The sermon, titled 'A Psalm for the House of God,' explores the themes of longing for worship and finding refuge in the courts of the Lord, as expressed in Psalm 84. Paul A Jackson delves into the historical context of David, who, while fleeing from Saul, expressed a deep desire to be in the Lord's courts. The speaker emphasizes that David admired the tabernacles of the Lord because they represented a place of safety and worship among common people, contrasting with the isolation of his royal status. The sermon draws parallels between the ancient tabernacles and the modern Church, highlighting the inclusive nature of worship where everyone, regardless of status, can find refuge and grace. David's longing is seen as prophetic, reflecting the unity and fellowship found in the Church of Christ. The message also touches on the importance of genuine desire to worship, the joy found within the Church, and the spiritual protection and blessings available to those who trust in God.

Assigned Psalm 84. I want to read the text to you this time. Let's all stand as we read. I like the focus of the stand. Word of God is read.

He says, How admirable are the tabernacles of Lord of Hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainth, for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh prithe out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found a house and a swallow a nest for herself, for she may lay her young even thine altar till the Lord oppose my King and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, they will be still praising thee, see thou.

Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, and whose heart are the ways of them who passing through the valley of Baca that is a valley of tears valley of Levin who passing through the valley of Baca make it a whale and the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength. Every one of them in Zion Appears before God. Oh Lord God of hosts hear my prayer give ear. Oh, God of Jacob Sila Behold oh God our shield And look up on the face of that anointed for a day in the courts for a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.

I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked, wickedness. For the Lord God is a son and a shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

All right, may be seated. The title of my message today is assigned as a psalm for the House of God. If I was to put a subtitle on this, I would subtitle this, Why David longed for the courts of the Lord. It's, At the time of the writing of this song and the singing of this song and the desire to bring this song, David was in hiding from Saul among the sons of Korah. Now time will not permit me to go into the historical details concerning David's flight, but to develop this text I must give you a little detail about why David is so long to be in the courts of the Lord.

Now you can go to the book of Chronicles, we don't go there now, but if you study the book of Chronicles you will find, you'll just about find everywhere about every psalm that David wrote and why they were written if you go and study the book of Chronicles and it just happened to be at the time of the writing David was in Zion and the court of the house of God was in Gideon and he longed for those. He was in flight as Saul was on his heels coming after him and he was in flight at this time And David never really felt safe in the place that he was in. Of all his hiding, he never felt safe there. He felt that there was a safer place to hide. And that was a given among the common people who worshiped in the courts of the Lord's house.

Now the reason we know this is, again, you go back to the book of Chronicles, the book of Chronicles will teach you about the worship in the Tabernacle, worship in the temple, and how the worship takes place even I believe as the Lord's Church has been set up for the same type of worship. But you will see that the king did not worship in the court among the commons. You know, if you look at the setup of the Tabernacle and the setup of the temple, they had a court where the common people would come and that's where they would worship. And then they had a place also in there where the popentates or the kings would come and they would worship. But David was already been a pointing king.

That's the reason Saul was chasing him and seeking after him. But the fact is, you see, David said something later on in this Psalm that gives us indication that David, right now, the shape that David was in, that's one was talking earlier about backsliding, brother Doug was talking about backsliding. David at this time was not backslidden, but David at this time was longing just to be with the common folks. If he could just be with the common folks. I've known people, and I'll just bring this in, it's not part of my message, but I've known people who said, well, they can't go to certain churches but because there's too many common people there and that's the truth I want to tell you I remember a man when I was pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church in Central Kentucky.

A member of man came to our church and he joined him, his wife and three children. And so he joined and then he went back to work. I didn't know it at the time but he had been promoted to the manager or the head person of the aluminum company that was there a big company that was there in in in the city and and so he came couple weeks and he called me up one day and he said brother Jackson he said we can't come back to church I said why he said well we've learned that your church is in the Belmont section. Now, the Belmont section of St. John was where all the housing projects were.

That church sat right almost in the middle of housing projects. And of course, you know where the people came from and he said they told me over at the plant that it would not be fitting for me to go there to church But it would be more fitting for me to go across the river over in the other section of St. Deanna and there he said that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go join the First Baptist Church because of my job. Now let me tell you, it's amazing how that people, you know, don't want, a lot of people don't want to worship common people.

They just don't want to do it. I can tell you story after story concerning that. People like that. My brother-in-law was pastor of a mission in the poorest section of the city there in Kentucky. And he was a member of the First Baptist Church.

