Psalms

[0:00] As the Lord shall be pleased to help me, I shall call your attention to a subject you will find in Psalm 122, verses 1 and 2.

[0:18] I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

[0:38] Psalm 122, verses 1 and 2.

[0:50] When a sinner has the mercy to be born again, he then becomes the subject of a spiritual mind.

[1:13] And the outcome of possessing a spiritual mind is that such a sinner can only feel as he wants to feel in a spiritual element.

[1:29] And he finds that he can only feel as he wants to feel when he can realize the presence of God.

[1:47] And when, as it were, as you are, in the attitude of worship, he can rejoice that the house of prayer becomes the house of God and the gate of heaven.

[2:02] In this subject before us, the psalmist is speaking about gladness. And now this gladness is heavenly in its nature.

[2:20] It is what you cannot enter into until you have this mercy to be born again. And it is what you cannot enter into until you have this mercy to be born again.

[2:57] To go into the house of the Lord. Glad to be found amongst people taught of God. And that gladness intensified at times.

[3:11] As you have some sure evidence afforded you that you do belong to them and will be numbered with them in time and in eternity.

[3:27] You can go back, all of you, who were taught of God, it may be, to when you did not know anything about being glad to go into the house of the Lord.

[3:46] But you did go. You were driven. Parental discipline drove you. But you were not drawn.

[3:59] You were glad when the Amen concluded the worship of God. And you could be set free. Is that how some of you still feel about the house of the Lord?

[4:15] And the welcome sound in the worship of God is the Amen that lets you go. There is a word in the Acts of the Apostles.

[4:27] And being let go, they went to their own company. You have got your own company. And what company is it that you do keep when you can do what you like?

[4:46] The very solemn thing, if the company that you keep is that which is in the world to be of it, to be found amongst sinners and keep that company and just be after the flesh, the things of the flesh, if that is the company you keep as you journey on through life, and you never feel otherwise about it, that will be the company you will keep on the other side of the grave.

[5:23] Then you and the sinners you keep company with will be in eternal misery. And now that is a solemn consideration.

[5:35] Hey, but there are many of you, blessed be God, who are here in the attitude of worship, who can look back over life's journey and search out when you were given willing feet to go up to the house of the Lord.

[5:56] When something happened which you cannot define, the word of God defines it, you were given a new heart, a new nature, a new spirit.

[6:08] And then you felt altogether a change in your attitude to the house of the Lord.

[6:19] And you wanted to be there. And you wanted to get in touch with him whose house it is.

[6:32] And in going, you had this concern, I seek and hope to find a portion for my soul. And you had this feeling.

[6:42] And you have never lost it. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

[6:53] And you could take your stand alongside Moses, then, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

[7:10] Do let your consciences tell you how these things really are between God and you. Can you take up the hymn writer's confession?

[7:24] We love the place, O God, wherein thine honour dwells. The joy of thine abode all earthly joy excels. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.

[7:44] Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. And now, I want, as the Lord you help me, to look at this subject from two or three viewpoints.

[7:56] And I would like to say something, as grace is given to say it, that might be helpful to you, and for you to be built up in our most holy faith.

[8:10] It is not enough just to keep coming under Union Chapel roof. Although it is good that you should do so, the Lord bless you in continuing to do it.

[8:26] But this must be our aim. But grow in grace. But grow in grace. And in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

[8:38] Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord, His going forth, His prepared as the morning, and He shall come to us as the rain, as the early and latter rain.

[8:51] Yes. And in looking at the setting of the subject, which is equivalent to look at the picture in its frame, which shows it in a proper setting, this little psalm, which is called A Song of Degrees, was penned by godly David, when God had made it plain to David that Jerusalem was to be the center of Israel's worship in the land of promise, and that at length the Ark of the Covenant was to be kept there.

[9:47] And so God ordained His worship to be as you all know that Jerusalem being the center of the worship of God, all the Israelite males above 20 years of age went up to Jerusalem three times a year on appointed feast days to worship God.

[10:15] And it is wonderful to contemplate that God gave a guarantee that while the Israelite menfolk had gone up to worship God, give Him the glory that was due unto His holy name, no inner evil Israel should be for their homes or their farms or their businesses, Israel's enemies should not set eyes upon them to do them mischief.

