be sung for pilgrims journeying up to Jerusalem that would take days, sometimes weeks. They would journey with their family saying, I was glad when they said unto us, let us go to the house of the Lord. And it ends by reminding ourselves, I will seek thy good at all costs. Not just in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. We seek the good of Christ's kingdom. So there you have it. In Psalm 122, we have eight truths that will not only encourage us to be faithful in attending the house of God, but eight truths that will instruct us about the way in which we ought to go to the house of God.