The First Baptist Church sent him out to preach over there, but they told him, they said, now you go over there to preach, don't you bring those people back over here. Because his church was located on a place called Rat Road. Now you can imagine why anybody would name me like rat road and and so but he was not allowed to take those people back over to the First Baptist Church well David was sitting here had been appointed king and David was longing just to be back with the court and in the courts of the people. Now when we talk about safety and hiding and saying I'm gonna say this I feel I believe that that the Lord's Church is the safest place for any child of God me I Believe I believe it's the safest place to be and and certainly David believed that Didn't feel safe for he was but he believed that if he could just get to the court of the people and give you, that he would feel safe there, in the court of the Lord there, that he would feel safe there. Now let me continue on David's longing to the courts of the Lord.

Why David longed for the courts of the Lord? Now why did he do it? Well I've got four different things here I want to bring out this morning and I want to bring these out. I probably won't use up my time. But first of all David's admiration for the tabernacles of the lord.

That's the first thing he says here. First thing he writes in this song here, how admirable are the tabernacles, O Lord of hosts. Well what makes them so admirable? To David, what makes them so admirable? I mean, what is it about, what is it about the courts of the Lord that were so admirable to David?

Well, first of all, I want to say this. As we preach this, I want you to some way correlate this with the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because I do believe that this is prophecy concerning Christ and His Church. I believe that this is prophecy concerning Christ and his church. David's history of his people taught him to admire those worship places of his day which were the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Lord.

Now I know that David had a great desire to build the temple of the Lord, though he was not permitted to do so because of his great sin against the Lord. He was not permitted to build the temple of the Lord. But David knew the system of worship. He knew the system of worship in the Tabernacle. He knew the system of worship would be in the temple.

And I think through prophecy, just like Zechariah, through prophecy, he knew what would be the system of worship in the Lord's church. You know, and really, they're not a lot of different except for the fact is that when Christ came, he united everybody into one congregation, which is the Lord's Church. And I know I'm not talking about a universal church now. I'm talking about that when he instituted the church, He set up an institution where the common folks, the rich, those that felt that they were ahead of everyone else, they feel just as safe in the house of the Lord. You know I tell our people sometimes you know some people say well I'm just ashamed to do this I'm ashamed to do that.

Let me tell you something folks in one of the Lord's churches no one will make fun of you for serving the Lord. You can rest assured that no one will make fun of you if you if you're serving the Lord you know we have some people they don't want to say amen because they don't want to be a spectacle. But no one will make fun of you in the Lord's house. Just like David here. David realized that if he could just get to the courts of the Lord, he would be saved.

There he would not be recognized as a king, but he would be in hiding from Saul and recognized as just a common person, a common person, a common one among the commons. Now, I believe David knew of the Church of the Living God, which in the future, and he included this in his psalm, He included all this in his psalm, the mode of worship. What is the mode of worship? The second thing I believe here is that David's longing to worship God. He had a great longing to worship God.

He poured out his heart and soul to God just to let him worship with the common people in the courts of the Lord. He was so willing to be in the house of God that he said for a day in the courts is better than a thousand days in other words anywhere else. You know he said to me the way I feel about it right now that's a better place for me to go the thousand other place being better than the beach even better than the mountains even better than Disney World now yeah it's better I he said he said to be in the courts of the Lord, a day in the courts of the Lord is better than a thousand days anywhere else. You know, we went to Disney World one time and spent a week. I was there with one person there once.

We got down there one day and I told Rhonda, I said, I'm ready to go home. Well, I've seen all I want to see. But you know, sometimes I don't want to leave the house of God. My people will tell you sometimes I don't want to come out pooping. Amen.

I want to tell you, it's a wonderful thing. And he said, he also said, he said, I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God that dwells in the tins of the wiki You know there was someone standing out there opening the door for us this morning. Brother Barry I believe it was wasn't he? Yeah he was standing out there opening the door for us this morning. I want to tell you Brother Barry you lead singing here.

I don't know what else you do here. But that's a matter of job you did out there this morning. You can't leave singing as good as you open that door. I can tell you that. You open that door, a whole lot better if you leave singing.

And he said, I'd rather be a doorkeeper. You know, it's wonderful. Now, during Nehemiah's day, let's talk about the worship. During Nehemiah's day, Jerusalem lay in ruins, and the great wall had been compromised and The people had not worshiped for nearly 70 years Nearly 70 years they had not worshiped Now let me tell you Sometimes and I don't want to get too far into that today, but sometimes some people can stay out of church a long time. And then when you talk to them about coming back, they don't long to come back.