[10:46] God gave that guarantee. And while you and I have not to worship God on that basis and go up to any specific center center like Jerusalem was in the land of promise, the guarantee that God gave regarding His worship has never been abrogated.

[11:12] Do remember that. Who is he that shall harm you if ye be followers of that which is good? seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

[11:32] Fear Him, ye saints, and you will then have nothing else to fear. Make you His service. Your delight, your want shall be His care. Remember that.

[11:44] If you dear young people, some of you I know are asking the way to Zion with your faces dither ward. And whatever your circumstances may be, whatever your cases are before God as you feel them to be, if you were helped in your life as you journey on to remember the opening words of the Holy Bible in the beginning God and seek His blessing to be upon you His smile seek His presence to go with you as you journey on you will find the word of God is sure exercise thyself unto godliness for godliness is profitable unto all things having the promise of the life that now is and that which is to come and you will find there is a guarantee as I have said in every state secure kept as Jehovah's eye it is well with them while life endure and well when called to die.

[13:00] And now coming back to the setting of the subject here over a thousand years before godly David penned this psalm and god had made known that Jerusalem was to be the center of Israel's worship god said to Moses then there shall be a place which the lord your god should choose to cause his name to dwell there that is within your gates a thousand years had rolled on into eternity and the ark of the covenant had been carried about on the shoulders of the priests and settled here and there for a while in the land of promise it had been at Gibeon for a much longer while it had been at Shiloh and now god declares to David concerning

[14:32] Jerusalem here will I dwell here is my rest this is to be the center of Israel's worship and so godly David receiving those good tidings from the lord is god made it known to Israel as a whole and David and his people rejoiced together and all provision was made for the temple to be built and that god should be worshipped in the land of promise with Jerusalem as being the center and now that is the setting of the subject but I am bound to tell you this before I come to open it up it is well to remember it all the while that god was worshipped in the land of promise and that order he had laid down to go up to

[15:46] Jerusalem three times a year was fulfilled Israel as a nation prospered the blessing of god rested upon the land of promise from one end of it to the other but when Israel as alas they too often did turned their backs on god and godliness then things declined in the land of promise and they fell a prey to their enemies and maybe you dear young people particularly I say this too you do not need to be told that Jerusalem as a city is referred to as the city of sixty sieges besieged sixty times in its history but do remember this on all the occasions when it fell it fell because of what was wrong inside and not because of the enemies attacking from without remember that you can read in the books of the judges what will be instructive under that heading where you read seven times again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the

[17:34] Lord and again God dealt with them on account of it and you read when Israel returned to the God of their fathers then he forgave their sin you may say what is all this to do with Jerusalem and its history with us Jerusalem being the center of worship in the land of promise is a type of the church of Christ and it is a very solemn thing if things should go wrong in the church of Christ because of that which is wrong within when those who are the inhabitants of Jerusalem are not fitting caps on when those with names on church rolls do not behave according to what the word of

[18:42] God lays down and turn their backs on the pattern of godliness that is set forth in the sacred pages the church of Christ nowadays is at a very low ebb and from varied viewpoints presents a very sorry spectacle the church of Christ professing and much of the mischief that has been wrought therein is because of those who profess to belong to it and like Jerusalem when the city was besieged it fell because of traitors within not so much from the enemies without you must lay these things to heart dear friends and remember that as you live your lives in connection with the house of God which you do as you come week in week out as worshippers and those who are in the church with their names on church rolls if you live a right you have to live your life in relation to the house of the

[19:59] Lord where you worship which is your spiritual home and that means do listen your life in private under your own home room will react on your life in public in the house of the Lord if it is not what it ought to be in you living near to God and holding fast your profession of the name of Jesus which you have made Jerusalem went down from inside and many a cause of truth has gone down from inside many a church has died out from inside error has crept in dissension has arisen controversy has been engaged in spirituality has declined and those who should dwell together in the unity of the spirit have walked with coldness one to another and the word of

