I began reading this psalm the
other day, and just the very first line just gripped me, caught
my attention, and I felt compelled to bring a message on it. And
I knew that I had preached from this not too long ago, and I
looked it up, and it was just about a year to this day. But line upon line, And I love
this psalm. This is the man after God's own
heart, David, the man after God's own heart, expressing his personal
feelings, his heart's feelings concerning God's house, concerning
God's people. concerning the worship of God,
the things of God. He's expressing his heartfelt
feelings toward the things of God, the people of God, what
we're doing right now. And this is mine. This is my
song. I wrote this song. He wrote it for me. These are
my heartfelt feelings. Let's get into it. Verse 1. are thy tabernacles, O Lord of
hosts." How amiable. How lovely. That's what the word
means. How lovely. How lovely are thy tabernacles,
O Lord of hosts. I can imagine David sitting at
a distance and looking at a tabernacle, a tent, or whatever, and just
admiring it, like Moses probably did of old. Moses wrote some
psalms, and I can imagine him looking at that tabernacle, and
while the world may not have seen anything special about it,
it sure held a fondness in his heart. I love that place. That's what he was saying. Moses
sat on a hillside stand and looked down at that brown badger-skin
tent, and he thought, I love that place. Oh, how I love to
gather with the saints at that place. David said the same, and
I say the same thing. And you know this sometimes.
I'll let this be known. Sometimes I come in here by myself,
and I sit back there somewhere on the back row, nobody else
in here, and I think, I just like this place. I love this
place. Yes, a place. It's a pleasant
place to be, a lovely place, a desirable place to be, a beautiful
place. No, this is no glass cathedral.
I'm glad it's not. Our children would wreak havoc
on it, wouldn't they? But it's a beautiful place, a
pleasant place to be, and I heartily concur. Tabernacles, he says. How amiable are our tabernacles,
O Lord, to play? Tabernacles. Dwelling places. Doesn't say one place, does it?
Tabernacles. And there are many places that
I like to resort, wherever God's people are, wherever the gospel
is preached. Some of you are going to resort
thither, thither to the mountains of North Carolina. And that little
place, a converted, pleasant place to be on an October afternoon,
an amiable place, that's the place that he said, like in Deuteronomy
14, 15, 16, and 17, these are the places where the
Lord God has chosen to put his name there. to stamp his name
there, to put his sheep there, to put his gospel there. And
they're amiable places, lovely places, lovely people, and I
love it. I love these places where his
gospel is, where his word is, where his people are, where his
worship is. Those are places I love to visit.
Those are the people I want to be with. You are the people I
want to be with tonight. There's no place I'd rather be.
There's no one I'd rather be with. This is like an oasis in
the wilderness. I mean that. This is a watering
hole in a dry place. Right? A watering hole in a desert
place. And you know, some people place
no significance on a a place, a building. Some people place
no significance. They think themselves to be truly
spiritual by doing so, but not so. David did. David did. And I do, too. Wherever God's
people are gathered continuously and his blessings are so evident,
God's right beside that place. Right? And we truly need to treat
it as such. And that's the reason I do treat
this place—yes, even this place, even this building—with great
respect and demand—yea, demand—that we, all of us, do so, even our
children. You know, think about this. That
tabernacle in the wilderness, that was just an old tent, wasn't
it? Wasn't there just an old tent? Wasn't it? Just an old tent. What would
God have done to those priests if they had treated it as such? Huh? I know it's just a building.
It's just a place. But this is where the kind of
glory of God is seen quite often. And what we do here is quite
serious. You young people don't get mad at me now if I demand
that we not run wild and show disrespect to this place. This is a blessed privilege,
and even this building is a blessing sent from God. Ken Wymer and
those people would like to have a nice place like this, wouldn't
they? Oh, the people down in Mexico,
oh, they treat those little buildings that they work so hard on, they
treat them with great respect. He says here, How amiable thy
tabernacle, how lovely are thy tabernacles, thy dwelling places,
your churches, O Lord of hosts, Lord of hosts. He's called this
many times in the Scripture, Lord of hosts, hosts. What does that mean? That means
a multitude. He's the Lord of hosts. He's the Lord of many
people. He's the Lord of a multitude.