You might as well let them go. I'm serious. Someone that don't long to be in the house of God, someone that don't long to worship in the house of God, they don't need to. I like brother David Collier. He said right here in this pulpit back a few years back Y'all had a revival service brother David Collier said on the Sun on that place the Sunday night I believe that's when it was but one night anyway brother David Collier said he said he said you can you you can you think you have to go to church, but he said it's better if you want to go to church.

You know, that's better. And David's longing here was to the sense that David wanted to go. David was in a position to where he didn't necessarily have to go, but he wanted to go. And I believe sometimes the Lord puts that on our hearts and our minds, that we want to go. We want to go.

We want to be in the Lord's house and we want to be serving the Lord. Nehemiah views, the term of Nehemiah the eighth chapter, I'm going to read something to you here. Just a minute, I know all of you have read this before but This is just something that's on my heart today and been on my heart for many many times since I've been a pulpit. In the middle of the eighth chapter, and I'm not going to try to read all these names, these scribes, these people that was mentioned here, but I just want, I want to bring out a point in this, and it says, all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the Water gate and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Israel the priest brought the law for the congregation, both the men and women, and all they could bear with understanding upon the first day of the seventh month.

And he read therein before the street and was before the water gate. Now look, listen to this. He read it from the morning until the mid-day. Now y'all, what have I got, 30 minutes to preach? Well, John, he'd probably taken you the morning, mid-day to read all of the 119.

Because you're as old as I am, they'd probably all your words start running together and you wouldn't be able to read them. But the fact is, they read from the morning until the mid-day. Now look at this. Before the men and the women, they read it before the men and women, and those that could understand in the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. Now I'm not going to reverse forward.

Then look at verse five, it says, and Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Do you think they would have stood up if they knew he was going to read it from the morning to the midday? Now, I had you all stand up as I read this. Some of you, I heard some aahs when you got to sit back down. From the morning to the midday, look at this, and they were blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, amen, amen, and lifting up their hands, which we're scared to do sometimes, And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Verse 8. So they read it in the book, in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense and cause them to understand the reading. They did not make comments about it. They just read it distinctly. They read exactly what it said.

Exactly what it said. And you know it's already been said. But John and Pritz already said it this morning, you know, that this is all we need. You know, when we preachers, sometimes we get up and we just talk, talk, talk, talk. But all you need is, I tell our people, you know, just listen to the text and you got the message.

It's there. Same way with all of them. Just listen to the text. You got the message. Now, near my view, all these people knew, all these people came all the way here, they hadn't worshiped in 70 years, and boy, I tell you, just as soon as he brought the book out, boy they all stood up.

And I'll tell you something else, they were there waiting on me too. Yes. They did not even come in late. They did not even come wandering in, you know, and all messed up, don't know where they are half the time. They didn't come in like that.

They came in and they were sitting there and they were waiting. They were waiting for the book to be opened. And when the book was opened, they all stood up and when he began to read man you never heard that like the a means a me Jehovah says this a me Jehovah says that a me it was just a me and a me and throughout the whole thing I know that Joel Osteen and all them, they have a little clapping that goes on when he finally gets to the verse of scripture. But I want to tell you, these people shouted, Amen. And they were ready to worship they had worshiped in 70 years now you just suppose you know we've got you know people drive, I think you drive about 180, about 185 miles here, didn't you?

Somewhere along the name. About 185 miles here. I don't know how far, some I know, but it does came pretty good pace from here. And you came here and it wasn't that far was it? Now you sat there and tell me the truth, it wasn't that far was it?

I know. Yeah, you felt like it did, but it really wasn't that far. You know, you can go right here in Georgia. You know, you live anywhere in Georgia and you're close to one of the Lord's churches. That's right.

I heard some people say, well, I can't drive all the way over there. Well, you can, too. You drive all the way over there when you go to Deadly World. You drive all the way over there when you go to the beach. You drive all the way over there when you go to Dillymore.

Drive all the way over there when you go to the beach, drive all the way over there when you go to these places, but I can't drive all the way over there. You know, you're somewhere near where you can worship. But what if you were out there somewhere where you long to worship, but you have no worship? You don't have any more. Really don't have any more to go.

You know, we had a man, a member of our church up there in Kentucky for several years and he moved from Kentucky down to Albany, Georgia. And when he got down there, he said, he said, I really didn't think when I moved That there would be no place go church around there And he and he always said he said that was the worst movie ever made And I want to tell you folks, David was in a place here where he felt that, why am I here? Why am I here? I'm fleeing from Saul And I don't feel safe here. He goes to the next cave over here.

