Appreciating True Beauty (Psalm 33:1)

Introduction

I used to say words of welcome and introduction when I began sermons, but I’ve sort of dismissed that in recent days and gone right into the lesson. But I do want to say today, happy Mother’s Day. Treat your mother well today. That’s an order from the preacher.

Congratulations to all you mothers who survived all these years. Congratulations to the newlyweds, Caleb and Erica. May you be mesmerized by her beauty always, Caleb. Which that’s really where I’m going with this lesson, so that’s why I started with that. John, that goes for you too. Tayla this week. All right. Let’s talk about true beauty. As I mentioned, the beautiful visage of a well-sculpted person, male or female. The beauty of a mother who loves her little chicklings. The beauty of a waterfall.

On our way back to Nashville. What majesty. The quick release and jump shot of James Harden. For sports fans, it’s a beautiful thing. To be properly appreciated, they are more than just objects that are pleasing to our eyes. Beautiful things are a reflection of the handiwork of our Creator God, to whom belongs, who deserves all glory and honor. Not properly regarded, these things can actually be a source of stumbling, something used for merely selfish ends and selfish desires. For example, no one was more impressed with Absalom than Absalom. From his head, from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot, there was no defect in him. I love that. 2 Samuel 14 and verse 25. You think that guy you’re looking at is a hunk?

He was nothing as good as Absalom was.

Exquisitely beautiful today. And did you so regard it? Did you so appreciate it? The worship of God. The praise of our Creator. There’s really not anything more beautiful on this side of eternity than that. And this is why David said in Psalm 122 and verse 1, I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord. Now, just to understand the context in which he made this statement, Psalm 122 is in the Psalms of Ascent that immediately followed that very lengthy psalm about the Word of God, Psalm 119. And these shorter psalms were sung as the people ascended to Jerusalem for worship. And so when such an occasion came, one of the songs that they would sing is David’s Psalm 122.

I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. And I must say to you, as I thought about that this week, and I started thinking about it this week because of my female. More on that momentarily.

This is my latest attempt. It may not still be where I will ultimately take it. But I want to talk about this verse because I’ve used this verse so many times to talk about people’s attitudes for attitudes toward worship. As they upset themselves, as they don’t participate fully with the Lord’s people and their hid and miss and all of that. Hey, why don’t you have the attitude of David? Come on. Get it together. Snap out of the material punk that you’re in and be glad to serve the Lord. Where in the world are you? Come on. And I beat people over the head with, I was glad. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. And so I will just tell you right in the outset this morning that’s what I want to accomplish by this lesson today.

I want you to be more glad than you’ve ever been. To worship the Lord. In your individual life, but with the Lord’s people especially.

If ever I love you, tis now. And you know, as I sing that song this morning, I thought about how our love for Jesus sort of goes into a crescendo as we live a life of faith. Such things that emanate from our lips, it’s true. That the more we go along, the more we love the Lord. If ever I love my Jesus, tis now. But here’s where I’ve perhaps done a disservice to folks. Maybe I need to talk more about how I get there. Instead of just saying, hey, be glad of the Lord, and I did preach a sermon about that during the meeting in Nashville this week. What may be escaping you and how to find it. And one of the things in Psalm 97 that I looked at with you not very long ago is simply be glad of the Lord.

And it’s whatever pants you got unhappy in, whatever pants you got mad in, you need to get glad in. I talked about that at that time. You remember that sermon now? And so sometimes it’s just a matter of changing the way you’re looking at things, and I get that. But there may be more to it than just that. As we talk about being glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Now understand a 21st century application of this verse is not like Israelite worship in the old covenant where they had to go to a specific place. I mean, there’s a few nuances and differences to the nature of what we are in Christ and the nature of the worship that we give to God, not just corporately, but individually in our life.

