March 18, 2007

Better is One Day – Part 2
Psalm 84

I. Introduction

Last week I began to introduce a series on what Christians call the spiritual disciplines.

The spiritual disciplines include, but are not limited to Bible reading and study, prayer, worship, fasting, fellowship,
and giving.

The purpose of “practicing” the spiritual disciplines is that we might be drawn closer to God as we seek to develop our relationship with Him.

Did you know that in our marriage, Sara and I practice certain disciplines? Through the years we have needed to remain intentional about spending time together.

Unfortunately, we can fall into the trap of approaching the disciplines as a form of religious duty and then they become
more of a burden than a blessing.

Share my early experience in YWAM when I kept waking up earlier and earlier to do devotions, but was starting to fall asleep during classes and could have become sick.

So my heart is that we will grow closer to God through Jesus Christ – to do so, it is vital that we regularly practice the spiritual disciplines. It is also vital that we do not fall into the trap of legalism in our approach to practicing the disciplines.

In light of all this, I began to speak of the heart attitude that we would need to maintain if we are going to practice with any regularity and benefit from the spiritual disciplines.

I believe this heart is captured in Psalm 84. Let me quickly review last week’s main points before completing our
look at Psalm 84.

II. Setting Our Hearts on Pilgrimage – Psalm 84

How do we set out hearts on pilgrimage?

A. We keep the end in mind.

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!” (verse 1)

Why do we fast, pray, read and study the Bible, attend church, give, etc.?

Because we believe these disciplines will lead us towards His dwelling place!

How do we set our hearts on pilgrimage?

B. We cultivate a passionate love for God.

This Psalm is about a pilgrim who is longing to get to God’s house - he has this intense desire for the House of God.
He longs to be with the company of God’s people, worshipping.

Look at verse 2:

“My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”

For the writer of Psalm 84 there is no sense of a boring routine. He has left his work-a-day life behind him. He is heading
up to worship, and he is longing for God’s presence.

How do we set our hearts on pilgrimage?

C. We look to God for our strength.

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you…” (verse 5)

The Christian life is not merely hard - it is impossible without God’s strength.

We will not be able to successfully complete the journey towards God unless we learn to practice the spiritual disciplines!

And we will not be able to practice the spiritual disciplines without God’s help.

How do we set our hearts on pilgrimage?

D. We pursue God unconditionally.

“…who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” (verse 5)

People whose hearts are set on a journey don’t get side-tracked, and that is what I mean about pursuing
God unconditionally.

If you put conditions on whether or not you will follow Jesus, the enemy will always test you in that area.

There are two more heart issues that Psalm 84 addresses – let us look at them now.

E. We approach God with humility.

“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of
my God than live in the tents of wickedness.” (verse 10)

Remember, the psalmist is on a journey; he is writing as one who longs for the presence of God, which for the Jews
was centered in the Jerusalem temple.

The journey is difficult and the psalmist leaves everything behind to make this journey. All the comforts of home, all the material blessings and comforts of this life could not keep him from making this journey.

“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.”

But then, he makes a remarkable statement: “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in
the tents of wickedness.”

The NLT captures the essence of what the psalmist is saying a bit better when it says: “I would rather be a gatekeeper
in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.”

It is not so much that there is some hidden desire to live among the wicked, but there is a definite pull to “live the good life,” even if that means living among the wicked.

But what I want to focus on is the first half of this phrase, “I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God.”

Even after all that it has required of him to get to Jerusalem, he bows his head and says, “If I can just be close to God
that is good enough for me.”

I do not have to be somebody important. I do not need a title nor do I demand special recognition – no – if I can even
stand on the threshold and be near the presence of God, I am satisfied.

God is all that I need and I humble myself before Him.

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (verse 11)

Humility embraces the truth that God is all we need.

He is to us what the sun is to our universe — the source of life and light. Without the sun, life would vanish from the earth, and without God, we would have neither physical life nor spiritual life.

When we truly understand and believe what we are talking about today we will have a greater understanding of what the psalmist meant in Psalm 42 when he said, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.When can I go and meet with God?” (verses 1 & 2)

F. We place our trust in God.

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he gives us grace and glory. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is everyone who trusts in you.” (verses 11 & 12)

God is our provision and our protection. Do you trust Him? …Really?

He is the giving God, and He gives grace and glory — grace for the journey and glory at the end of the journey.

If we trust Him, then whatever begins with grace will ultimately end with glory.

If we walk uprightly with Him – the Scripture declares that God will withhold no good thing from us.

III. Application

Let me conclude by asking you a question – do you want to be blessed?

Then put your trust in God today.

What does our passage say? “O Lord of hosts, blessed is everyone who trusts in you.”

But how can you trust in someone you do not know and how can you know someone unless you spend time
with that person?

So now we have come full circle to the spiritual disciplines – tools that we have that will help us get to know God better.

And these disciplines are what I will be focusing on over the next few weeks that I preach.

Do you want to know God better?

Then begin today to lay the groundwork by asking God to help you:

• keep the end in mind
• cultivate a passionate love for Him
• look to God for strength
• pursue God unconditionally
• approach God with humility
• place your trust in God