I don't feel safe here. He goes to this next place. I don't feel safe here. But the only place I feel safe is in the courts of the Lord. And that's where I long to be.

They're admirable places. The church of Lord Jesus Christ is an admirable place. It's an admirable place to be. The third thing is David's thoughts concerning those who do dwell in the house of God. Once you look back at this again in Psalm, I turned away from it, so let me find it back.

In Psalm 84, look at this. He said, beginning verse four, He said, blessed are they that dwell in thy house, they will be still praising thee, that is when they leave too. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee and whose heart are the ways of them, who passeth through the valley of Baca, that is the valley of tears. You know, Lamar Baptist Church had a valley of tears in the last two, last week or so, last couple of weeks. And even when Sister Deborah was sick, you know, a lot of tears were shaking.

A lot of prayers went up, a lot of tears. This pastor shed a lot of tears in his study over her. But he says, who's passing through the valley of tears, make it a well, and also feel the pools cry. When's the last time somebody came to church crying? Oh I just can't wait to get here oh man it's been a long haul I just can't wait to get here oh it's a valley of tears I tell you they go from strength to strength, every one of them, in Zion appeared before God.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer, give ear O Lord of Jacob, see that. You know David was in Zion, his brother Doug preached about it. But I tell you, he just longed to be in the course of the Lord in Gideon. That's where I need to be. I need to be right there among the common people.

Here I am already going to appoint the king of Israel. And he said, I'm feeling for my life already. I tell you, I told somebody a while back, I wouldn't step down to be president of the United States. I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't step down to be a sinner.

I wouldn't step down to be someone in the house. I tell you it'd be a step down for us because I tell you as far as I'm concerned you're sitting right in the highest place there is in this area. That's in the house of God. What a great place. David's great saying is read at many funerals.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. It is there our hearts are prepared, the great feast of his word, our bodies, souls, and spirits are anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit until our cups run over what a great blessing that is I tell you how many of you ever how many you left the church when you cooked so full it was running over oh I tell you it's a wonderful thing. It's a wonderful thing. You say, well, I blame it on the preacher. He didn't preach a good message.

No, blame it on yourself. You here for the wrong reason. You came. You didn't come rejoicing. You come to the house of God rejoicing.

Rejoicing. I tell you, I said sometimes when people come through the back door, back there you wonder if the whole family got burned up nice night or something. They looked so unhappy. Looked so unhappy. That's like a preacher said one time.

Had three fellows come in. And he said they looked so sad. Said he looked down And he said, boys, he said, did you lose some of your family last night? And they said, no. He said, well, why are you all so unhappy?

He said, the Falcons lost the Super Bowl. I will tell you, wonderful place. Number four, I don't know. I don't even know how much time I got. I never was told.

I don't even know how to read this either. David knew what the Lord was to him. He knew what the Lord meant to him. Verse 11, for God, for the Lord is a son and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from them that walk upright.

O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts it indeed. Let me ask you today, do you, do you realize the Son of righteousness? Boy, I tell you, that's a wonderful thing. The SUN of righteousness. You know, righteousness shines everywhere in the house of God.

It shines all over the house of God. The son of righteousness does. Which is, that son of righteousness is Christ. He rises up on God's elect in the house of God with healing and power in his wings. What the Bible says, Malachi declared, but unto you that fear the name shall the son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and he shall go forth and grow up his calves in the stall.

Oh, what a great blessing that is. The son of righteousness is a light of life every day. No matter what happens, in him was life, and the life was the light of men. I tell you folks, your path is lighted every day. What a great blessing.

The shield, he talks about the shield, the shield of faith against all the fiery darts of the devil we worry about what the devil is going to do to us man he will fight that battle for us He's going to fight that battle for us. And the fiery darts of the devil, which are hurled daily, trying, I mean, toward God's people, racing glory, James says, you give us more grace. Every day I've told this family, some of them here today, he gives us more grace. You know, you gotta ask for it though. You gotta ask for it.

He doesn't just automatically give you, you gotta ask for it. That's what James said. James said if you like wisdom, ask. And he'll give it to you. He'll give you more grace.

When you get in times like these, he'll give you more grace. He sure will. Grace and glory. The Lord sends saving grace and I for supplies and abundant grace to face everyday's trials. And much satisfying grace such as love for the Lord and the brethren, And no good thing will he withhold from them that walk in faith.

And blessing is a man that trusteth in thee. God's children walk in faith and trust not man, for the arm of flesh they walk in faith. I thank you for your teaching.