It's just a great hymn. Isn't that great? Just marvelous. It begins with the foundation. That's where you begin. With Christ, the foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord. She is His work, His creation by water and word from heaven. It starts with how Christ came to purchase His Holy Bride and redeem her with His precious blood. I think it's only him in our book with elect in it. Elect. I like it for that reason. Our charter And one of where all the earth and water charter of salvation, one law, one faith, one bird, one holy name. She blessed her takes one holy food and one hope. She presses with all the grace of God and did great, great him. And then the last verse, I love it. This mystic sweet communion we have with those whose rest is one, our brothers and sisters have gone before. Oh, happy ones. And holy Lord, give us grace that we, like them, meek and lowly, may on high dwell with Thee. Isn't that a great hymn? I hope you could sing that from the heart. Psalm 122. Let's read this very short psalm. We've read this, heard it many times before, but it still makes me glad. Psalm 122, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet, us, God's people, shall stand within thy gates. Old Jerusalem, that's the church, New Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built, the Lord built the house, like a city that's compact together, united together in a covenant. It's where the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord. under the testimony of Israel, that's the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, to give thanks under the name of the Lord. And 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, David says, for my brethren, my companions. I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good. Isn't that great? I was glad when they said unto me. Glad. The word glad means to feel joy or pleasure. And it gives me great joy and pleasure to come here and meet with you. Doesn't it? Glad means cheerfulness. It means cheerfulness. It cheers me up to come here. Quite often I come in here dragging, and I go out floating. How about you? Glad means very willing. Like when you say, I'm glad to. Will you do something for me? I'd be glad to. Well, when they said, let's go to the house of the Lord, I said, I'd be glad to. Just glad to. Willing in the day of His power. I might preach from that Sunday. Psalm 110 verse 3. A willing people. The Bible definition of, that's just a dictionary. The Bible definition means glee. It means exceeding joy. Glee. That gives you great delight. I was so delighted when they said, and we're going to see who that is, let us go to the house of the Lord. Some of you haven't heard this, and I love telling it. Mindy and I used to work with the Special Olympics here in town. We'd take these people from all ages to snow skiing. Hannah was just a little girl at the time. How old was she when we started doing it? Five years old. Great experience for her. And these people, you know, with Down syndrome and all these problems. It was a good experience for all of them. But there was a little fella named John Brown, and he was, you know, you love Down syndrome people, don't you, Mary? He had Down syndrome, and he was only about four foot eight. And at the time, this was, Hannah's 40, this is 35 years ago. And at the time, John was 45, close to 50 years old, four foot eight, just the sweetest fella. And he came in one day so overjoyed. He said, I get to go to work. Now, have you ever said that? What if all of us thought that way? We'd have zero national debt. Zero unemployment. Right? He said, I get to go to work. And he said, and they pay me too. We get to go to worship. And He pays us to. It's not what we earned. We received of the Lord's hands double. We get paid for what Christ did. And He takes our punishment. We get to go to worship. Have you ever thought about it that way? The high honor, It's called a high calling, a holy calling, a heavenly calling. We get to sit together in heavenly places. This place, other places. My, my, we get to go to work. I wish we kept that attitude all the time. I was glad when they said, now we're flesh. We're flesh. The Lord knows our frame. And there are times when we don't feel like coming here. Right? Right? You better agree with me, I know you, because I'm just like you. I've admitted it. The Lord knows our frame, and He made a world, and we're flesh, and He put us in it, and He giveth us all things richly to enjoy, and there are things in this world that make us glad. There's nothing wrong with that, nothing sinful about enjoying the things that God has given us to enjoy. It's not idolatry unless you forget Him and give everything to these things. But family, we enjoy our family, don't we? And the Lord gave us, well, gave me a wife. He that