Well, good morning. It's good to be with you.
So I've thought about this morning, I've been thinking a lot about longing
and how these have been days of longing in many different ways.
My kids are longing for the end of school and for summer vacation
and hopefully for a vacation where they actually will get to travel
and see their family this summer.
I am longing to see my fiancee again in person.
Many of you have other things that you are longing for.
As a group, many of us in this church are longing to gather together again
in person, safely, and to have the blessing of being together.
And as we've looked over in the last two weeks, we've seen a country longing
for justice to roll down and righteousness to reign in our society.
Longing is something that is common to the human heart.
But it makes us ask a question, why?
Why do we long?
Why do we long for things that are not?
Well, the Bible says, in part, we long because we were made for a kingdom
that is not yet here.
We are designed to have a life that we only get foretastes of in this life
and that we live now in a world that is not yet all that God designed it to be.
The Bible tells us that humanity began in perfect fellowship with God.
But in rebellion and independence forsook the goodness of Eden and the presence of God.
And since then, we have lived in a fallen world, broken, tear-stained, and ugly.
And yet still, with the rays of creation and the inbreaking of redemption,
tantalizing us, reminding us, reminding us of what we were made for and what we long for.
Friends, this is the plight of humanity,
that we live in exile from God and from our true home,
and that this life is a journey in this world.
We are sojourners in a world that will not last forever,
and we are pilgrims longing for a heavenly city that we can,
a heavenly city whose glory we can only begin to imagine.
This is the true source of our longing,
and it brings us to our passage today.
We are taking a break from the book of James,
and we are looking at Psalm 84.
If you want to turn there in your Bibles,
Psalm 84 we will read.
And as we read this, we come to see that
this is a psalm written by a pilgrim.
One on their way.
One who similarly lives with longings and desires.
And we will see in this passage the heart of a pilgrim.
So let's read Psalm 84 together.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young at your altars.
O Lord of hosts, my God and my King,
blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise.
And blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the valley of Bacca,
they make it a place of springs.
The early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength.
Each one appears before God in Zion.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer.
Give ear, O God of Jacob.
Behold our shield, O God.
Look on the face of your anointed.
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 dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield.
The Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold for those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you.
Let's pray together.
Lord, we thank you for this word.
We thank you that you speak to us.
That we are not left alone on this journey,
but that you have spoken so that we might hear your words
and your voice as we travel through this life.
God, I pray that by your spirit this morning,
you would help encourage our hearts.
Lord, that you would teach us about the life of a pilgrim.
And Lord, that you would turn us again
so that we might see what you have made us for.
And Lord, give us strength to pursue you in this journey.
Amen.
We pray all these things in Jesus' name.
Amen.
The heart of humanity on pilgrimage through life
is pictured in this psalm.
We see a pilgrim who has a heart with two characteristics.
He has a thirsty heart.
He has a treasuring heart.
So let's look at these in order.
First, a thirsty heart.
As you look at the beginning of the psalm,
you see the pilgrim burst out in song.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O God.
He expresses this exaltation and joy
about the place where he might know God.
And then he says, I long for this.
Yes, I even faint to be with God.
I cry out.
Maybe that's a better translation
of the second half of verse two.
My heart and flesh cry out in need
and in desperation and in longing.
I cry out to the living God.
The psalmist envies the birds
who are able to go and make their nests
in the courts of the temple in Jerusalem.
The sparrows and the swallows
who are able to come and go easily
to be in that place.
And at the end in verse four of this section,
he says, blessed are those
who dwell in your house, O Lord.
Now he's used a number of metaphors here.
Your dwelling place, the courts,
the place of the altar, and your house.
And all of these things describe
the temple in Jerusalem.
And to understand why this pilgrim
longs to be in the temple of Jerusalem,
you have to understand the sweep
of the Old Testament story.
For when to the estranged world
God came and called Abraham.
He said, I will make you a father
of many nations,
and I will be your God.
And he confirmed this with Moses in Sinai,
and he said, I will be their God,
and they will be my people,
and I will dwell among them.
And he instituted this thing
called the tabernacle,
which was a portable traveling worship center.
And in that, God manifested
his presence among them.
And then as the people of God
moved into the promised land
and established themselves as a nation,
and as the king sat on the throne,
as David and Solomon took up
and established this kingdom,
then they built a temple,
and in that temple,
it said the glory of God
descended,
and in a unique way
manifested itself,
manifested himself
in the world.