[21:14] God says my brethren these things ought not so to be and it is just elementary truth to say such things ought not so to be because the word of God says by love serve one another and by this shall all men know that ye my disciples if ye have love one to another and now that is the lesson to be learned in looking at the setting of our subject here your life as you live it must be consistent any inconsistency in your life in our village folk will say yes and such and such and one goes to union chapel and look at him and look at her as the case may be it will be a great mercy if these things are made a matter of solemn exercise of mind to us in the world as it is at the present time for these are very difficult times perilous times and godliness is at a very low ebb and now

[22:44] I had no thought of beginning the sermon like that but you must weigh it up before God and it might be a word of instruction and a word in season and go back to Jerusalem as the city of sixty sieges how it went down inside was not only through misbehavior bad walking inconsistent conduct but they no longer brought up the offerings and idolatry was set up and it was not looked upon as a matter of such importance to go up to Jerusalem at all so that some no longer made the long trek from where they lived to go and so the blessing of God declined and the land of promise became desolate and the things of

[23:45] God at a very low ebb yes and just one more thought here and even godly David was not blameless over what I am going to say one thing which contributed to the judgment of God coming upon Israel was when they attempted to carry the Ark of the Covenant on a new cart drawn by oxen which was contrary to what the word of God laid down that it should always be carried on two poles running through the rings at the four corners on the shoulders of the priests as they went from one place to another and you remember that the oxen stumbled and Uzzah touched the Ark of God to steady it and God struck him dead and it made David tremble and everybody else and then

[24:52] David says we sought not God after the due order due order and he hath made this breach upon us oh they were sowing and reaping it might be well to keep in mind that as a people in our denominational life we are people who worship God God on a very simple basis we do not want anything all night or elaborate in our worship but to keep inside that great scripture God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth for the father seeked such to worship him and you dear young people as you grow up live your lives carry on the course when many of us have gone the way of all the earth remember innovations and new things introduced in the worship of

[26:14] God will be attempting to carry the ark of the covenant on a new car and God will have none of it it must be in due order just as it is laid down in the acts of the apostles apostles I've told you not once or twice in my long ministry I like to tell you our denomination is the original denomination just as near as can be to the acts of the apostles and that is due order and we desire to keep it as grace is given and that God will help us at all times to worship him a right therein and now let us start afresh I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the

[27:19] Lord our feet shall stand within thy gates O Jerusalem remember saying just another word about the land of promise many of these Israelites had a long way to go to go up to Jerusalem and stand within her gates and worship God therein but at this time when David penned the psalm before us there was a kind of universal gladness a wonderful willingness to remember the word of God them that honor me I will honor and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed I like how this is worded it denotes decision for the truth and that is very delightful to see I wish more could be seen of such a grace than is to be seen in our denominational life decision for the truth like those three

[28:32] Hebrews when threatened with the fiery furnace and they said our mind is made up we shall not bow down let your yea be yea and your nay be nay lest ye fall into condemnation oh I do like decision for the truth a gracious determination like that man you read about in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress when he comes along to where one was sitting at the table with an open book and he says put my name down sir and it was put down and he was given a sword and he starts to hack his way toward the celestial city I like that line of things and now look at this wording our feet shall stand within thy gates oh

[29:34] Jerusalem it might be well opening up the subject to look at some of the gates much is said in the Old Testament some in the New Testament also about the gates of Jerusalem and I dare not take up that line of thought but every one of the gates had got a name and every name has got a meaning one was the sheep gate which denotes sacrifice and you might go on and show the meaning to every name and there is something equivalent to it in the church of Christ for Jerusalem I have told you was typical of the church of Christ down through the ages and says godly David our feet shall stand within thy gates oh

[30:37] Jerusalem and now the first gate it will be essential absolutely essential for you to stand in as grace is given is the straight gate straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that find it as you get older you will have to ponder a scripture like that and it will search you few there be that find it in the aggregate that few is a number which no man can number but this is the thing that will concern you and have I found it have I entered in through the straight gate the savior said to his disciples strive to enter in at the straight gate godly scholars tell us that word strive has got this meaning agonize and there is something like that in exercise unto godliness there is in it agony spiritual travail that you might have sure evidence that you are indeed born again and that you can stand in the straight gate and feel you have the wondrous mercy to be an inhabitant of