He's the Lord of a multitude. You've heard the old saying,
no man is an island? Well, that applies to the sheep
of God more than any other. There are some recluses out there. There are some people out there
who live as hermits, and they're crabby, Henry. Hermit crabs. You remember that. There are
some people out there, but God's people don't. God's people are
sheep. And sheep, it's not their nature
to be alone. They can't stand it. I've used
the word before, and you know the meaning. I'm not trying to
impress you. Gregarious. That's where the word congregate
comes from. A congregation of sheep. are
gregarious. That means they flock together. There are no solitary sheep. No. No. There are no. Any so-called sheep
that can live in solitude is suspect. There is no sheep. You know the clean animals that
went on the earth or on the ark? You know the clean animals? that
the Noah put on the ark. You know this one characteristic
of all clean animals? And clean animals that went on
the ark are a type of believer. You know what's this one characteristic
about all the clean animals? They go in herds and flocks. The unclean don't. Lions and
tigers and animals that prey on others, they don't go in herds. But clean animals do. Clean animals
flock together like cattle, like sheep. They flock together. Sheep. They part the hoof. They part
the hoof, but they don't part from one another. They part the hoof, but they
don't part from one another. Or else, like John said in 1
John 1, verse 18, 19, he said, Or they wouldn't, no doubt, have
remained with us. Sheep can't stand it. A sheep
that's out there alone is going, waaah. Somebody come find me. I'm all alone. This is what David
was doing. Look at it. Verse 2, David was
in exile. He was with some of his sheep.
But he was exiled, or he was on the run, but what was he thinking
about all the time? His brothers and his sisters,
his kinsmen, according to the flesh, the people of God, his
brothers and sisters, he missed the house of worship, he missed
the Word, he missed the people of God. Look at it, verse 2,
he said, My soul longeth, yea, fainteth. In other words, what he says,
I'm going to die if I don't get to the house of worship. I'm
hungry, I'm starving, I haven't had a good gospel meal in so
long, and I'm famished. He said, I'm going to faint,
and I feel weak because of it. My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth
for the courts of the Lord, the courts of the Lord. How do you
feel upon missing? a worship service. How do you feel upon missing
the worship, or the word, or the people of God, your brethren? When I believe it determines
the state of your heart, I really do. I'm convinced of that. That's where your heart is. Whatever
you treasure is where your heart is. That's where your heart is.
David could not be there bodily, but his heart sure was. And most
of the time, where your heart is, that's where your bottom
will be, too. That's where your body will be. Well, verse 3, David said, when
he said verse 2, my heart, my flesh, my heart. My flesh, my
whole man cries out for the living God." Verse 3, "'Yea, the sparrow,'
he said, the sparrow, hath found an house, a swallow, a nest for
herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord
of hosts, my King and my God.'" Would you like it in language,
Joe? "'My, O Lord, my King and my God.'" He said, The sparrow
hath found the house, a swallow, a nest for her. David envied
the birds. The tabernacles, the places where
they met together, like many Mideastern dwellings, were quite
open, living in an arid, mostly hot land, open for the breezes
and so forth to come in and out. And obviously birds, there were
lots of birds that made their nests in these places. And David,
having been in it before, noticed birds up in the rafters, you
know, making a nest for themselves. And he envied, and he was away
from the house of worship, and he remembered, he said, I just
wish I was a little bird. I just don't have to take part
in it. I don't have to sing. I don't
have to preach. I just wish I could fly on a
wall, just a bird in the rafters. He envied the sparrow, the church
house. Even the sparrow, he said, and
the swallow knows a good place to bring their children. Even the bird knows a good place
when she sees one, when she finds one. A good place to have her kids.
I wonder who's the wise one. You know, we've had a little
visitor in here of late. You notice Savicki cleaning the
church? Or John? John, you told me, and Hannah
told me that there's been a little bird in here. B-I-R-D. little
bird that's made her way into this place. And you know what
is right here? Did you see that this morning,
Joe? Did you see me look down and
laugh this morning? You know what I was laughing
at? There's a bird dropping right there. I saw that this morning,
and I thought, I wouldn't remove that for the world. That's my
text. Steve, of all places. Yeah, I
don't see it anywhere else, not on the piano. Right there where
I can see it. Coincidence? Huh? The Sovereign Lord said, Little
Bird, bring a reminder of Psalm 84.3. and put it where he can see it.