And so for all who lived in Israel,
for all who knew God,
they would long to go
to this temple,
this place,
not because God was limited
to that place,
but because God had chosen
to make that place
the very special place
where his glory would be manifested,
the place where his people
could come and commune with him,
make themselves right with him
through the acts of worship
and atonement,
and sing praises to him.
The pilgrim longs to be at the temple
because it is a special place
where God said,
I will be among you.
And so he longed for it,
and he longed to be there
because he longed to be with God,
the living God.
So for us today,
are we to long to go back
to a temple in Jerusalem?
No, the Bible continues
to unfold God's plan
for how he will be their God
and how he will make
a people for himself
and how the Old Testament
people of Israel
and the nation of Israel
was a picture
of what he wanted to do
more broadly,
where he would make
a people for himself
from every tribe
and tongue and nation.
And you see the fulfillment
of this idea of the temple
in three ways
in the New Testament.
First,
you see Jesus coming
in those famous words
in John 1.
As John writes about
the coming
of the Son of God to earth
to redeem a people
for himself,
says the Word became flesh
and literally tabernacled
among us.
He came
to be the tabernacle,
the presence of God
among his people.
And so Jesus is the first
and maybe the greatest
fulfillment of this
where the temple is going.
It prefigures
this place
where God himself
would come
and be among his people.
But it's more than that.
The Apostle Paul
in 1 Corinthians 3.16
talks about
the people of God
in the New Testament
that is the church
as the very temple
of God.
That is that
in his gathering
of people
from every tribe
and nation
to be his
by faith in Christ,
he is building
a,
not a physical edifice,
not a space,
but he is building
a community
in which he dwells
by his spirit.
He says the same thing
in 2 Corinthians 6.16,
the presence of God
by his spirit.
And so that's
the second
thing that the temple
is prefiguring
and pointing to
is the people of God
now not located
in a particular place
in Jerusalem,
but spread
to the ends
of the earth,
gathering in places
throughout the world.
And then as we read
the Bible story
in the end,
the future consummation
in Revelation 21.22,
when God
having defeated
all the powers
of sin and death,
having judged
all evil
and unrighteousness,
having now
remade the world
so that it is
without sin
and sorrow
and sickness
and death,
it says,
there will be
no more temple
in that renewed world,
for the temple
is the Lord God,
the Almighty,
and the Lamb.
And friends,
this is what we long for,
is it not?
For us to be
in the presence of God,
our Creator
and our Redeemer,
to be with Him
in present,
in person,
in perfection,
where there will be
no barrier
of our sin
and our lack
of understanding,
but we will fully
know Him.
what a great glory
that is.
And friends,
this is what our hearts
were made for,
to be in the presence
of the living God.
I wonder,
do you thirst for God
the way the psalmist did?
I know I don't,
always.
sometimes my heart
doesn't want
to long for God.
See,
I don't like
being disappointed.
Sometimes I'd rather
kill my longing.
If I don't desire anything,
then
it doesn't hurt so much
when it doesn't happen.
I don't like to live
in the tension
of longing for something
that I can't control
the outcome of,
can't be sure
of when it's going to come.
sometimes
I long for God
and then it seems
that He's so far away
and there are other things
closer by,
earthly pleasures,
control,
success,
addictions,
whatever they are,
things that I grab onto
and say,
well,
at least I can get this.
Or sometimes
I just prefer despair
when I can't get
what I want
when I want it.
it's easier sometimes
to settle
than to thirst.
But friend,
the psalmist reminds us
that God has made us
for Himself.
And this life
of a pilgrim
is to long for Him
and for His presence.
And we will live
in the tension
because the psalmist
writes this psalm
because He's not there,
because He's not
in the temple.
He's longing to be there
but He cannot be there.
And this is true
for us as well.
Though we have
the inbreaking
of His kingdom,
though we have
the gift of His Spirit,
we do not have
the fullness yet.
and so we live
with that longing.
And God
wants us
to continue
in this.
C.S. Lewis
puts it
this way,
I must keep
alive in myself
the desire
for my true country
which I shall not
find until death.
I must never
let it get
snowed under
or turned aside.
I must make it
the main object
of my life
to press on
to that other country
and help others
do the same.
Friends,
when we think
about our longing
as a church,
this is what
we are called to.
And I don't know
if you've ever
thought about it,
but this is why
we value
gathering together
as a church.
Because this is
the foretaste.
This is the place
where we get to
by gathering together
in person
encourage one another
and strengthen one another
and remind one another
and long together
for the fullness
that is to come.
To speak of the hope
that we are certain
of coming one day
but do not have yet
and to encourage
one another
when we are weak,
when we are stumbling,
and when we want
to give up.
This is why
the leadership
of the church
has been so eager
to figure out
how we could gather again.
