Dwelling in God's Courts

Psalm number 65, reading at verse 4, Psalm 65, reading at verse 4. We'll just read verse 1 and perhaps maybe the opening of the psalm to the chief musician, a psalm and song of David. Praise waiteth for thee, O God in Zion, and unto thee shall the vow be performed. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

Iniquities prevail against me, as for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causes to approach unto thee, that he may dwell, here's my phrase, dwell in thy courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

There is something I believe that the psalmist was very, very clear about and that is the dwelling in his courts. That was a priority. You could not take that away from him.

That was a priority that he never wanted to be out of. I would gather, dear brethren, that the fact of being in his courts is a sense, is a reference to the presence of God. And if we wish to notice the various psalms that are taken up, David takes up, and I think there's another, Asaph perhaps, that begins with blessed is the man.

There are seven of those psalms, blessed is the man, or happiness is the man, and in this case, whom thou choosest. I've been enjoying the fact that if I am going to be dwelling in his courts, and that is what I want to look at just for a moment in this lovely Psalm, Psalm 65, he is dwelling in his courts. In other words, he's feasting.

I don't know about you, but I was thrilled with the worship meeting this morning. I couldn't help but my heart be lifted as I listened to brethren who were capable of leading an audience into the presence of God. You could tell that there was a feasting.

You could tell that every single man who knew what it was to stand and worship was feasting in his courts. And I can't help but notice that as far as the one who is feasting here in verse 4, he is because he has been chosen. He's feasting because he has been chosen, and the one that has been chosen can approach unto God.

The one that has been chosen. So, dear Christian, I take great encouragement that in view of where we were, in view of our lifestyle, in view of what we were doing and living and doing whatever pleased self, yet we came to an understanding that Christ is all and that there was hope in the gospel. And of course, the happy day when Jesus washed our sins away, you discover that there was one who loved us and died for us.

Just as we've been reminded that that fellowship, that appreciation that we had as far as salvation is concerned, now brings me into a fellowship with God, a fellowship that we love to enjoy and have daily. So, the fact that we have been chosen and been chosen to be a part of this great fellowship. There is something that I don't understand.

Why you should ever look upon, and I think every single one of us, and I think that's been mentioned in this conference, every single one of us so feel, so desperately unworthy to be sitting where we sat this morning, feasting in his courts. Marvelous to think that the grace of God reached us. Different countries are represented here, men and women from different walks of life, the old, the young, different intellects, different IQ level.

And we all come and we all can feast in his courts, can all can appreciate and all love the mercies and the grace of God as far as God is concerned. There is something that I appreciated from Isaiah chapter 57. He says, I dwell in the high lofty place that inhabits eternity, and also in the heart of a humble and contrite one.

We've just been reminded that there's a mansion, and I love that thought, I've appreciated that thought for years. In John 14 and verse 23, there's a mansion that you and I have. That mansion is our own heart.

There's a mansion that you and I are going to, and my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again.

But I was thrilled to hear my brother talk about the fact that the divine persons, they want to live in this mansion. They want to take up residence. They want full control of this mansion.

And I'm not pointing the finger because I got to put my hands on my pockets, and I hope I can speak if I can put my hands on my pockets, but he wants full control, the thought life, the walk life. You remember that the blood was put upon the priest, upon the thumb. The blood was put upon the right toe, the big toe.

The right blood was put upon the ear, fully consecrated. Does he have it? I have to hang my head in shame, brethren, that many, many, many times, far too more, far more times than I want to admit, that he doesn't have full control, and that he doesn't take up residence in my mansion. He will, and he can, and he wants to, but I need to know something about feasting in his courts.

I need to know something about dwelling in his presence, and to know the mind of God over his word. David was drawn to God. David was dwelling with God.

David knew what it was to delight in his God. They were mentioning, the brethren were mentioning at Stout Conference about God. When have I last seen God? And it seems like these past two weekends have drawn my appreciation to the greatness of God, to have it in a greater way, to lift me from a world that is fast ripening for judgment, to a world that is on the skids, and especially a nation that is going down.

If you have not, if you have not been touched these last two weekends, then you need something. I don't know what. Feasting in his courts, it brings me into a relationship, into a fellowship that I can have, and I can enjoy.

Isaac Watts said this, nearness to God is the foundation to a man's happiness. And I believe with all my heart, if I practice this, if I practice this, I'm not worried about you, but if I practice this, my nearness to God would be appreciated, and it would be obvious that there would be a happiness that would even be more. Now, there's a couple of others I'd like to suggest before I sit down.

Psalm number 84, Psalm number 84, reading at verse one, to the chief musician, upon Gidath a psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable or how lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts. My soul longeth, yea, even faintest for the courts of the Lord.

My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. That's not feasting so much as we had in Psalm 65, but here I believe that the psalmist is actually, he's fainted. He's fainted for the courts.

Is it possible that this man has once experienced the courts? He knew what it was to dwell in his courts. There was the times when he knew what it was to feel the worship, the presence of God, the presence of God in such a way, but now, perhaps he'd been swept away. Perhaps he's been swept away into Babylon.

Perhaps he's left. Perhaps something has come in and he doesn't have that joy. He doesn't have access into the courts of the Lord.

Verse two reminds us, my soul longeth, yea, even faintest for the courts of the Lord. Fainted for his courts. I sat with a young man one day.

I watched him take an old Pepsi can and just wrinkle it up into a piece of tin. Calling him by name, I said, brother, would you have some idea as to what happened? Like a flash, he says, yes, Al, you know what happened. And I thought maybe he was wondering if I had some background of all the gossip.