Oh, man, even the birds. You know, the Scripture says
even the ox knows his owner. Even the ox. We call them dumb
oxes. But the Scripture, the Lord said,
ox knows his owner. An ass, we call them that, too.
And some people like unto them. Even the ox knows his owner,
and the ass his master's crib. I wonder who's the dumb one?
The ox or man? The ox knows his owner. Everybody
here knows Molly, don't they? Surely everybody knows Molly. Well, at any rate, there's a
1,500-pound horse over at that place. took a notion. She could crush me under a little
pancake. With one of her hooves, she could
just mash me flat. I don't even weigh 150 pounds
now after last month. When I get on her back, she doesn't
even know I'm there. But she could crush me. But you
know, Steve, 1,500 pounds, maybe 1,600. She's like putty in my
hands. She is. She's like putty in my
hand. My wife says that I'm putty in
hers. She looks at me with those big
brown eyes and that blonde hair and I just melt. Well, maybe. And if you come over when I'm
not, when I don't see you, you'll catch me talking that way to
her too. But at any rate, she's putty in my hand, that big beast.
Why? She knows I love her. And I treat
her right. And you know what? She knows
that whenever I come around, I'm going to give her a little
treat. And she'll come running. She can be as far away as I send
Molly. She'll come running. She hangs
around when the other ones leave. Because I treat her right. I've
got love and food for her. Ah, the ox knows her owner, and
they ask her master's crib. What about us? The Lord has for
his people here love and food. Love and food. Verse 4, he says,
Blessed are they that dwell in your house. Blessed are they
that dwell in thy house. Those that make the gospel, these
church dwellers, those that make the gospel Those that by God's
grace make the word their meat and drink, they are a blessed
people, oh, a blessed people. And they will be blessed. Those
at the house of God where his word is continually proclaimed,
they will be the blessed people that know the joyful sound. And
they'll know some things that other people don't do. They will be blessed with God's
presence. that other people will not experience. They will be blessed with his
word that other people ignorant of. And with time, in time as they
eat, meal after meal in the house where they dwell, in the dwelling
place, they will be blessed with understanding other people will
not have. They will be blessed with faith. Faith cometh by hearing. and hearing how by the word of
God. And unless you are able and have
the time and are willing to dig and search and read and eat and
eat and eat and eat from this book yourselves, if not, if you
just come out, you'll get a full course meal. And you can go and
chew on that, chew your cud. for a few days. Mindy made a
roast beef this afternoon. Pot roast, oh, it's my favorite. Oh, man. Service about over. She made a pot roast and I thought,
you know what I thought? I thought, as much as I was enjoying
that while I was eating, I was thinking to myself, I get to
eat it tomorrow, too. You know, I love leftovers sometimes
just as much, maybe even more, than the hot meal. I tell her
not to even throw potatoes away. I love cold potatoes. And cold
meat, roast beef, nothing better. Is it, huh? Nothing better than
an old dead cow. Well, I tell you, the gospel,
you can chew on it. If you get a good fat meal, you
can chew on it a few days. Chew the cud. Regurgitate it.
Chew on it. That's what cud is. And I'm talking
about red man. I'm talking about the gospel. You can chew on it. Go in the
strength of that meat like Elijah of old. Go in the strength of
that meat for many days. You can until you come back and
have it served up again. And in time, you'll grow in maturity. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing
by the word, you'll grow in maturity. grow more like Christ, grow in
grace. It says there in verse 4, blessed are they that dwell
in thy house. The only people that are really
going to be blessed, people, the only people that are really
going to be blessed with a sense of God's presence and blessed
with faith and understanding and spiritual maturity and discernment
and knowledge and grace and strength to help those that dwell in the
house. How much emphasis can I put on
this? How many times do I have to remind myself? I'm glad you're
here. I'm not upbraiding or rebuking
anybody here. You're here, so I get to tell
you this. I get to remind you. And as I said, the midweek service
is just as important, maybe more so, than this. Yes. Maybe more so. Because you'd
have to go several days without eating. Unless, now unless, you
have the time and the willingness to really cook up a meal. Huh? You ladies that work, you
don't, that work secular jobs, you don't always have time to
fix big full course meals, do you? Huh? And so your husbands
and you yourself end up eating bologna during the week, right?