And for those of you
who for good reason
may not be able
to join us
in the coming weeks
and months,
let this be
a place where you
will take hold
of that longing
and feed it.
Don't become discouraged
and certainly
don't compare yourself
with others who are,
but let your
not coming
feed that longing
to be with God's people.
for those of us
who may come
and do it,
may we give
with great joy
give thanks
for this oasis
in the desert
after a long
shutdown.
for it's been
a long shutdown,
it's a hard road,
has it not been,
to be separate.
The psalmist knows this
in the next part
of the psalm
in verses 5-9,
he displays,
he knows that
this journey
is one that goes
through the valley
of Baccah
and we don't know
much about it,
but we know clearly
that what it's picturing
is going through
a desert.
And the psalmist
knows
how hard
that can be.
But in these
verses
in 5-9,
he says,
in this journey
we are able
to find strength
in God.
And as we look
to Him
and as we look
to His help
for us,
we are able
not only to pursue
Him in the journey,
not give up
in our longing,
but in fact
we are actually
made to be,
look at verse 6 again,
that we will
make the desert
a place
of springs,
that in the midst
of the pilgrimage
of this world,
we can be,
because of what
God has done,
places where
there will be
a foretaste
of the fullness
of the presence
of God.
And this is true
in our spiritual lives,
this is true
in our society,
this is true
in our church,
that we can be
pools of water,
water,
and it will
come from pilgrims,
and it will also
come graciously
from God Himself.
The rains will come,
and we will drink
in the midst
of the desert,
because God knows
how hard
this road is.
So we're called
to look for it.
finally,
in this longing
section,
I want you to see
that He changes
His pronouns here
from I,
and I long
for these things,
He changes
to plurals.
He says,
blessed are those
as they go
through the valley,
they make it
a place.
we weren't
meant to journey
alone.
And as Pastor Greg
mentioned earlier,
one of our great
desires as a church
leadership is to
encourage you.
I know for me,
in the last three
months,
my default has been
me at home
alone.
Right?
That's what we've
been asked to do,
and it's been a blessing
to our world
to not feed
a pandemic.
But friends,
we weren't made
for that.
And maybe we need
to figure out how
to do it over phone
or over Zoom,
but we need to
be intentional
about connecting
with others.
I've been thankful
for chances to connect
with my small group
over Zoom.
I've been thankful
for the few times
I've gone on
socially distanced
walks with friends
where we've just
been able to talk
face to face.
I encourage you,
find places
and ways to do this.
as much as you can,
and everyone's
situation is different.
There is no
absolute
standard
to meet here,
but recognize
that as we long
for God,
we are meant
to do it together,
and we need
one another
to continue
on this road.
So the heart
of a pilgrim
is one who thirsts.
The heart
of a pilgrim
is also one
who treasures.
And this is what
we see in verses
10 through 12.
A day in your courts
is better than
a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather
be a doorkeeper
in the house of God
than dwell
in the tents
of wickedness.
The psalmist says,
the reason why
I long for God
is because God
is of such
great worth
that the highest
value that I could
give to anything
in life would be
to be in
his presence.
It is a treasure.
And a doorkeeper
in the house
is not per se
in this psalm
a role.
It is instead
a position.
I'd rather be
just on the outskirts
of the Lord's house.
I'd rather be close.
I would treasure
that above anything.
A thousand days
elsewhere
couldn't satisfy
but one day
being that close.
This is the treasure.
And it's easy
sometimes
for us to treasure
other things,
isn't it?
It's easy
for us to treasure
maybe things
that are easier
to control.
Things that we can
gather
and do on our own.
Things that we
can escape to
that for the moment
will help us
feel better
and resolve
the tension
of the longing
life that we live.
Perhaps it's worth
reflecting
what have I been
obsessing about
in the last couple
of weeks
or months?
Maybe it's worth
thinking about
where have I found
anxiety overwhelming
me
in the last
weeks?
What are the things
that I find myself
talking about
more than anything
else?
What do I find
my mind going to
over and over again?
Friends,
for this psalmist
it was
God himself
and being
in his presence.
and I wonder
if we have
become
distracted
and the psalmist
says
the thing is
that when we
look at God
when we actually
pay attention
to him
he is glorious
beyond belief
and he is all
that we want
and need.
He is a treasure.
It's not a question
of whether he is
worth that attention.
It is simply
a question of whether
we recognize it
or not.
this is what he
says in verse 11
for the Lord God
is a sun
and a shield
what more
could we want
in life
than an ever
producing
ball of fire
that gives light
and life
to all things
in our cosmos.