And I don’t want to gloss over that, but I do want us to get this attitude right. How am I going to get there? And maybe we need to ask this question how did David get there? You know, because, you know, somehow David got to liking worship. You know, how did he do that? How did David get to Psalm 122 in verse 1? Because I want you to get there. And I want to stay there. I want to be there and stay there. I want to be glad when it’s time. Oh, that’s another Sunday. It’s a big shopping day, big sports day. Am I glad? That today is a day of worship. And again, I don’t want to guilt you today. Maybe you need to be guilty, but I want to generate gladness in you.

1. It's About the Things You Think About

So how did David get there? It’s in large part due to the things that he thought about. Things he meditated upon. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of the sinner, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. Be careful of your associations. But the righteous man, in his law, he meditates day and night. That’s how David got there. Very first Psalm. He spent a lot of time in reflection. And he shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water that yields its fruit and its season, and whatever he does, it shall prosper. It’s about what you’re thinking about. And I gotta tell you, we can’t be doing this, that, and everything else to all hours of the night, all weekend long, all week long, and have narry a thought of God and somehow come into this building and turn it on.

I tell you, folks, you will never know. Psalm 122 and verse 1. That’s as simple as I know how to make it. It’s about the things you think about. And we spend countless hours thinking about this material thing and that material thing and this thing that I want to do and that thing that I want to do. And perhaps we’re just not spending enough time thinking about where all of this is going. And where all of this came from.

What is truly important in our sojourn here? The benefits of meditating on scripture, I discovered this week, influence your whole day. And I think that’s absolutely right. Do you start the day thinking about God’s presence, his nearness, the fact that I’m his child and that I need to serve him in an appropriate way and live a holy life and pursue that. And do I think about the fact that there is something getting closer to me than it’s ever been? Glory, heaven. Being with God for all eternity that will so far surpass any of the things that I’m attached to here and get excited about here and love here. Those things are all so inferior by comparison. We have treasure, untold treasure in heaven. And so this is my opening salvo on how to be glad for the occasion of worship.

2. Praise Is Beautiful, Becoming to the Upright

Though not sure about this particular one. Psalm 33 and verse 1, this observation is made. I’ve given you several translations here. Praise befits the upright. Praise is becoming to the upright. Praise is beautiful. I’m not completely sure if it’s about what we do that is so beautiful. I believe that’s probably the concept. That when people praise, it is a beautiful thing, as we said in the very beginning, and that’s how the CSV renders it. It is fitting for the upright to praise it. It’s a fitting, it’s appropriate. It’s beautiful. And so that’s true. But I like the concept that it may be more. That it’s not only enhancing to our circumstances, but it’s enhancing to me. It makes me better. It is becoming to me. It is an appropriate way to dress yourself with the worship and praise of God.

It’s sensible, appropriate, enhancing of our circumstances. And you think about it, we can’t exalt God any higher than he already is. My praise doesn’t make God any higher. It is simply an acknowledgement of what is so, who is supreme, who is wonderful, and we are only the better for it. What beautiful reflections in this Psalm. Verse 8, let all the earth fear the Lord, and let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. Verse 13 the Lord looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men. From his dwelling place, he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth. He who fashions the hearts of them all. This brain functioning that’s going on that is so often focused on the things of this world.

He’s the maker of this thing. He who fashions the hearts of them all, he who understands all their works, as Steve was talking about our works, the works of faith. He understands every kind of work that we do. Behold, verse 18, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him. And that’s a good thing. On those who hope for his loving kindness. Our soul waits for the Lord, verse 20. He is our help, and he is our shield.

And this is a psalm of David, Psalm 138. I will give thanks to you with all my heart. I will sing praises to you before the gods that don’t really exist. But God is certainly supreme. I will bow down toward your holy temple. I will give thanks to your name for your loving kindness and your truth. For you have magnified your word according to all your name, and there is no name like his.

3. Fellowship With God: Blessings Incalculable

And they will sing of the ways of the Lord. For great is the glory of the Lord. For though the Lord is exalted, he regards the lowly. The haughty he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you will revive me. You will stretch forth your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand will save me. The Lord will accomplish what concerns me. Your loving kindness, O Lord, is everlasting. Do not forsake the work of your hands. And then there’s this Psalm of David that I’ll reference briefly, where David contemplates God’s majesty as if he is a shepherd out in the field. He begins by talking about the mouths of infants and nursing babes, and then enemies that God takes care of.

