Thus far for now, our reading from the Holy Scriptures. A congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Christian church, has a number of activities in which it is engaged in. This is true for the Christian church as an institution, as the church takes a formal shape within the life of a local congregation or the life of a federation of churches, So you can think of Dune United Reformed Church as an institution and some of the activities in which he is engaged in. After this worship service, I believe there will be Sunday school classes and catechism classes, so that's activities that this congregation takes part in. You can think also perhaps of various Bible studies, of various meetings of committees, and of course you have the council meeting, the consistory meeting, the deaconate meetings, So the Christian church as an institution, a formal organized body has a number of activities in which she is engaged in. We also often speak of the church as an organism. It is the living members as they go about their average everyday life. They do so as Christians. And so the Christian church as an organism is engaged in a number of activities. We have our vocational callings, whether that be laboring in the farms and in the factories or in the office buildings or in the home or in the school. We can also think perhaps of community involvement as we as Christians exercise our citizenship within our country either at a local level, a state level or a national level and all of these activities as well we engage as the Christian Church. So you might say the Christian Church is rather busy. And many of us observe that the pace of life is intensifying. Many of us perhaps feel that we are busier than perhaps we have ever been. But I would submit to you this morning that there is one activity that the Christian church engages in that takes priority over every other activity. There is one activity that the Christian church engages in that takes priority over every other activity, and that is corporate worship. Perhaps you remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in John four as he interacts with the Samaritan woman. And as they begin to dialogue, there is a bit of discussion about where to worship And then there are those most remarkable words of our Lord, where he says the Father is seeking worshipers. Imagine that for a moment. God the Father Almighty, the eternal God, who has dwelt from all of eternity in an infinite and perfect fullness with the Son and with the Holy Spirit, seeks, desires, goes out and looks for worshipers. And this is the motivation behind the incarnation. This is the motivation behind the sufferings of Jesus Christ, the death of Jesus Christ, the burial of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the ascension of Jesus Christ, the session and the return of Jesus Christ. Why did Jesus Christ Take all those steps of humiliation and exaltation as they are summarized in the Apostles' Creed. The answer could be given because the Father seeks worshipers such who will worship him in spirit and truth. The Father seeks worshipers and so David said long ago, my heart was glad. My heart was glad when they said, come and let us go and worship together. I want to consider in our time allotted to us this morning, based upon Psalm 122, this theme, gladness in corporate worship. And it is my desire for my own congregation that I currently serve, Covenant Reformed Church there in Kala. This is my desire for Dune United Reformed Church. This is my desire for the entire Federation of the United Reformed Churches, this is my desire for faithful churches all throughout this world, that they would experience gladness in corporate worship. As we consider that theme together, we'll do so this morning with three points, noticing, first of all, the occasion for the gladness, then secondly, the reason for the gladness, and then thirdly, the desire in the gladness. So gladness in corporate worship, the occasion the reason and the desire. So first of all, then the occasion, what was the occasion that caused David to both experience and to express this note of gladness, this note of a holy happiness in worship? Most commentators are of the opinion that this psalm was originally composed during the time of Absalom's rebellion as recorded in 2 Samuel 15, that time when sadly David found himself in exile from his own city, from the city of David, from Jerusalem, that time in which underneath the rebellion of his own son, he found himself, David did, on the run, so to speak, far, far from the temple and of the worship that took place. And so his heart no doubt longed for the experience of that worship. And the occasion for the gladness is as he reflects upon that wonderful reality that he had previously experienced worshiping in the tabernacle there in the city of David. And as he reflects upon those days in which he joined the throng of worshipers as they ascended the holy hill of the Lord, the occasion is, his reflection upon a mutual enticement to corporate worship. I notice again how the psalm begins, I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord. So there is the singular person, David says, I, I as an individual person, I, David, as one of the multitude of worshipers, I was glad, not just when I worshiped in isolation, not just when I had my mind fixated upon myself, but I, he says, was glad when they, notice the plural, when they said to me, let us, that's what I mean by this mutual enticement at