Okay,
so that's an exaggeration.
In our solar system
it gives all
in our world
at least
the sun
is the source
of all the energy
and all the light
and God
is like that
in our world
as the creator
and sustainer
of all things.
God is the one
who bestows on us
after a long winter
how do we long
for the sun
to come
and bring its warmth?
How does it lift
our hearts?
God does this
tenfold
hundredfold
to our souls
and to our spirits
regardless
of the journey
that we're on
and the trials
that we face
and he is not
only that
this life-giving
source
but he is also
our shield
he is our head
our protector
our overseer
he is like a king
who oversees
his kingdom
and as a shield
protects
gathers
provides
and loves
those that he is
over
and not only that
but he bestows
favor
and honor
one commentator
said that
this might be
better understood
as we look ahead
to what
the psalmist
is pointing to
favor and honor
sound like
God may give us
an extra day off
a bonus check
in our
paycheck
a special gift
something like that
but he said
actually this might be
better translated
that God
is giving us
his grace
and his glory
his grace
that is
his undeserved
acceptance
of weary
pilgrims
like us
whose faith
falters
whose hearts
are weak
he gives us
that acceptance
and welcome
come into my
house
and be my
people
be a part
of my family
I will be
your heavenly
father
this is the
grace that he
offers us
and it is also
his glory
that he invites
us not only
into his
presence
but he invites
us into the
richness
and the beauty
of his kingdom
and of his
goodness
and of all
of his
characters
and it's not
something that
we simply
observe
but it is
something that
we participate
in
it is something
that we are
able to
become a part
of
he bestows
upon us
his glory
so that
together
we reflect
and resound
and magnify
his glory
and this is
why God
is a treasure
above all
and so
Paul
in Philippians
3
says
I count
all things
as loss
for the
sake of
knowing
Christ
and being
found
in him
not having
a righteousness
of my
own
but a
right
having
one
that
comes
by
faith
I press
on towards
these things
because of
the
surpassing
treasure
of knowing
Christ Jesus
my Lord
now friends
it's easy
at this
point
to read
this psalm
and to hear
this message
and to think
that what I'm
saying is
alright
it's been a
hard season
buck up
long
harder
treasure
better
keep
going
you have
to
pull up
your
bootstraps
and get
on with
it
and friends
there is a
sense of
exhortation
in this
sermon
for us
to set
our
longings
right
and for
us to
set our
treasuring
right
but the
good news
of the
gospel
is that
there's a
better
story
than us
trying
harder
to do
better
it is
that Christ
took his
own
pilgrimage
and came
he left
heaven
to come
to earth
for us
he walked
a pilgrim
road of
hardship
and suffering
of persecution
and death
for us
and he did
it with such
righteousness
he is the
righteous one
from whom
God does not
withhold any
good thing
he has done
what we cannot
do in walking
righteously
before God
and he came
and did this
for us
so that we
might have
an acceptance
with God
and a
righteousness
with him
and a
presence
and the
right to
become
his people
and to
walk into
his temple
and into
his presence
we have the
right to do
that not
because of
anything that
we have
done
not because
we succeed
in being the
best pilgrims
today or
next week
but because
in our
faltering
faith
and in
our weak
hearts
and when
we lose
sight of
the treasure
Christ has
taken a
hold of
us
and when
we have
been joined
to him
by faith
he says
you are
now mine
and I
will take
you
and the
work that
he has
begun in
us
he promises
he will
bring it
to completion
he has
come to
do this
for us
to win
himself
for a
people
a people
who are
called
pilgrims
who are
going home
a home
that God
has achieved
for us
in Christ
a home
in eternity
that we are
certain of
going to
and a
presence of
his Holy
Spirit
along the
way
friends
this is
how the
pilgrim
walks
with a
longing
heart
for
the
fullness
of what
Christ
has
already
done
for a
treasuring
of the
things that
Christ has
already done
for us
when we
do this
then
we can
pursue
and walk
the road
with hope
and not
give up
may this
be true
for us
let's
pray
Lord we
thank you
for this
word
Lord we
you
by your
spirit
Lord renew
our hearts
today
Lord we
pray that
you would
Lord implant
in us
and revive
in us
our longing
for you
oh Lord
may you
help us
to see
how great
a treasure
we have
in you
and will
you guide
us oh
Lord
on this
pilgrimage
may it be
your strength
that is our
strength
we pray
these things
in Jesus
name
amen
say
what
be
what
did
this
act
on him
and have
a
honor
as
hi
and have
this
other
same
as
I
saw
them
and have
as
oh
to
right