Reflections: We Belong Together
Pastor Rollan Fisher
Focus: May we become a house where God is pleased to dwell.
Glad to Worship
Together
A Dwelling Place for God
Psalm 122:1-9 ESV
“I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!" Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! "May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!" For my brothers and companions' sake I will say, "Peace be within you!" For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.”
Glad to Worship
God desires hearts that are full of gladness as they approach him in corporate worship.
Psalm 122:1 ESV
“I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!"
When we understand God in his goodness, the gospel in its fullness and encounter the redeemed people of God in their kindness, it is a joy in our hearts when we are encouraged again to go to the place of worship.
We are glad because we know that when we go to meet with God and his people, we will receive God’s direction, his help, God’s healing, encouragement and strength.
Together
Your presence matters in worship.
Psalm 122:2 ESV
“Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!”
Daily, personal devotion is important.
However, there is something about being in the presence of the Lord and his people that will not be replaced with independent worship.
*What a gift it is when we experience the tangible presence of the Lord in worship (I Kings 8:9-11).
There is nothing like it, and in its fullness, it is that for which we all longingly groan (II Corinthians 5:1-10).
“OUR FEET have been standing within your gates” implies the importance of corporate worship - being in the presence of both God and his people.
Whereas because of the distance, corporate gatherings for worship in the temple were only commanded by God three times a year, once the Jews found themselves scattered in the diaspora, synagogues sprung up that facilitated weekly worship gatherings.
“Many of our sources tell us that Jews would gather in synagogues regularly, perhaps every Saturday on the Sabbath, or perhaps more often than that, in order to read the laws, to read the Torah, the sacred book of Moses and to expound upon it.’'
PBS.org
The Sabbath was honored throughout the unified nation as a time of rest and recalibration - worship unto God.
After Christ’s resurrection, by necessity in the midst of a hostile Roman environment, the church gathered to encourage one another even more.
It is no different today.
Yes, it is easier to stay at home and watch a service.
But you, like they, know that it is different when you are in the presence of the Lord with other believers - encouraging and being encouraged.
Your focus is different, and therefore what you both give to the Lord and receive is different.
Think about what it is like to read your Bible on the phone, distracted by all of the notifications coming up as you read.
Though there may still be some benefit, God’s intended impact, sanctification and transformation can be muted because you are not all there.
God’s intent is that we would gather, worship him, be edified and receive charges to go and serve him as a people - together.
Hebrews 10:24,25
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Act like you matter because God says that you do.
Psalm 87:1-3 ESV
“On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God. Selah”
We think independently, God thinks corporately and generationally.
God’s generational blessings are established through his gathered people.
Act like your decisions impact others (for the better or worse) because God says that they do - Selah.
Psalm 122:3-5
built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.”
The new culture of our virtual and remote work world tempts us to diminish the importance of the points above.
Why your presence actually matters:
The brightness of your face encourages others
The gathered church is an oasis in the middle of a spiritually parched land (the church is where we can share the gifts of God, including the prophetic water of the word with one another - I Corinthians 12-14)
Each person is a brick to lean on when we need support
The boldness that comes when you are surrounded by those also serving our King Jesus
Have you ever felt like the only Christian in your
work-place or home?
Proverbs 30:29-31
“Three things are stately in their tread; four are
stately in their stride: the lion, which is mightiest
among beasts and does not turn back before any; the
strutting rooster, the he-goat, and a king whose army
is with him.”
Blessing of serving in person (worship, children, greeting, hospitality, set-up, sound and tech, etc., welcoming those who are coming to Christ into the family)
A Dwelling Place for God
Our highest joy and aim should be to become a place together where God is pleased to dwell by his Spirit.
The Holy Spirit had the apostle Paul glove this picture of the church in his letter to the Ephesians:
Ephesians 2:19-22 ESV
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
The higher God wants to take us and the more impactful God wants to make us, the more important each piece becomes.
Whether you realize it or not, this is what the church is like without you!
The Apostle Peter said it this way:
1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV
“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Thus, God told us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Psalm 122:6-9 ESV
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.”
Why pray for the peace of Jerusalem?
It is the place where God’s anointed king ruled to bring his decrees and commands to the earth.
This is what the church does uniquely for the world today through preaching God’s word, bringing his rule and pointing to King Jesus.
*Jerusalem was also the place where the temple was - where the people of God would go out of their way to meet with God, one another and worship together.
Thus, we need to pray not only for Jerusalem the city, but also God’s church.
We need to love the church, the ekklesia (meaning the assembly of the called out ones) of Jesus Christ!
The word was used 115 times in the New Testament and it translates to mean a called out assembly or congregation.
Remember this song was being sung as a song of ascents that brought people from great distances on pilgrimage to experience the goodness, covenant and purposes of God together.
The psalmist is here pronouncing the blessing of security that comes to those who are not simply building their own lives, but are concerning themselves with God and that which he is concerned - choosing to love what he loves.
What does God love and what is Jesus building? His church!
Matthew 16:13-18 ESV
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
As distinct from all other gatherings on earth, it is the revelation of Jesus as the unique Son of God and the salvation that comes through him alone that the church has a responsibility to proclaim.
And so as we align ourselves with God and what he is doing, there is eternal peace.
There is a supernatural peace and security of soul when we know that our lives are found hidden in Jesus Christ.
Because of Christ’s sinless life, death on the cross for our wrongdoing and resurrection from the dead, as we turn from our sins and put our trust in Jesus, we escape the just judgment and wrath of God.
We are then lifted to the towers of heavenly places, wherefrom comes our new citizenship and the perspective of Christ to live in the security of God’s provision and care as we are on our pilgrimage to see him face to face.
Though made imperfect by people like you and me, we say peace to God’s assembly, the place where God has chosen to meet with his people and establish his rule.
*For the sake of all of those who would honor the name of Jesus and depend upon his grace, we seek the good of his church, the places of worship, because in this world, there is no better option - no other place where God has chosen to dwell and place his name.
This should be our attitude regarding communal worship.
So why devote ourselves to such gatherings?
Because at the end of the day, what God intends and what we ultimately want to see is this:
Acts 2:42-47
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
Therefore today, may we devote ourselves to the Lord with gladness and thanksgiving in our hearts for all that he is and all that he has done for us in Jesus Christ!
Second City Church