obtaineth a wife obtaineth favor from the Lord, especially a true wife, a godly wife, a husband. What a blessing marriage is. And if the Lord gives you children, we didn't think we were going to have children. And the Lord gave us more. Did he ever give us a child? Man, she has made us glad. And I'm still glad at her. Still rejoice in her. And then two wonderful grandchildren come along and love them dearly and rejoice in them. And so many things in this creation. We enjoy God's creation, don't we? Especially vacation time. Don't you love to go on vacation? Go to the ocean and you just rejoice. It makes you glad, doesn't it? Mountains, rivers, streams. We rejoice. We're glad in lots of things. Animals, pets. Don't say that you don't love your pets. You do, don't you? They give us gladness. Music, food, doesn't it? Makes us glad. Give us something. Hot water. That makes me more glad than about anything. Hot water. Can you say, though, from your heart, I was so glad when they said unto me, let's go worship the Lord. It's obvious that some are not glad. But there was a time when they said to me, let's go to the house of the Lord. And I said, no, I'm not interested. How about you? It didn't cross your mind. It's the last place you want to be, isn't it? I've told this too. I love this story. There was a young preacher in Ashland. preacher school, he and his wife. And he had one arm, he shot his arm off when he was Max's age, out hunting. Blew his arm off, laid his rifle down and fell and blew his arm off. And that's sad. And he lived a wild, hellacious life for a while, and the Lord saved him. And he was a good preacher, wasn't he? Man, oh man. But his wife, and he had a little boy, and a girl. And they taught these children, what they would say is, they wouldn't say, let's, we're going to go to church, let's get up, let's go to church. You say, let's go, we're going to go worship the Lord. That's what they said. We're going to go worship the Lord. Well, every Sunday, get up, David is his name, let's go, we're going to go worship the Lord. Well, one Sunday morning, the boy was honest. And he said, and they woke him up, said, get up, David. And he said, I don't want to go worship the Lord. Now that's what most people think if they're just not honest enough to say it. You know what? That's what unbelievers think. I don't want to go worship the Lord. And there was a time when that was me. My boy was I glad. And I'm still glad when they said unto me, Let's go. Let's go to Nazareth. I'm glad to go, come here, go, come, worship, magnify, praise, sing, give honor to the Lord who chose me and loved me and redeemed me and gave his life for me. Yeah, glad, exceedingly glad. It's my reasonable service, but it's my joy and rejoicing. Is it you? The gospel is called what? Glad tidings of great joy. If you've ever really heard the gospel, it'll give you great joy. Glad tidings. Now, take each word. We're not going to go through all these verses, but verse 1, and we're going to look in a minute. I sent you an outline of things that make God's people glad. Let's just take each word. I was glad when they said unto me, let's go to the house of the Lord. I was glad. I, I, me. Yes, me, and less than the least, the chief of sinners, not fit to be called a disciple, unworthy. I, I was made glad in the day when the Lord called me. I was making like the thief on the cross. I know he was no worse than I, than me. Couldn't the thief on the cross say, oh, I was glad? Wouldn't he say that if he was standing up preaching right now? Don't you know he said, I was so glad when he said unto me today, shall there be with thee. Mary Magdalene, don't you know she could say this, I was so glad when he cast out seven demons out of me. I was, was, once was lost, but now I'm found. I once was blind. But now I see. I once was not glad, but I am now. Aren't you? Oh, I once, they told me I had to go. I was sad. I once was sad. It didn't make me glad. It made me sad. My parents said, get up. It made me sad. I had to go. Now I'm glad. And yes, I have to go. And I only want to go. but have to go. There's a passage that says of Paul as his habit was. And our Lord, you could find him. If you wanted to find the Lord Jesus Christ in any given town, you know where he's going to be. He's going to be in that synagogue in that town, isn't it? Yes, he is on Sabbath day. That's where you'll find him. As he was wont to do. Or in the garden praying. That's where you're going to find him. Oh, the time it made me sad, now I'm exceedingly glad. Glad when? When? When did this happen? Well, when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made under the law, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, to redeem them. Long before I was born, this It was done between God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit in a covenant of redemption to bring his people into his kingdom, and Christ had to come. And it was done when God said so. But there was a day when he called us by the gospel witness. A day when I was dead and trespassed in sin, he quickened me by his gospel. When I was a stranger from the covenant of promise, no hope, and without God in this world, but God called me by His grace when they said, let's go. I do remember the year, and it's not important that you know the time or even the place or the year, but I do. It's around 1978. I don't remember much about my first birth. It's been so long ago. But I don't remember so much about it. You know, you're not much aware of it until like six months later. But I do remember my new birth. I do remember when the Lord began to open my eyes and break my heart. When they said unto me, you're mine. I do remember the time when I heard the Lord's voice. He said, My sheep hear my voice. Don't just hear a sermon. Oh, no. Paul said this to the Thessalonians. I know you're elect because our gospel came unto you, not in word only, but in power. The Holy Ghost. Much assurance. Assurance of what? Of who Christ is. Who God is. That you're a sinner in need of a Savior and Christ is your hope. Much assurance. and joy and rejoicing and persecution. And when the Lord revealed himself to me, things started changing. My companions, my walk, my talk, my desires were heavenward. And I was so glad The time I wasn't, but now I was. When they said unto me, let's go to the house of the Lord, I said, okay. I'll be glad to. They, who's they? The triune God. God the Father, God the Son. God the Father said, that one is mine. That one. Not the other one. That one. Jacob. Not him. Neither one of them love me. Both of them are just as bad as one another. But I love that one. I chose that one. I got a brother. It's not too late. It's not over yet. I don't know. But as it stands right now, I was made glad when they said to me, I've chose you. I've called you. He said to his son, God the Father said to his son, go down and redeem this sinner. And he said, I'll be glad. For the joy set before him endured the cross. It just made him glad. Please the Lord and make you his people. Please the Lord for the joy set before him, gladness and joy. For Christ to go to the cross. Would you? Would you do that for your son? Would you be put to shame and lay down your life? Yes, you would. Well, that's what our Lord did. He was glad to do it. They, the son, said, I'll do it. And he said to the Holy Spirit, go and convict that man. Go and quicken that young man. Go and wake him up. Go and stop his wild career. Go and pierce his heart with the Word. Go and convict him of sin, of righteousness and judgment. Go and awaken him from the dead. Go and tell him you're coming with me." And so they said, let us go. And I said, I'll just be glad. Didn't you? Oh, my. They, God, the three in one, the Scriptures, they say, they spoke to me. They, preachers. I heard preachers growing up until I was sick of hearing preachers. Oh man, when I hit 17, I'm not laughing, it's not funny, but this is kind of a... When the Lord turned our captivity, our mouths were filled with laughter, Psalm 126. But man, I tell you, I heard so much preaching growing up, and when I got to a certain age, I thought, I am out of here. I don't want to hear any more of that. I sure was glad when the Lord sat me down under a preacher of the gospel, those same old preachers, and they sat under me. They preached this gospel. Preachers of the gospel. I'm so glad. I esteem them highly now. I sure do. Preachers. One in particular. The Lord sent one man whom I love and esteem so highly. The Spirit and the Bride Say Count. Revelation 22. 17. The Spirit and the Bride. Holy Spirit and the Bride. The Church. Members of the Church. I distinctly remember when the Lord was bringing me back and when he brought me back in around 78. Wait a minute. Where? 70. No. Brought me back home to Ashland around 1970. Bonnie Stanley sent me a card that said, I used to be in my twenties in the seventies, and now I'm in my seventies in the twenties. But anyway, she, where was I? In 1974, Lord brought me back. No, 74 he brought me back to Ashland, Kentucky. I was in Florida as a prodigal son. He brought me back to Ashland, Kentucky in 1974. I was there. And so in 1977, I began working on the railroad. Around 1978 is when the Lord began dealing with it. Okay? But I remember when I started coming back before that, Mindy and I started dating around 77, 76. And I was coming just for her. I fell for her, and I wanted her. And she's a good church-going girl, you know. And I'm not going to get a good church-going girl if I don't go to church. And that's why I was going. That's it. But God. That's what the Lord