David's soul, and that represents the entirety of his person, the holistic spirit of David's person. His person was overwhelmed with gladness, with spiritual joy, with a spiritual bliss, with a spiritual happiness, in large part because of what he would also write in Psalm 27, verse four, where he says, one thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek. Now, boys and girls, sometimes we think, well, if you had one wish, what would it be? One wish. And that's really what David is saying. David is answering the question. If you gave me one wish, David says, this is what I would wish for, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord. and to inquire within his temple. And because that was David's affection of his heart, because he so was fixated upon the glory of the Lord, when he heard his fellow brothers and sisters say to him, let us go, his heart was overwhelmed with gladness. This is, you note also in the opening verse, a song of ascents. that was used by Israel as they joined together during the times in which they would make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for one of the feasts, one of the worship services there, corporately together. And you can imagine all throughout the landscape of Israel, various tribes and various communities would be making their way through the pathways throughout the landscape, and they would be singing these Psalms of Ascent, and they would be singing one to another. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. And I would just make this point of application at this point. One of the most powerful remedies and also antidotes for loneliness, which is a pandemic in our culture, which even secular statistics prove, one of the most powerful antidotes and preventatives for spiritual loneliness is corporate worship. Let us. Let us together go and worship. In a unified experience, there is a wonderful unity to the Christian church. The Apostle Paul writes about this, especially in his Epistle to the Ephesians, where he speaks that there is one body that has one faith in one Lord. And that is true of the Christian church. There is a unity within the faith. And this unity is seen, for example, in our Psalm, in verse three, Jerusalem built as a city that is bound firmly together. A city that is not destitute. As perhaps some of you know, maybe some of you don't, I'm originally a native of Michigan. western Michigan, but on the eastern side of the state of Michigan, there is the city of Detroit. And Detroit has seen better days, you might say. But if you drive through the city of Detroit, you notice many, many, many abandoned homes, many, many abandoned buildings. And it has a certain negative feel to it. Glory days have passed it by. But David says about a city that is compact together with everyone in its respective place. And this is also why faithful attendance upon corporate worship is so vital, that every member of a congregation would stand in their own gap, so to speak. that every person would realize that they have a privileged responsibility to join, figuratively speaking, but also literally speaking to some extent, shoulder to shoulder with the worshiper next to them. And as the singularity of persons blends together with the unity of a corporate body, that a congregation with all of its members, with each member having vital importance, the Apostle Paul talks elsewhere about the human body. And yes, thumbs and toes, arms and legs, internal organs, they're all necessary for the well-being of the body. So it is for the Christian church when she comes to this most holy exercise of corporate worship. And we understand that there are times indeed in which circumstances prevent attendance upon corporate worship service, circumstances perhaps such as poor health or the occasional travel, but the general rule of congregation should be that when the congregation gathers together, each and every member stands in their rightful position as one of the worshipers of God. This is why also perhaps you might reflect upon Psalm 92 verse two. It is good, the psalmist writes, to declare your loving kindness in the morning and your faithfulness every night. On the Lord's Day, we have the wonderful opportunity to continue the pattern that was established in the Old Testament of a morning sacrifice and an evening sacrifice. And it is to be lamented that in many situations, churches find themselves nearly vacated in the evening of the Lord's day. When I read Psalm 122, I cannot imagine that David would have been a frequent skipper of church. How does that go along with this attitude? I was glad. I was glad when they said to me, let us go and worship. And so the occasion for this gladness is a mutual enticement and a unified experience for corporate worship. That then leads us to the transition into the reason for the gladness and we can be a bit more concise here because the reason for the gladness is that he recognizes the rule of the Lord and also he has a certain attitude, perspective of the sake of the brethren. Why is David's whole being overwhelmed with this holy happiness? Notice in verse five. their thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of the Lord. And this is vital for us to understand that worship, first and foremost, has a vertical posture to it. So often you hear people talk about what they hope to get out of worship, what they hope to experience in worship, and we're not completely denying the fact that we do anticipate being spiritually