A bunch of bologna. But given the time now, you'll
fix elaborate meals that really taste good and will really stick
to your ribs. And this message, I have the
time. I have the time to prepare for
you, and I've got some good rib stick and grub. And just come
out and avail yourself of it. as you do, but I continue to
remind you. I know the pull of the flesh. I know the weakness. I know I've been there. If I
were a fellow who hadn't been there, who hadn't worked out
there like you have, don't listen to me. I couldn't relate, but
I have. I've been there. I know the struggles
and how difficult it is. I know. But make yourself, force
yourself to come. You'll be glad you did. Children, eat your green beans. They're good for you. They're
good for you. Well, it says, those that dwell
in my house, that's their dwelling place, they will be still praising
thee. Think about it. That's what Selah
means. The word Selah really is not
meant to be read. It wasn't read in times of old.
It means pause. It's just pause, like a musical.
You don't play a note. Sherry doesn't play a note when
you see a pause, do you? That's what sealing is. It's
a little word of understanding there. It means think about it.
Stop a minute. Think about that. They that dwell
in thy house, they will be still praising thee. They will be still
praising me. You know, the more you cultivate something,
the more you enjoy it, and the more you have to have it, and
the more it becomes you. Right? Appetites and things and
desire, right? When you nurture something, When
you cultivate something, like appetites. When I was young,
I didn't like such and such foods, but I was forced to, if I could
say it, eat my green beans. And it was a chore for me, Steve. You know. This just doesn't look
like green beans. What is it that he doesn't like?
There's something in it. Son, eat it. It's good for you.
He thinks this is the worst thing in the world for me. How could
Dad, why would Dad make me do this? I remember doing that one
time, throwing up at the table after eating green beans. But
you know now, I love green beans. I have, my wife and I, we canned
quart after quart of green beans. If you'd have told me that thirty-some
years ago, I'd have said, no way. But yes, having eaten them
over the years, now I love them. I love them. Isn't that the way
it is? Adults, your tastes, as you nurture them, your taste,
it becomes part of you. And you begin to look for those
green beans at the meal. Well, such is the worship of
God. Blessed are they that dwell in
thy house. That's where you'll find them. That's what they will
be still praising the day that dwell in our hand. Those that
dwell in Christ now, where are you going to find them then?
Where are you going to find them when this old thing is over?
Where are you going to find the people? Where are we going to
find Charles Ross in just a few short years? Charles, unless
the Lord gives you bodily strength and just gives you over and above
what you're allotted in this life. You already got four, three
score and ten, haven't you? You pass that, you're living
on borrowed time, aren't you, Charles? Where are we going to
find Charles in a few years after we put his body in a hole in
the ground? Where are we going to find old
Charles? Same place we're finding him right now. We won't see him there, but you'll
see him right up there, sitting with the saints, singing, "'I
love thy kingdom, Lord.'" Or whatever. The same place. His dwelling place here will
be his dwelling place there, in Christ, with his people. They'll
be still praising that. Think about it. Verse 5, Blessed
is the man whose strength is in thee. Oh, happy is the man,
is the woman, whose strength is in his Lord. I wonder how many people envied
old Superman. I'm talking about that actor who
played the part. How many people envy the lifestyles
of the rich and the famous? How many people envy his one
little blow to the head? Boy, that's—it's this very poetic
justice. That's sad, you know. I pity
anybody having to, you know, go through something
like that. I really do. But isn't that superman? He's now a vegetable. Where is real strength to be
had? Bodily strength, fame, fortune, this world? Huh? I know a man
who's wheelchair bound. He has multiple sclerosis, and
it's getting progressively worse. He can hardly speak very well. He slurs his words. But he knows the Lord Jesus Christ. He's a strong man. Real strength
is faith. Real strength is having a strong
God, not a strong body. Real strength, Terry, is not
having big biceps, but a big God. Real strength is not having
strength of body, but strength of faith. Strength of faith. That's what the word blessed
means. Blessed is the man and the woman
whose strength is in thee, and whose heart, look at verse 5,
and whose heart are the ways of them. Who's the them? Well,
they've been talking about those people, verse 4, that dwell in
God's house that were still praising him. Those people that dwell
there, that praise him, those are the people, them. Blessed
are those in whose heart, the man in whose heart are the ways
of God's people, the ways of them, God's people that dwell
with him, with his people and praising him and so forth. Happy
is the man who's found a dwelling place, a home, a home, the ways
of God, where the ways of God are, the worship, the fellowship,
in whose heart are these things, whose heart, not just head, and
nobody's happy who just believes doctrine, there's nothing. That
won't bring happiness, and that won't bring contentment. And
at the first sour note, that person will be gone. But if this
thing's in their heart now, if it's in their affection, you're
not going to drive them away. This is their dwelling place.
