Psalms (Quality: Good)

[0:00] Psalm 27 and verse 4.

[0:12] Psalm 27 and the fourth verse. One thing have I desired of the Lord.

[0:30] That will I seek after. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord. All the days of my life.

[0:43] To behold the beauty of the Lord. And to inquire in his temple.

[0:56] What a wonderful thing. That a king should have such a love. And desire.

[1:10] Towards the house of God. To worship God. As we could gather from our reading tonight.

[1:26] Solomon's goodly temple. Had not then been erected. There was nothing.

[1:39] Outward. To attract David. Or other godly people. In.

[1:51] The worship of God. And my friends. The true worshippers of God. Do not want.

[2:05] Outward attractions. They want to worship God. In spirit. And in truth.

[2:16] Now I believe the reason. Why the psalmist. Had such love. To God's house.

[2:28] Was this. He did business there. And if you and I. Do spiritual business.

[2:41] In the house of God. God. That will make. That place attractive. Unto us.

[2:56] Some of us may remember tonight. When. We came to the sanctuary. Went away.

[3:09] Like the door. Upon its hinges. Nothing. Attracted us.

[3:22] But. With some. Things. Have been changed. By. The dear Lord.

[3:34] And. The psalmist. In our text says. One thing. Have I desired. Of the Lord. Jesus said to Martha.

[3:50] One thing is needful. And a mercy. When this comes home.

[4:01] To a sinner's heart. That the Lord. Jesus Christ. Himself. Is.

[4:12] The one. Thing. Needful. When this comes home. To a sinner's heart. Is. God.Should. They. Will come up to the sanctuary.

[4:27] With living. Spiritual. Desires. I hope, believe some of you so come to the house of God we hope those of you who are younger if you have not spiritual desires in your heart yet one day the Lord will put them there and if he does before coming to the house of God you will try to pray and try to pray particularly for yourself for your own soul you may come inquiring many times before you get the blessing you are seeking the blessing may seem to get further and further away from you if possible but the Lord often meets with his dear people in his house when they least expect it sometimes when they are very very burdened with their sins when they are oppressed by the temptations of Satan when their fears rise high the fear they may have sinned beyond the reach of hope and mercy and yet they come and that is often when the Lord very mercifully and graciously grant unto them that which they seek after it's a mercy to be a seeker after the things of God a mercy to be knocking upon God's door for entrance now if the Lord was to meet with some poor sinner tonight grant them their heart's desire they would particularly love their God and they would love his earthly courts before coming into chapel

[8:04] I thought if that verse had been penned in David's day he could have endorsed it my soul shall pray for Zion still while life and breath remains there my best friends my kindred dwell there God my Saviour reigns and so the psalmist he had one thing and God's people have this one thing which they desire of the Lord cannot get it from any other source but from the dear

[9:11] Lord himself and that is to know and feel the pardon of their sins for their hearts to be washed in the precious blood blood of the dear Lord Jesus that's my one thing may be the one thing with some of you to feel your interest in the precious blood of the dear Lord Jesus on that memorable night before Israel came out of the land of Egypt they had to take that blood and sprinkle it from the lintels doorposts of their houses

[10:13] God said when I see the blood I will pass over you and there was safety and security in every house where that blood was sprinkled sometimes speaks loud to me may speak loud to you that is what we need to take us save to heaven to apprehend graciously by faith that that precious blood of Jesus was shed for the remission of our sins for there are other things which

[11:14] God's dear people bring into his house things they want graciously settled I do not say for a moment that all matters are settled for us in the sanctuary.

[11:42] But as I look back over my own little life, I have to say this, that those vital, important matters regarding my soul and other things were sweetly settled for me in the sanctuary.

[12:17] So the Lord's people, they do secret business with him. You take the ordinances of God's house.

[12:37] Very important. Nothing saving in them whatsoever. The person who joins the church rightly doesn't join that church to be saved.