edified in worship, But we just simply want to offer this corrective that worship is not primarily about us. We do not come to worship ourselves. Worship has to be, and worship, when it is truly exercised, is about acknowledging the majesty of God. Their thrones, of judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. In Jerusalem, in that city that was built where the tribes go upwards for the tribe of the Lord, house was decreed for Israel to give thanks to the name of the Lord. And this whole concept of thrones, of course, thrones, boys and girls, you think of a throne, you have to think of a king. Because thrones are where kings sit. And kings, when they properly exercise their position, and I know as United States citizens, we don't think much of kings, but if you look back in the biblical times and what a king was supposed to be, ultimately as that is perfectly realized in Jesus Christ, a king was one who had authority. And who used that authority to provide and protect for particular people and so within verse 5 there is the allusion to the authority of God the absolute comprehensive infinite authority of God but especially that authority of God as it is compressed upon the person of Jesus Christ the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords the one who says for example in Matthew 28 all authority has been given to him And since all authority has been given to our Lord Jesus Christ, there ought to be this response that we would come into his presence, especially when we gather together in corporate worship, that we would acknowledge the greatness of his rule, the greatness of his reign. And this is also a correlative to the whole production of joy, of happiness. I mean, what could possibly be a greater reason for us to be overflowing with joy than to recognize Jesus Christ is the King of kings and the Lord of lords and I belong to him. Because we all acknowledge within this life, whether in our personal lives or in our community life or in the life of our nation, that there are many things that discourage us, many things perhaps that alarm us. We have many doubts, we have many fears, we have many trepidations. And these at times can intensify us as the week goes on. as Monday gives way to Tuesday and that flows into Wednesday, we can be overwhelmed with all that presses upon us within our life and within our earthly existence. What a great privileged opportunity then is ours on the Lord's day to rest from our work and to enter into the presence of God and to be reminded that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. and that his throne is the eternal throne set in heaven. And in the words of Psalm 2, that he is seated there and that he has the rod of iron and he rules over the nations. Isn't that a wonderful truth to contemplate upon? The vertical reason for gladness is that Jesus Christ is Lord. That should be the primary focus of all worship. But not the exclusive focus, the primary focus, but not the exclusive focus. David also has this reason for gladness, the sake of his brothers and companions. Notice verse eight, there is the recognition of the horizontal relationship, for my brothers and companions' sake, I will say, peace be within you. You might say it this way, David had a love, a love for the brethren, a love for his spiritual brothers and sisters. And theologically, we talk about the communion of the saints. And the profound spiritual reality is that every single Christian belongs to the family of God. And this finds expression especially when a congregation in a particular place comes together and worships. And so this morning in this connection here at Dune United Reformed Church, you are a family. Now I know that perhaps there are biological family relationships represented within this congregation. Perhaps you could look a pew in front or behind and see a father, a son, a brother, a sister, grandfather, and we're thankful for those relationships. Our God is a covenant of God, working from generation to generation. But what we're talking about now is especially the reality that we are adopted into the family of God, and so that the person who is seated in front of you or behind you or next to you is a spiritual brother, a spiritual sister. And as a Christian, they, perhaps with some uniqueness. We all have our own personality traits, but they have been eternally loved by an electing father. They have been redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ. They are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. and they, along with you, along with us, belong to the family of God. David recognized that profound truth, and it made him glad. In essence, he says, I was glad, my spirit was excited when the family said, let us get together to worship, to worship our Father. And so the reason for gladness both had a primary vertical reason, but also a correlating horizontal reason. And in this time of transition into our third point, I just want to ask you to reflect this morning. When you enter into corporate worship is the primary focus upon God and of making known his greatness, but also, Can you say, I am glad to worship with my spiritual brother, my spiritual sister, the person in front, behind, next to me, because of the recognition that they also belong to the family of God. If there is that gladness, there will be a desire. And David's desire was for the peace of the church and also for the prosperity of the saints. Notice in verse eight again, for my brothers