And then he says, When I look into the stars, when I look into the heavens, and when he saw the vastness, and if he only knew how vast it was, the universe around him, he said, What is man? That you are mindful of him. That you have placed us in such a supreme and important place in his creation. And I’ve mentioned this before.

Now, some of our dogs have it pretty good. Probably too good, in fact. Until you have to go to the vet and spend money on them like they’re humans, and they’re not. But we love our dogs and our little feline friends. Some of you are allergic and hate them. But aren’t you glad you’re not a dog or cat? I am, I mean, I don’t, I don’t like eating that same old food out of a bowl every day. That stuff’s nasty. Who eats that? You only eat that as a prank. John would do it as a prank. That’s not. I mean, we have it so good as I say we eat like kings. Some of our dogs eat stuff that falls from the master’s table. But we are the pinnacle of what God created.

The things our minds can do, the dexterity of our limbs, I mean, all the things that we are able to do as human beings. And beyond that God has elevated us in terms of his desires to give us eternity with him. Oh, what awesome majesty. What is man that thou art mindful of him? And the fact that fellowship is attainable with such an awesome and perfect person. I mean, that’s that’s an amazing thought. That ought to compel our worship. We ought to be glad to go to serve the Lord because I can be in fellowship with such an amazing being despite my sinfulness and unworthiness to be in the presence of such perfection. I should be glad to go to the house of the Lord as David contemplated all these things that men have going for them and what he had personally going for him in his relationship with God.

How are you going to calculate all of that? The blessings are incalculable of a right relationship with God. And the amazing thing about that is so many people think, I don’t need that. I don’t need fellowship with God. I don’t need worship among his people. I don’t need these kinds of Sundays. I need Sundays that are all about me. What are you talking about? This is what is offered in a right relationship with God. Blessings untold, incalculable. You don’t have a calculator big enough to measure what comes from a right relationship with the one who gives you life and breath and who will be your judge. The blessings are incalculable. So let’s be glad. Wait a minute. I’m not the first to say this. Paul did.

He spoke of the unfathomable riches of Christ. To me, the very least of all saints. We’re right there with you, Paul. Was given that ministry to preach. That message. The riches in Christ, the depths of which cannot be fathomed. Passion for God. And there’s so many other things I could mention. These are the two big ones I came up with for today. Passion for God grows out of an understanding and appreciation of this beautiful truth. That we can have fellowship with God. And the blessings that are so associated are incalculable. Let me state it another way. We should have passion because without God, I am broken, undone, and hopeless. And I don’t tell you, I can’t put it in any worse terms. I can’t couch it in any worse terms than that.

4. Be Engaged in Worship

But with God, I am rejuvenated, I am reclaimed, I am re-invigorated. And those are just a few reads I could come up with. So much better. Should have had Scott lead without him. A little bit of overworked, wasn’t it? Without him, I would be nothing. And so with that, be glad. I was glad when they said it to me. Let us go to the house of the Lord. Worship God fervently. You know, and there’s a sense in which when we come into this building, we ought to be engaged already. Because of things we’ve already thought about, contemplations and meditations that we’ve already had. We ought to already be engaged. But I know how life is. There are so many distractions and concerns out there. So by all means, get engaged when you’re here.

Be engaged. And that’s really what Mike’s email was about. He’s telling us to be engaged in worship. That’s what our brother Wayland taught us. He was engaged. He did it every service. He wasn’t just throwing in an amen every five minutes, walking the clock, five minutes. Amen. He was engaged. Did you notice that? Get engaged. And you know what happens? Sometimes I forget to say amen. And you know why? Because I’ve gotten distracted. I’m not engaged. Let’s get engaged in worship. But I thought more about this because of a sermon I preach on the last night of a meeting where I talk about the reasons why people leave the Lord. One of the reasons why people leave the Lord, I think, is because worship becomes stale.