This is what they must have. Blessed is the man in whose heart
in whose heart are the ways of God's people." Verse 6, "...who
passing through the valley of the..." This man, this woman,
these people pass through a valley. It's called here the Valley of
Baca. The margin says, "...the mulberry trees." The mulberry
trees are a tree that will only grow in an arid place. That's
the only thing that will. Not good for anything. Not good
for anything, mulberry trees. A desert place is what this is
talking about. Finally, someone called the Veil
of Tears. This Veil of Tears, that's an
apt name, an appropriate name for this world that we live in. A vale, a tier, a valley, Scripture
says, of the shadow of death. And it is a place of weeping
and sorrow and sickness and sadness and tribulation and trials and
troubles, but, oh, found a well. Found a watering hole, a well. There's a well to resort to when
you go through this dry and dusty land. There's a place where the
day spring, where the well of water is served up, and you can
come get a cool, refreshing draught and say, Oh, life ain't that
bad after all, is it? You go through this draught and
say, Oh, what a miserable place this is. I dwell in Shechem and
with them that are just Shechemites. Like David said, all this place
has been. And you come here where God said,
Oh wait a minute, everybody's smiling and everybody's Let's
just pitch our tents here. That's what Peter said. Let's
just pitch our tents right here. And, well, do I have to go back? Do I have to go back to automotive
fasteners? Do I have to go back to leggings?
Please don't make me. Yes, you do. But Wednesday night,
Barb, Barbara, come on back. The well, we'll take the lid
off the well and make it a well. That makes this life a well.
The rain fills the pool. That's the former and latter
of the blessings of God. Our cups run over. We come out of here with our
cups running over. Well, they get empty. During the week, don't
they? We're running on fumes, aren't
you? Running on fumes come Tuesday
evening or come Saturday night and running on fumes. If that,
come in empty and say, fill me up. Fill me up and our cups run
over when we leave. Verse 7, he says, they go from
strength to strength. The gospel is our strength, the
power of God. Christ, feeding on Him, is our
strength. He is. You know, that old Molly,
all she eats, Stan, is grass. And occasional. Well, quite a
few carrots and apples, but mostly grass. She weighs nearly 1,600
pounds eating grass. Why? How? Because she eats and
eats and eats and eats and eats. She never sleeps. She eats and
eats and eats. Well, they go from strength to
strength. How are we going to get fat? How are we going to
grow and grow in strength? What is the believer's strength?
