Fellowship With the Holy Spirit – “I was glad when they said to me…”
Fellowship with the Holy Spirit
- If we want to fellowship with the Holy Spirit then we must be where He is and do what He does.
- The Holy Spirit is present and active in a unique and glorious way when the local body of Christ gathers together. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Ephesians 2:19-22)
Psalm 122
- This psalm captures what the author David observed and felt and experienced as the people of God gathered together in Jerusalem for the great festivals three times a year.
- Two questions to ask as we reflect upon and apply this psalm.
- First, what is the psalmist celebrating, why is he so glad?
- And then second, what is the relevance of this psalm to our church this morning?
Verse 1
- “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”” Psalm 122:1 ESV
- His gladness came from the opportunity of going to the very place the Lord had chosen to localize His presence, the place where God would meet with His people, the house of the Lord, the sanctuary of God, where the Ark of the Covenant was located in a city of Jerusalem.
- What is the relevance of this for us?
- I think the relevance of this song for us is very effectively captured by Derek Kidner in his commentary on the Psalms when he writes, “what Jerusalem was to the Israelites the church is to the Christian. Here are his closest ties, his brethren, and companions.”
- What the people of God experienced when they gathered in Jerusalem, we experience as the church gathered, only superior in every way because we live on this side of the cross.
- And He calls us to gather with His people each and every Sunday where He promises to uniquely and powerfully reveal Himself.
- All kinds of good stuff happens when the people of God gather to give their attention to God and His Word together.
- And notice that the call to worship God with the people of God is a corporate call.
- Verse one LET US, a corporate call.
- This is an us thing. Let us go to the house of Lord
- The call to worship involves gathering with the church And it cannot be fulfilled independent of the church or isolated from the church.
Verse 2
- “Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!” Psalm 122:2 ESV
- Spurgeon – “Outside the gates all is danger, and one day all will be destruction; but within the gates all is safety, seclusion, serenity, salvation, and glory. The gates are opened that we may pass in, and they are only shut that our enemies may not follow us.”
- What is the relevance for us?
- I hope when you are together at Living Hope you experience a sense of, “I made it, I’m here, I’m in a good place, I’m in a safe place, I’m with people who love me and care about me.”
Verse 3
- “Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together,” Psalm 122:3 ESV
- Probably a reference to the protection the city provides the compactness of the city as well as its unity, the unity of its residents and the pilgrims like the psalmist who have arrived after their journey.
- What is the relevance for us?
- In a church one of the most delightful conditions is the compactness of unity: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Romans 12:4-5, Ephesians 4:1-7)
Verse 4a
- “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.” Psalm 122:4 ESV
- These are not just any tribes, these were the tribes of the Lord, they belong to the Lord, their allegiance was to the Lord
- And these 12 tribes enter the city representing the diversity of God’s people.
- And even though each tribe is distinct, they are unified because they are the tribes of the Lord.
- What is the relevance for us?
- The diversity of the local church and the affection we have for one another can only be explained by the transforming effect of the gospel.
- Apart from the transforming effect of the gospel, this group would not be gathered together for much of anything.
- Tim Keller captures this well when he writes, “people who would never get along outside the church prior to conversion love one another inside it.”
- We not only bring our diversity to this party, we also bring our sinfulness as well, and there’s a sense where part of our unity is that we are all a little messed up.
- J. I Packer said, “The church is a hospital in which nobody is completely well, and anyone can relapse at any time.”
- Welcome to Living Hope Ministries.
Verse 4b
- “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.” Psalm 122:4 ESV
- These festivals were decreed by God Himself.
- And the purpose of these festivals is the appropriate worship of their great and gracious God to give thanks to the name of the Lord
- What is the relevance for us?
- We also gather by the decree of our gracious God to celebrate together the saving acts of God in the Gospel. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
- To be able to give thanks to His name together each and every week for delivering us from the penalty of sin and the power of sin, and one day the presence of sin all because of the death and resurrection of his son on our behalf.
Verse 5
- “There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.” Psalm 122:5 ESV
- So Jerusalem is where the good and the just rule of God for the people of God through the king takes place.
- God’s Word through His appointed ruler serves the people of God providing wisdom and justice, resolving disputes.
- Jerusalem was to be a city of justice, where good was honored and where evil was corrected.
- What is the relevance for us?
- Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, He is alive and on the throne.
- He is the head of the church.
- On Sunday I mentioned that I pray that Living Hope is a place where we are safe to be real, that we don’t need to pretend. That does not mean the absence of truth, that we don’t call sin sin.
- We are under the rule and authority of King Jesus, along with the authority of the written Word of God.
Verses 6-8
- “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!”” Psalm 122:6-8 ESV
- Psalmist concludes by urging the people of God to pray for the peace of the city and seek her good.
- What is the relevance for us?
- We are to pray for the peace and prosperity of our local church.
- We pray for peace and prosperity in this church, for the sake of our brothers for the sake of people we know and love.
Verse 9
- “For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.” Psalm 122:9 ESV
- David is no consumer Christian. He’s intent on investing time and gifts and finances so the house of the Lord will thrive.
- What is the relevance for us?
- This is what you happily do if you love the local church, if one loves the local church than one makes important life choices in order to serve the church.
- Seek to do good, seek the good of the church, seek the good of the church by serving the church.
So aren’t you glad? Aren’t you glad when they say let us go up to the house of the Lord.
Living Hope Ministries 