They’re no longer glad to be worshiping God. And when I made this point, it’s really odd. I preached this sermon, I think 15 or 16 times over the last few years, and I’m going to preach it at Southside next month. Lord willing. And there was a lady who actually objected to this point. And was somewhat vehemently, and I didn’t take her that seriously because she reminded me of Christina. And I don’t know why. Even Sherry said she reminds me of Christina. They have a Christina in Nashville, Tennessee. I’m glad they’re a thousand miles apart. It could really be scary. But she’s just so, she was such a genuine person, so is Christina. But, you know, what you get is what you get. But it is genuine.

Very genuine. But she said, I don’t think you should say worship is stale. I don’t think that’s right. And she, and the more she talked about it, the more intense she got about it. You know, Christina gets intense too. And she got a little intense about it. I just sort of, you know, I said, I’ve preached this sermon 15 times, and nobody’s ever said anything. Our worship shouldn’t be stale. Well, I get it. That’s right. And the point that I make in that sermon, if you’ll remember, and you don’t, so I’m going to make it right now. We’ve got to do what we do in this place, we have got to get it out of this building. That’s where worship becomes meaningful when you say, My Jesus, I love thee.

Are you really thinking about Jesus in heaven at the right hand of the Majesty on high? And you’re saying, I love you, Lord. I have a passion for you. We’ve got to get it out of this building. Oh, it shouldn’t be stale. Everybody should have the attitude of David. That’s how I preach that. Be glad the Lord. Come on, man. But the truth is. It does get stale with folks. I see it. I’ve seen it in me. Be engaged. And now I want to get to the other thought in Mike’s email about saying amen. And guys, this may sting a little. I think it has something to do with the way we lead as well. It’s not just the worshiper. This is the thought I had that led to the whole sermon.

5. Lead Thoughtfully and Passionately

It’s not just the worshiper who needs to be engaged. But the way we lead in worship. Oh, now I’m never going to lead again. That’s not what I mean. But we need to lead thoughtfully and passionately to evoke a response from the audience. And I know it’s difficult because we get nervous when we get in front of people, and oh, public prayer, you know, people get so nervous. All I can tell you about that is this. Worship God. Forget about all the people that are here. Yes, I know you’re not praying for yourself so much as praying for the whole group, but pray to God. Pray fervently, pray passionately. Don’t just repeat trite expressions. Talk to God from your heart. If we would speak to God from our hearts, then people, and that’s one of the things, when our kids get up here.

As Reagan prayed this morning, I mean, just he spoke from his heart. And I heard a lot more amens. I don’t know if you noticed that. Not that the other guys did not pray from their hearts, but I think we have we have a special when our young people, we see our young people, we want to encourage them. But let’s encourage the older guys too. But let’s let’s, as leaders, as leaders make sure that it can be detected that our hearts are engaged in our worship. That we’re not just quoting the same passages all the time. That we’ve actually given some thought to leading God’s people to the throne of the great God. And if we lead thoughtfully and passionately, perhaps others will be compelled to say amen.

Be engaged. Lead thoughtfully.

Conclusion

But there’s only one place to end this sermon. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Because as David said in some of those Psalms that we read, it’s all about salvation. This life is so temporary. What next? We ought to be glad to serve the Lord because He’s redeemed us, not with perishable things like silver and gold. I preached that too. The making of a self, the making of a healthy self-image. And I tell people I preach that because my friend Corey mentioned that sermon to me back when. And so I preach it in meetings. And I talk about redemption. How important are we to God that the redemption price he was willing to pay was the precious blood of a lamb without spot and without blemish.

All the gold in Fort Knox or all the gold on this earth could redeem me. What the precious blood of the Lamb did. If that isn’t a reason to be glad to go to the house of the Lord. Beyond all of that, I have my marching orders, my walking papers every day, how to live. I know what I’m here to do. You’re here, and I’m here to be light in the world. I know the reason for my existence. And man, do we have something awesome waiting for us? Are you in Christ? Are you for sure? Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins. And you shall receive all the Holy Spirit has promised.