[12:58] They join it. Because they have a sweet hope, they have been saved. May not have had that full assurance. No, but a sweet hope in God's rich and sovereign mercy.

[13:17] And this becomes very weighty business with them. A solemn exercise.

[13:30] They may not be able to speak to creatures about it. That doesn't matter. much better to speak to the Lord about such matters.

[13:47] And the Lord can lead the thoughts and minds and tongue of his servants to speak the very words you desire and to bring it home with sweetness and power to your heart.

[14:12] I look back good while now to one good Friday. One had been exercised a long time about this important matter.

[14:33] But oh, one did pray that the Lord's servant might be so led and that the word might so enter in that God's love might sweetly break me down.

[14:56] And that is just what happened. I'll not forget it. Some of you may remember when you prayerfully, quietly, reverently did business with the Lord and got matters settled.

[15:22] I wouldn't say a half a word to a person about joining. That's the Lord's work. Never be persuaded by man.

[15:34] man. Do your business with God and get things settled by him regarding these matters.

[15:51] Because you see that's bound to be tried. then if man had persuaded you what a handle Satan could make of it you'd laid your case before the Lord and the dear Lord mercifully settled it for you then you could plead with him his own word.

[16:29] Thus we don't know the one thing that some poor sinner may come seeking after even this evening.

[16:45] some poor thing may feel they're left out and yet there is that exercise they want the gracious spiritual leadings of the dear Holy Spirit Spirit there are those things regarding the ministry heavy burden to those whom God exercises a weighty burden but these people they do business with their God and they seek after a word from the dear

[17:52] Lord and they wait until they get it that word was so attractive to me I didn't wish to dictate to the Lord but I felt I must wait till the word was given me that word was my presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest oh that's the all important thing the Lord's presence without it we should waste our time in preaching not being called to this work but I remember how earnestly

[19:00] I was unable to pray about it one evening good minister was preaching he didn't take the words for text but part of the way through his sermon he stopped and he said my friend God says to thee my presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest and he went on with his sermon but oh what a good word that was to me with what sweetness and power came home to my heart and I've often thanked God for it there are the things of this life those of you who are younger scripture exhortation is in all thy ways acknowledge him and it is a mercy to have

[20:26] God's presence and help in providence as well as in grace I know the things of grace are the all important but the things of providence affect some of God's people very much and they wish to go God's way show me now thy way and they seek after this sometimes you know a door seems to open may seem so wonderful may look so prosperous you pray you pray about it ask the

[21:30] Lord's guidance that's one thing with you now and you desire of the Lord a word about this matter minister might give out for a text go not to glean in another field and that would settle it if the Lord brought the word home I remember that settling a matter for me thus whatever may really concern us it is a mercy to be enabled to bring these things to the Lord and to bring them prayerfully into his sanctuary and to get things secretly settled for us by the dear

[22:43] Holy Spirit then the good psalmist he desired to dwell in the house of the Lord there are some who come we like to see them come we wouldn't say anything against them but they may not manifest any real love any real interest in the things of God but oh where the Lord meets with a sinner and blesses that sinner then they become dwellers in

[23:44] Zion and such the godly psalmist desired to be to dwell in the house of the Lord to dwell amongst his people it's a wonderful confession that Ruth made wasn't it when Naomi exhorted her to go back saying there's nothing in me why you should follow me I'm a poor ruined old woman I've lost everything I've got no prospect no future you go back but Ruth said then treat me not to leave thee she said for thy people shall be my people thy god my god see the

[24:54] Lord had been at work in her young heart the Lord had done great things for her I've sometimes thought you know she may have listened to the conversation of her mother in law she may have observed her godly upright life she may have listened to what her mother in law had to say about her people and the Lord blessed this and gave Ruth real love to an unknown people unknown in the flesh and so Ruth did come her poor widow oh how wonderfully the

[25:56] Lord went before her and blessed her I love to read that little book sometimes it opens up to us so sweetly that those who seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness will not be losers in the long run thus with the psalmist that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life in our early days when the love of God is first shed abroad in our hearts what a love there is to the sanctuary