It's these green pastures. And you know, like the Psalm
says, every word is significant. Psalm 23, he says, he maketh
me to lie down in green pasture. He has to make sometimes, he
has to make us old dumb ox. Dumb ass is a better word. Eat
grass, right? Eat. Eat. You're lean. You're getting lean. You're getting lean. Physically. But spiritually, eat, come, green
pastures. If you're thirsty and don't know
it, still waters. Lie down. I've seen Molly doing
that sometimes, lying down. That's loving the grass, isn't
it, folks? God make me like that. Oh, make me have that much desire
for the green pastures of His Word. They go from strength to
strength, His strength to more strength. He shows Himself strong
again and again, doesn't He? Hasn't He? Hasn't He shown Himself
strong for you from time and time and time again, from strength
to strength? Hasn't He? Hasn't He shown Himself
a stronger than he than your adversary stronger than he. And
it means stronger than the. And you know my margin says they
go from strength to strength company to company that you're
saying that. In the margin where a letter of number beside the
word strength they go from strength to strength my margin says from
company to company. Company to company. You know,
the strength—the only place you'll find strength in numbers is right
here. Hmm? It really doesn't take a
lot, just two or three, but you will find strength in numbers. In numbers. And that's—I believe
that's what he means in Hebrews 10 when he says, don't forsake
the assembly of ourselves together as a matter of some years. And
they're lean. They've found leanness of their
souls and cleanness of teeth. Cleanness of teeth. You get clean
teeth when you don't eat anything. And leanness of soul when you
don't eat much. As a matter of some, he is but
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the
day approaching. And this is what he's talking about here,
I believe. They go from strength to strength. We strengthen one
another. You strengthen me by seeing you here tonight. I'm
strengthened. I'm encouraged. I go on from
message to message. I can keep preaching. I can go
on from strength to strength and fellowship. There's strength
in fellowship, people. There really is. There's strength. It says that every one of them
appeareth before God. Verse 7, they appear before God. All God's children are found
at the table, at the table, before they've come to appear before
their God. Here we are, Lord. That's why we come here, Terry,
isn't it? Huh? Yeah, we have fellowship, but
truly our fellowship is with the Lord and with His Son. Right? With the Father and with
His Son. We come here. Why do we come here, John? We
come here to meet with Him. Here we are, Lord. Bless us. If you don't dwell amongst us,
we might as well have gone to the pool hall. Right? If he doesn't dwell amongst them.
And they come to appear before their God and to listen. Like
that little boy sitting on the front row, had his hand cupped
over his ear. His mom said, what are you doing?
And the boy said, the preacher said, the Lord speaks to people
that are listening. And he said, I'm listening. They
come to appear before God. Speak, Lord. Now, servant here,
cup your spiritual ears. Put your spiritual hands over
your spiritual ears and cup them and say, Lord, speak. Speak, Lord, your servant here.
How does he speak? Right here. All right, read on.
Verses eight through ten are a prayer. Verses eight through
ten are a prayer. Oh, Lord, God of hosts. He stops
what he's doing and he starts praying, O Lord God of hosts,
hear my prayer. Would you hear my prayer? Give
ear, O God of Jacob. O God of Jacob. That's a good
way to call on him, isn't it, John? Oh, that's a good way. That's a good name to call on,
God of Jacob. If you feel like old Jacob, unworthy
and vile and wretched as he is, That's a good—he's the God of
Jacob. O God of Jacob, give ear. Think about that. He hears Jacob's. Behold, O God, verse 9, O God,
our shield, our shield, look upon the face of thine anointed.
Who's that? Christ. Look upon Christ. And look upon me as Christ. O Lord, look not upon me, lest
I be consumed. Look upon the face, look upon
the blood, look upon the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look
at my mediator, look at him, thine anointed, and see me in
him. Look upon him, accept me ye in
the beloved. And Lord, look upon me, I am
thine anointed. Do look upon me with favor. with
mercy, with grace, with love. Oh, Lord, and that's my prayer
for this little flock. Lord, look down on this little
flock, this little church house. Oh, Bethlehem, Ephratah. Oh, Rocky Mount, Virginia, Central
Baptist Church. Though thou be little among the
thousands, Yet shall arise out of thee he whose goings forth
are men of old." Oh, Lord, thou didst not choose this place because
we're more than others, more in number or greater, but we're
fewer. Lord God, look upon the face
of this little anointed group and bless this group. Bless John
Sheeley. Bless Irving Sheeley. Bless William
Hodges. Oh, Lord God of hosts. Reveal
yourself to Gladys Hodges, Becky Shively, Ellen Frayland, Rebecca
Kinsley. Oh, Lord God of Hosts, bless
Betty Hodges, would you please? Bless Teresa Patterson. Bless
her, bless her, bless her. Make her merry sitting at your
feet. Don't let her go. Oh, Lord God
of Hosts, look upon the face of thine anointed. Look with
us. Look with favor upon us. And bless us and bring us, verse
10, a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. Bring us into
thy courts. Bring us. Make my choice thy
courts. Verse 10, a day in thy courts,
David says, is better than a thousand. Better than a thousand elsewhere.