[32:23] Jerusalem and be able to look forward and feel Jerusalem them on high my song my city is my home when ere I die the center of my bliss yes oh that is a wonderful gate to stand in some of you say I wish I knew beyond all questioning that I was born again I tell you this the soul that with sincere desire seeks after Jesus love that soul the Holy Ghost inspires with breathings from above the Lord bless you and help you to stand in this straight gate and get some token for good from God that you are born again and then the psalmist speaks in one place about the gate of righteousness open to me the gate of righteousness

[33:28] I will go in there art and now if you are a sinner born again and desiring to have matters made right between your soul and God as God leads you into his truth he will make it very plain that you have got no righteousness of your own wherein you can appear before God and as that truth is brought home to you and the axe is laid at the root of the doings of the great eye and you are taught by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh living be justified you will be concerned to stand in the gate of righteousness yes and to know that the righteousness of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ might be imputed to you yes it is a wonderful feeling when you do stand in the gate of righteousness and realize it the hymn writer will help you to understand it lest the shadow of a spot should on my soul be found he took the robe the savior wrought and spread it all around the gate of righteousness and remember you will never get through the gates of pearl unless you are clothed in the righteousness of

[35:09] God which is by faith in Jesus Christ such a robe alone can make you beat for the inheritance of the saints in life our feet shall stand within thy gates O Jerusalem and now there is the gate of communion when a poor sinner is helped to pray and drawn near to God it is as it were standing in the gate of communion you remember in the Acts of the Apostles it speaks about the Apostles being found at the beautiful gate of the temple and there was a poor man there on whom God helped them to work a miracle and he went on his way rejoicing I sometimes thought that when you try to pray it is like being at the beautiful gate of the temple thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty changing the figure to illustrate the same truth when you are at the bottom of the ladder which

[36:23] Jacob saw and by living faith you are there pleading in the name of Jesus for a javis portion of blessing indeed you see the Lord standing above it at the top to deal graciously with you and bid you welcome in your approaches to his holy majesty prayer is indeed the beautiful gate of the temple and good it is to enter in there at and now you dear young people remember the beautiful gate of the temple which the apostles stood before when they healed the lame man took twenty people to open it and on the pillars on either side was a warning no stranger must enter herein under pain of death no stranger

[37:29] Israelites only and not the women folk either Israelites only to enter here children of Abraham eh but the beautiful gate I am bringing before you when poor sinners have the great privilege to draw near to God does not need twenty men to open that gate because it is so ponderous it just needs one knock from the hand of faith and even a little child can open it children taught to pray can stand in the beautiful gate of the temple and you might remember that children Jesus answers prayer may you on him cast your care if you truly feel your need he will be a friend indeed even

[38:29] Jesus he will bless you in the beautiful gate that prayer is oh it is good when grace is given to stand there whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved and look you whosoever means irrespective of denominational label irrespective of nationality not necessary to be of the children of Abraham to do it but the Gentiles also are welcome and says the dear saviour him that cometh unto me I will never no never no never cast out our feet shall stand within thy gates oh Jerusalem the Lord teach us to pray and help us to stand there another gate

[39:33] I can only give you hints because the time is going it says in the word of God thou shalt call thy walls salvation and that is the walls of Jerusalem typical of the church of Christ and thy gates praise when did you last stand in that gate the gate of praise oh it is a wonderful mercy when out of the abundance of the heart the mouth can speak and a poor sinner can join with the salmist and say bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name when you can in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto

[40:36] God oh it is a sweet experience when with a thankful heart you can stand within the gate of praise and I might add there is the gate of worship and whatever folk may think as long as time should be God will regard his worship as being public worship the Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob if folk are sick and for lawful reasons must be prisoners at home God will not fail to feed their souls with living bread and to bless them and help them to worship him aright in private at that time but when it is possible to be in the house of the