used to bring me back. Okay? But I remember when the Lord brought me back, I looked just like Charles Manson. I did. And the people of the church. So I went away in shame and disgrace. I don't want anything more to do with you people. And the Lord brought me back. And I remember them receiving me like I was no different than them. The Spirit and the Bride. I remember them treating me like they were so glad to see me. That made a real impression on me, Teresa. Like, you know, out here I was this prodigal son, and yet all these good people that I thought were good people, I didn't know they were sinners just like me. And they didn't look down on me. They were glad to see me. And I was glad they were glad. They didn't make me feel like an outcast. They didn't make me feel like a sinner. They made me feel welcome. And I remember some of them talking to me. And that made a real impression on me. I can't help but think that Paul, when he was in Rome in jail, you know the story of Onesimus in Philemon? Onesimus was a runaway slave, that's me. He was a young man, ran away from his good master and went off and I believe he ended up in Rome, he did. Went to go to the big city, you know, make some money and whatever you do in a big city. And I really believe that maybe somebody that was going to hear Paul preach every Sabbath, maybe some woman came across Onesimus and said, son, where are you from? And he told him, and he said, I'm going to hear the preacher, Paul. He's in jail. Why don't you come with me? You reckon? Somebody had to ask him to go, didn't they? And he did. And boy, don't you know, he was glad when they said unto him, let's go here. This preacher is sitting in jail. And boy, the Lord ended up turning his captivity on this much. So I was glad when they said unto me, let's go to the house of the Lord, my parents. I'm so glad I was glad that they said unto me. Get up, son. We're going to the house of the Lord. Paul commended Timothy's mother and grandmother for doing that with him, didn't he? They did. From a child, he knew the Holy Scriptures, and I believe they were the ones that were teaching him as a child. That's what parents should do, and bring them to the house of God. Don't you know that Noah, for 100 years, had to wake Shem, Ham, and Japheth up? 100 years he's working on an ark. The ark was his life. I don't know about Shem, Ham, and Japheth. I know Ham wouldn't. But don't you know that Noah, as a faithful father, said, boys, get up. We're going to go work on the ark. He moved with fear and he prepared an ark to save his half. Didn't he? That ark was his life. And he wanted them in that ark more than anything else. More than anything on there. Because this place is perishing. Nothing else mattered. He knew that. Boys, get up. We're going to go work on that ark. Oh, Dad, I don't want to go work on that ark. Boys, get up. Let's go. Right? Don't you know they were there? Don't you know that they were glad that their father kept and said, Come with me, son. It's our salvation, boys. It's not religion. It's our salvation. I want more than anything for you to be in that ark, to be found in Christ. So I was glad when they said unto me. How about you? I was glad. I am glad. And I shall be glad, forever glad, that they said unto me, me, of all people. You see, Mindy woke up this morning, married a 70-year-old man. She said, this is shocking. It really is, isn't it? It's real. What matters? Come on now. Lots of things matter to me. Yesterday, 50 years ago, yesterday, what matters now? It's over. That's it. Well, if you have Christ, it's not over. It's just about to really begin. I was glad when they said unto me, Get up. You're coming with me. Alright, here's some things that make God's people glad. Things that make me glad. David said this. He said, Thou hast made me glad more than the time when their corn and their wine is increased. He said, Thy lovingkindness is better than life. Listen to some of these things. So many scriptures, but God's people are glad in the Lord. He's the one that makes us glad. Listen to Psalm 32, verse 11, and I'll do the turning for you. Be glad in the Lord. And rejoice, ye righteous, shout for joy. One of these days, one of you is going to really get glad and is going to shout. And I'll say, and now I can quit preaching. Oh, you upright in heart, be glad in the Lord. Rejoice. Paul said this, didn't he? Rejoice in the Lord. Philippians 4 verse 4. And again I say, rejoice. Where was he when he said that? In jail. Rejoice in the Lord, the Lord himself, the Lord himself. Be glad in the Lord himself. Listen to Psalm 45 verse eight. This is a description of him, his garment, smell of myrrh and aloes and cashew out of the ivory palaces whereby they have made me glad. King's daughters were there. Clothes, glorious apparel brought to the king. They said unto her, let's go. We're going to go meet the king. Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. To marry Him, the altogether Loving One, the Lord Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord God, our Father. Listen to Psalm 64, verse 10. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord. and shall trust in Him. All the upright in heart shall glory in Him. We come here because He's promised to be here. That's one of the points, His presence. But we want to come hear His voice. We want to come be with Him. We want to come hear of Him, His person. Listen to Psalm 145. Listen to it. All I'm going to do is read you Scripture. But here's the Lord is. We rejoice and are glad in His person. The Lord is gracious. He said, when Moses said, show me thy glory, He said, okay, I'll make all my goodness pass before you, and I will be gracious. Do you understand? Byron used to say, you make me glad I'm not God. Nobody would be saved. Start with me. But the Lord is gracious. Aren't you glad? Make you glad that the Lord is gracious. Salvation by grace. Full of compassion. New every morning. His mercies are new every morning. He said that. And He doesn't change. Aren't you glad the Lord doesn't change? I'm the Lord. I changed it. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad? The Lord is gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger. Aren't you glad He's slow to anger? Many times did they provoke Him. Many times. But He remembered their praying, but their destination. Aren't you glad? Oh, the Lord is of great mercy. Aren't you glad? Hmm? That His mercy endureth forever? Hmm? The Lord is Good to all. The Lord is righteous in all His ways. It made Abraham glad. He said that Josiah was going to do right. Made him holy in all his work. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him. You remember that message? All that call upon Him in truth, He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him. He'll hear their cry. The Lord is, Nehemiah said, ready to pardon. Aren't you glad? Does that make you glad? We're so often ready to sin, aren't we? He's more ready to pardon than we are to ask for it. Think about it. He waiteth to be gracious. The Lord He is. Aren't we glad in His person? His glorious person? Listen to this in Psalm, I have so many. Every verse. You could turn it anywhere, wouldn't you? Psalm 86, listen to this. I mean, it's personal. Thou, Lord, art good. You're ready to forgive. Plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee. Anybody call. Aren't you glad He's God? There is none else. I'm a just God and a Savior, He said. I'm glad He's just. You know that? He will by no means clear the guilty. He's just. But here's the wonderful thing. If he poured out his wrath on Christ, if Christ assumed my guilt and my sin on Calvary's tree, God cannot punish me for it. He's just. You understand? You understand. John just laughed at the holy laughter. Because his justice demands punishment for sin. But his justice demands pardon for that sin that's been paid for. Do you understand? That ought to make you glad. Real glad. I'm a just God and a Savior. He that confesseth his sins, he is faithful in what? Just to forgive us our sins. How? Just and justifying through Jesus Christ. His person, not just God and a Savior. His position. His position. We're glad in the Lord Himself. Listen to this. Psalm 67, verse 4. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy. For thou shalt judge the people righteously and govern the nations upon the earth. Call his name Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Principle of His Reign and Rule, His Government, there'll be no end. He reigns and rules. Aren't you glad that God reigns? I'll have you all laughing here in a minute if you listen. Aren't you glad that there's no other God but Him? that he's God, there is none else. He keeps saying there's no God beside me, there's no God anywhere but me. His position, he's God. In Isaiah 43, I was going to turn there, you know this verse doesn't you? I am the Lord thy Redeemer. He said to Jacob, Jacob, I am your God and your Redeemer. I've chosen you, I have saved, I have declared it, and who's going to stop it? Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad? His position, He's the Lord, He's the Savior, He's prophet, priest, king. Aren't you glad there is no other? There's only one. His power, Deuteronomy 32, 39. Huh? I kill. Aren't you glad? You don't have to worry about, you don't have to fear man and things and all that. No, you shouldn't. Because He's the one that kills. I kill. I make a lot. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad that you and your baby is in the hands of this God? Aren't you glad? Not in the hands of physicians? It's not up to you? Aren't you glad? His power. He said, I make peace, I create evil. Aren't you glad that nothing happens except what God ordains? That makes me glad. Makes me so glad. Matthew 28, 18, one of the last things our Lord said to his disciple, all power is given unto me in heaven and earth. And they saw him stand up and there he sat at the right hand of the majesty on high. on the circle of the earth, reigning and ruling, expecting His enemies to be laid at His footstool, expecting everyone that He saved on the cross to be brought to Him. And He will not fail or be discouraged. Aren't you glad? His power, His presence. He said, I'll be with you. The ever-present help in time of need. Aren't you glad? He's not a God of far off. He's a God at hand. Is God near? And His presence. Listen to me, people. Hell is where God is not. God is love, mercy, grace, goodness, peace. God is restraint. God is everything. If God were not with us and for us, It'd be hell on earth. It's bad. If you look at it, it'd be bad. But you better, if there's no God, you better run to the hills. You better get you a cave and some guns and stockpile some food because it's going to be what the world imagines it's going to be. This is my Father's Word. He reigns and rules over time. We don't have to worry about a thing. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad? His presence, you see, He restrained. The wrath of man will praise Him, and the remainder of wrath He will restrain. Nothing can happen anywhere to anyone unless God directs it. I'm glad. Glad for me, glad for my children, glad for you. His works, His works make me glad. I'm going to send this watch back. Okay. It's the watch. It's just too small. His works make me glad. His creation. Oh, my. Psalm 104. Read. When's the last time you read that? Read the whole psalm. It doesn't take long. about what all He's created for the birds, the animals, for man. It's just glorious. But His greatest work is the work of salvation. Psalm 92, 4, Thou hast made me glad through Thy work. Aren't you glad that salvation belongeth to the Lord? It's of the Lord. Doesn't that make you glad? With man, it's impossible. And now with God. It's certain. Aren't you glad? It's sure. It's sure, because He is our surety. Salvation is of the Lord. Psalm 126. I know you want you to turn there real quickly. You need to, because I kept alluding to this. Psalm 126. I told you this, but again, there are some who probably haven't heard it. But when I was growing up and hearing all that preaching, and I used to have to go on vacation to hear preaching, my parents made me, and I'm glad now. Because some of those places I had to go to and I didn't want to be there, I love those people now. And I actually go there by choice. And one of them was Sylacauga, Alabama. in the hot heat of summer down there, no air conditioning, this little building sitting back like a tabernacle in the wilderness. I didn't want to be there. But there was a man, a preacher, a pastor there named Henry Breedlove. Oh, sweet man. He loved the gospel. Worked in a textile mill all his life. They couldn't pay him enough money as a pastor and he worked in a textile mill all his life. And he loved my dad, he loved Henry Mahan, and he'd have him down at a priest, so we'd go there. And Brother Henry would sit right there on the second row, I think. He'd come to the meetings in Ashland. Every single conference he'd come and sit right there on the second row. Well, I'm a preacher's kid. I'd sit right there on the first row. Okay? And every now and then I'd hear Brother Henry laugh behind me. I remember thinking, what is he laughing at? Ah, he's laughing again. You know, Dad's just preaching. What's he laughing at? Here it is. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion and brought them out of Egypt, we were like them that dreamed. Then was our mouth filled with laughter. How do you reckon those people were walking out of Egypt? And it wasn't long, Brother Kelly, until the Lord started speaking to me, and I found myself going, laughing. Our tongue was singing. Then said they among the heathen, like those people of the blind, the haught, the lame, the deaf, the dumb, The Lord had done that. The Lord had done great things for them. And here's our profession. Yes, the Lord had done great things for us. And we're glad. I'm glad He did it. I would never have come. I would never have heard. I'd never be glad if they hadn't said to me, you're coming with me. His Word makes us glad. His Kingdom makes us glad. His people makes us glad. His service, worship, makes us glad. Labor, our Lord said, God's not unrighteous to forget your labor of love, which you've done in His name. To the churches in Revelation, He said, I know your works, I know your labor. I know. I was glad. Are you glad? Okay, stand with me.