and companions sake, I will say peace be within you. And this is repeated earlier. There was verse six prayed for the peace of Jerusalem. Now again, in the context, the original context, uh, Jerusalem and, uh, the nation of Israel was experiencing turmoil as Absalom led a rebellion. So David, of course, praying in the original context, may peace once again come upon the kingdom of God. May peace rule in the midst of Jerusalem. But we make this point of application in regards to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the word peace here is a word in the original language, shalom, which is overflowing with meaning. It doesn't just simply mean the absence of conflict, it does mean that. So our prayers should be that the church Whether that be a local congregation or a federation of churches, our prayer should be, Lord, may the church not experience conflict. May there not be unrest. May there not be rebellion in its midst. But the word shalom is much fuller than just that. It represents a wholeness, a soundness, a holistic well-being. And that's the desire David has for the church. because he recognizes Christ as king. Although he saw that in the infancy of the Old Testament picture, he recognizes Christ as the king on the throne, and he desires for there to be peace within the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. He desires peace to be within the church. Because this peace, this wholeness, this completeness, this well-being is the optimal condition, for there to be spiritual growth and maturity. And now I always perhaps run a bit of a risk when I use agricultural analogies in a community in which most know more about agriculture than I do. But I believe it is true that whether it be livestock or whether it be crops, too much stress during the growing season is not conducive for the optimal harvest. I know that in the spring, a bit of stress can cause plants roots to go down deeper, which can perhaps be beneficial later in the growing season. But we're speaking about extreme stress. So just this morning in the consistent room, there was a mention that the high ground is yielding good, but some of the low ground, the yield is down and The reason is, of course, because of the too much rain that came in the spring causing the stress. I suppose the same thing is true of livestock. Generally, the rate of gain is better when they are not overly stressed, or the rate of production is better when there is not too much stress, and the same is true in the church. And if we desire for the glory of God, the spiritual maturing of ourselves and of our spiritual brothers and sisters, we should also earnestly long that there would be peace within the church, not at the cost of truth. We don't compromise our convictions, but we desire there to be peace within the church, and therefore our desire finds expression in prayers for the church, for there to be peace within the church. And so I would ask you to consider, as I also consider this morning, do we faithfully pray for the Prince of Peace and the Spirit of Peace to be present within our congregation? And then, of course, we note that when we pray, we must also work. So are we one who is noted for the pursuit of peace within the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ so that there may be prosperity Prosperity notice what David says there in verses six and seven pray for the peace of Jerusalem May they be secure who love you peace you within your walls and security within your towers Security prosperity protection I'm hoping that the young people and the entirety of the congregation continues to learn that we face a triple enemy and There is first of all, of course, the enemy of this fallen world. And there is the enemy of the devil. And then there is the enemy of our own fallen nature. And in the light of the constant barrage of attacks of this triple enemy, we need a place in which we can run for refuge. And that place of refuge, that place of spiritual refuge and protection, is in the spiritual Jerusalem, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, where the child of God finds peace, peace by way of reconciliation with God through the forgiveness of sins based upon the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so also again this morning we call out to anyone who may hear these words who does not have peace I lovingly tell you there is peace to be found. And that peace is to be found in the exercise of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul writes in Romans, therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The peace that surpasses all understanding. Peace is found in reconciliation with God Peace is found in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peace both for now and for all of eternity. And in conclusion, in conclusion, this is why David's heart overflowed with a good thing. This is why he had such joy. He had found peace. He had found peace through forgiveness. he had found peace in the corporate fellowship with his fellow believers. And during a temporary time of exile, he longed to express his praise to God in corporate worship for the peace that was his. And my desire My pastoral desire for you as a congregation is that you would experience the profound reality of the peace that comes through Jesus Christ, and that you would continue to respond with joy, with gladness. When the call goes out, especially on the Lord's Day morning and evening, come, let us worship our Lord together, amen.