A day here, boy, boy, if that isn't so. A day here is better
than a thousand anywhere else. Better than a thousand anywhere
else. I'd rather. I'd rather be. Verse 10. You ever seen those
bumper stickers? Or those little license plates,
you know? They say up the top, I'd rather be, and down below
they got fishing, or hunting, or bowling, or, you know, wonderful
things like that. Give me a license plate. I'd
rather be worshiping." That's what David, if he'd have had
one, he wouldn't have, but if he had, that's what it said.
I'd rather be a doorkeeper, a doorkeeper in the house. Just let me open
the door for the saints. That's where I'd rather be. Make
my druthers. What's your druther? That's an
old country word. If I had my druthers—you ever say that? You probably still say it, don't
you, Nancy? Huh? Old country girl like you. If
I had my druthers, I'd be—Lord, make my—does she say it, Shannon? Yeah. If I had my druthers—let
that be my way of talking. If I had my druthers, wherever
we are and whatever we're doing, we'd say, if I had my druthers,
I like to be down at the house of God's worshiping. Verse 11, the Lord God is a sun
and a shield, a sun and a shield, a sun to warm you, to give life,
to give energy, a shield. He's your protection, your barrier
between danger and yourself. He will give grace. will give
grace and glory, and he'll give more of it. He'll give all you
need. He'll give it for the hour. He'll give it for the circumstance. He'll give it. He delights to
give it. He's got lots of it. He gives
more of it. All you ask for, we don't have it. It says, verse
11, No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
No good thing? Walk uprightly, walk by faith, walk with Christ. That's the general tenor. That's
the direction. That's what you're seeking. No good thing will he
withhold from them that walk uprightly. No good thing. He
delights to give grace. He gives more of it. Has the
Lord withheld something from you? Then you don't need it. Explain
that. She gets just about everything
her heart's desire. If I withhold anything from her,
count on it, she don't need it. Or Daddy'd give it. Right? Right. If there's something the
Lord has withheld from you, then you don't need it. You can count
on that. No good thing. And if you don't
have it, if there is something you need, wisdom, grace, He said,
I don't have much of that. We have that because, why? What James said, we have not
because we're not asking. Boy, if one of our children are
sick, we'll ask and we'll ask and we'll ask and we'll ask.
I know some people that are just asking and asking and asking
and asking and asking. And if we really want something
bad, we'll ask and ask and ask and ask until he gives it to
us or he tells us no. finally, with finality. And I need wisdom, I need grace,
and he says, we have it not because we're not asking for it. We give
a little prayer by rote, a little token. Let not a double-minded man think
he shall receive anything from the Lord. Right? We have not
because we ask not. It's something we really need.
The scripture says, our Lord says in Matthew 6, I believe
it is, he said, If you then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts unto your children, how much more shall the heavenly
Father give good things to them that ask? It's so, he can't lie. Verse 12, O Lord of hosts, he
closes back with it, O Lord of hosts. Oh, blessed is the man
that trusts in thee. Oh, Lord of hosts, happy, blessed
is the man, is the woman who trusts, who really, truly believes,
commits, depends on, waits on, looks for, worships, trusts in
thee. And people, we don't realize. Oh, blessed art thou. Oh, blessed
art thou, Steve Bar-Joseph. And you don't realize, I don't
realize how blessed we are. You don't realize, I don't realize
what a blessing it is to be sitting right where you're sitting right
now, where we're sitting right now. We don't realize. Eye hasn't
seen, ear hasn't heard, neither have entered into the hearts
of you, of me, the things that God prepared. And this is preparation. This is what...Barbara, you never
have a good time here. Do you ever enjoy this? Do you
ever really, just really, this is where you want it? Obviously,
you're here all the time, and your real encouragement to me,
just wait, Debra, just wait. This is just a foretaste. It's like touching, it's like
a big chocolate cake. It's like taking Oh, that's good. Wait till you
get a big bite. Just wait. Just wait. All right, Sherry, come up and
we'll sing number 187.