[27:01] I heard a young man said reason he couldn't make out why God's people wanted to go to a place of worship in the week my friend said to him because God's people love to go that's where they are fed that is where they get help and that will be so with you does the Lord sometimes feed you perhaps you have felt a time or two as the dear man has tried to preach the truth I believe that man will go to heaven you say and I believe

[28:01] I shall get there too I felt that a few times you see the Lord meeting with us the Lord granting us his blessing and favoring us that endears the sanctuary to the hearts of God's dear people David must have been an exceedingly busy man tremendous lot to do yet he could say Lord I've loved the habitation of thy house the place where thine honour dwell is wonderful to think you know that a king should say

[29:03] I would rather be a door keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tinge of wickedness what a love the dear man had to the God of the house and to God's house that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life oh it's a mercy to be given that love and zeal whilst we have health and strength to seek after God not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is when perhaps old age comes on or when health fails then to feel we have no regrets though we may not now be able to get to the house of the

[30:29] Lord the Lord may enable us to meditate upon those things we received in the sanctuary I have no doubt this worship which David enjoyed sometimes reminded him of heaven unless my dear friends we have really worshipped God really worshipped the Lord Jesus heaven heaven wouldn't be any heaven to us if we could get there no it would not why because those who are now safe in heaven they worship

[31:31] God forever ever and ever I was away from home a few weeks back and had to be among strangers but you know you've got various ideas of heaven I listened to what they had to say it really grieved me but I thought what one godly dying old man said and I told these people that he said when once my eyes are fixed upon the dear Lord Jesus Christ I never expect to take them off we didn't have any more about heaven that night that finished it the good old

[32:44] Rutherford said the lamb is all the glory of Emmanuel's land and so those who dwell in the house of the Lord who love to worship him in sincerity and in truth they will at last worship him more sweetly above here often something comes to mar our worship there will be nothing in that holy happy place tomorrow then the psalmist he desired to behold the beauty of the Lord I believe sometimes the dear

[33:49] Lord is pleased to reveal himself to his dear people they get a sight of him and they can say of him he is the chiefest among ten thousand and of the altogether lovely perhaps once or twice some of you had a sweet view of God in Christ and you have worshipped him as such you have felt for the time being dead to all other things how the church had her heart and her affections set upon the dear

[34:52] Lord Jesus why he was all fair to her do we come sometimes praying Jesus reveal thyself to me give me Lord a glimpse of thy sweet face shine upon me as that glorious son of righteousness warm my poor cold heart with heavenly heat wonderful mercy sometimes to get by faith a little glimpse of the king in his beauty you'll never forget it if you have a sweet revelation of this glorious person to your soul that will eclipse all other things how they will sink into oblivion and he will become your all and in all well that's one more thing why the psalmist loved the heirs of

[36:29] God to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple now I need not speak on this last clause we included it in the first clause really but a mercy it is to be a gracious inquirer Lord tell me I'm one of thy lambs tell me I'm one of thy sheep tell me thou didst die for me lay down thy life for a poor sinner like me tell me that when

[37:30] I die I shall go to be with thee these inquiries may go up from your heart upon your bed during the night watches the mercy it is to inquire of the Lord like Abram's servant I love that account when he was sent on that important errand how he committed the matter unto the Lord and prayed that the Lord would go before him he humbly asked the Lord for certain signs and evidences he didn't get excited he waited he watched to see if the

[38:37] Lord had made his journey prosperous or not I heard the Lord heard that man's prayer I being in the way the Lord led me to my master's house he could say and the Lord wonderfully appeared for him good old good godly Simeon he was an inquiry in the temple and he had a good word that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord Christ and that was so he took up the child Jesus in his arms to do for him after the custom of the Lord he was completely satisfied the

[39:37] Lord make us those gracious inquirers give us those one things that we may seek after them amen the collection this evening is in support of this course of truth you want of our order to wipe you you don't believe you