[41:42] Lord God looks with his people to be there to render a witness ye are my witnesses and it says verily my sabbaths ye shall keep ye shall reverence my sanctuary so you must never think that television religion and radio religion will ever be any substitute for worshipping God in spirit and in truth for if you should put your trust in any such religion you will be seeking to feed on chaff and building your hope of heaven on the sand remember that I am here to speak on God's behalf and his word is where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them God can only be worshipped to right by the godly will you remember that as long as you live you dear young people too therefore to listen to the godless singing that which is beautiful to listen to setting forth the truth of

[43:05] God in its depth and in its height will not be acceptable to God as true worship we must get down to bed rot dear friends the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God and I am speaking about the gate of worship God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth for the father seeketh such to worship him our feet shall stand within thy gates O Jerusalem there is the gate of the scriptures as I thought on the subject it seemed to me it could be termed inspiration gate there is no other gate on the earth like it to open before a poor sinner and show wherein is the good and right way one should go along in journeying through life all scripture is given by inspiration of

[44:10] God it is indeed inspiration gate there is no other book that is inspired this is the holy bible god is the author of it holy bible book divine and it contains exceeding great and precious promises exceeding great and precious precepts for every poor sinner to stand in inspiration gate and find thy word is a lamp unto my feet a light unto my path remember that divine instructor gracious lord oh be forever near help me to read thy sacred word and find my savior there not only so the gospel in the proclamation of it is a wonderful gate and it is a great mercy not to say a great privilege to be found under the gospel and listen to it and in listening to it to be given ears to hear and learn to love it is the gospel's joyful tidings points to heaven and shows the road and sometimes when you are found standing in the gospel gate concerned to get some good for your soul you come into a wonderful experience knowing brethren beloved your election of

[45:45] God for our gospel came not unto you in word only but in power and when you get that power known and felt within there you know your religion is that which is of God for it is stamped with heaven's all mark it is stamped with reality everything hinges on that power belongeth unto God and as I come along to the amen our feet shall stand within thy gates O Jerusalem and now there is the gate of testimony when you can testify of the gospel of the grace of God we will call it the gate of obedience when as obedient children you stand in that gate and say before the church of

[46:48] Christ come and hear all ye that fear God I will tell you what he hath done for my soul you might think on that prayerfully some of you and aim to have a good conscience before God and that you might say our feet shall stand within thy gates O Jerusalem and there is another gate comes to my mind and you must stand in that gate if your religion is of God and that is the gate of service I love that word in Ezekiel where God says concerning his people and it means his people young and old and I will place them if you watch your life as it unfolds as the years go on you will see that

[47:50] God has placed you where you are placed you in a sphere and where it is said you shall serve the Lord Christ yes it may not be anything conspicuous it may not bring you to the forefront in the church of Christ but there is such a thing for standing in the gate of service the trivial round and common task will furnish all we need to ask room to deny ourselves a road that leads us daily to our God and that service may not be exactly what you would have chosen but God has opened it up for you and placed you therein and to obey is better than sacrifice there is a lovely word in the

[48:55] Psalms he shall choose our inheritance for us and it is well when you find in your heart a solemn concern to stand in the gate of service and to do what Joseph Hart says behold the gospel plan trust in the Lord with all your heart and do what good you can as ye have therefore opportunity do good unto all men especially they that be of the household of faith then I keep you a minute as I want to make this plain as grace is given our feet shall stand within thy gates oh Jerusalem go back to this word stand it has got a deep down meaning it means stability in the things of God and it means what

[49:57] I believe is very scarce nowadays amongst us establishment in the truth to stand denotes firmness stand fast in the evil day and having done all still stand and I do believe it means this our feet shall stand within thy gates to stand means to stand at attention I will hear what God the Lord will say from my soul's peace and profit and it also means this it comes to my mind readiness and if you like to look it up you will find a scripture in the Old Testament see how applicable it is to you thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my

[51:02] Lord the King shall appoint readiness our feet shall stand within thy gates O Jerusalem and if God should grant you this mercy and this should be your religion and mine and as we live out our lives we know what this sweet sober solemn gospel gladness is I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord what will be the end of it goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever amen and what is what is what is what love is what you a good use

[52:17] Watts to make this was about people to and long all your ferry