He says, Al, I just left God out of my life. I just left God out. I put him on the back burner and I went in to enjoy what I enjoyed.

Young people, if you only knew the misery of a man that I talked with that day. If you only knew the misery of men and women who have once been in the courts of the Lord and have now gotten away, perhaps drifted or perhaps a decision. I believe they're miserable.

I believe they're unhappy. The man here is fainted. He's fainted for the courts.

It's like a man who had a taste of it. And that taste of it only drew him back. He only wished he could get back.

I'm thinking of Abraham. I thought of Abraham a couple of times in the times of our brethren that were ministering. Abraham, he had the tent and he had the altar, but there was a famine in the land and he went down.

And you'll notice that in Genesis chapter 13, he could, to me there seems to be an anxiety in Abraham's heart. He wants to get back. Where is he going? He wants to get back to where the tent had been and where the altar had been.

It just seems like he can't really wait to get there. He had real, real experiences with God. I believe that there are men and women, and if we only knew the pain that they have, that they once appreciated the courts of the Lord, but now they have fainted and they've gotten away.

I think one of the sweetest verses in all the Old Testament is Psalm 27. One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Why? Because in the house of the Lord I can behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.

There was one thing that he desired of the Lord, and that he was going to seek after, only one. It just seemed like everything else that the Lord could take away from him. But don't take this thing away from me.

There's one thing I want. There's one thing I cannot stand and I cannot live without, to be able to come into the presence of God and to enjoy the courts of the Lord. Let's look at verse 10.

For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. I cannot but think as the heart panteth after the water bricks, so panteth my soul after thee, the one who has fainted.

But I see in verse 10 now, not of feasting so much, and perhaps not even of fainting in the courts, but verse 10 tells me that I'm favored in the courts. I can be in His courts. I can be in His presence.

David loved his master. He wanted to dwell with him. He would remain in these courts.

Isn't it, he is saying here in verse 10, that a day in his courts is better than a thousand other days? A day in his courts is better than a thousand of other days. A day in his courts, when I can sense him, just when I can sense his voice, when I can sense his voice to me, and I know that fellowship is maintained, and I can appreciate and value. I can appreciate and value the one who has brought us, and I am so favored to dwell in His courts.

Why was the man in Psalm number 1, why did his leaf never wither? Why did he remain fruitful? It's because he dwelled by the still waters. He was by the waters, and that fruitfulness that was seen. The weather, the leaf that never did wither.

He never dried up. He was by the still water, a favored, a man that was favored in the courts. A man that's favored in the courts is one that has the rejoicing and its greatness of his God.

The God becomes so great. God gets greater and greater. And in our own mind this past weekend, and the last weekend as well, that there has been, there has been the favor of the courts.

I'd rather be a doorkeeper. I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in tents of wickedness. In other words, I'd rather just slip inside the back door.

I want to just slip inside the back door to see, to see the movement of others, to be able to hear the voice of others worship. I just want to get inside and to smell and to hear and to be active. So favored.

I just hope all of us realize what we are in when we are in God's assembly. I hope all of us understand that there has been, well, there has been men and women who have labored, labored over the many decades before, have seen the assemblies planted. Men who are now in the glory.

Granted, we need men to go further. Other men to be raised up of God. Other men to know what it is to say goodbye to the materialistic work.

Perhaps not even commended men, but men and women, men and women who have a longing and a desire to see others brought to, picking up, picking out a town. Dear younger brethren, picking out a town, working that town, going from house to house with gospel tracts, having invitations and having a one night a week, right, brother? One night a week. One night a week having a little gospel meeting in that town.

Put up the two roads chart. Put up Murray's two roads chart and go and start talking. Roy Weber said if I had to do it over again, I would take my trailer and I would go out into the boonies and I would just take a pail full of tracts and just work small towns.

What a marvelous thing, dear brethren, if some household could be raised up in this conference to be able to see in need that the fields are right on the harvest. And granted, we can't all preach like Norman Crawford, and that's not the thing, but of a heart, having a heart for souls, the men and women that are perishing and going down to death and hell. And dear brethren, if we don't tell them, who will? Because there is the Lord is coming and our family circles aren't all complete and we need to see yet others.

The road, it won't be easy. South Dakota, where we were for a couple of years, three years, it was very, very challenging. God gave us a nice interest, but also God allowed to put an Alexander coppersmith in my pathway.

More than once I wanted to punch him in the nose. It was a ruined and what God took six years, he destroyed in one week. They scattered and it hurts to this day, but I'll never regret going.

I'll never regret those days when I got into the courts of the Lord and with me and my God and alone in a place where we had no assembly. And if an assembly person had come and even with their dogs, which I hate, I would have kissed the dog. To be able, just to be able to get into the courts, just to be able to slip in the back door and to listen to the brethren, pray, listen to them, worship marvelous.

How favored and how blessed we are. I think Scott said Friday night at the prayer meeting in view of the Ukraine, in view of what's on, I think he said one thing, this has taught me never to complain again about anything. How true we have it made brethren.

That's kind of, we can appreciate the fact of what God has given to us, a faithful God, and we can enjoy in favor in the courts of the Lord. Now there's one more in Psalm 92, Psalm 92 reading at verse 13. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in his courts.

It's not fainting now and it's not favored now, but it's flourishing. I'm flourishing in his courts. And this is where I should have brought in Psalm number one, because that dear man in Psalm one, he flourished.

His feet were planted by the rivers, by the waters. There is something that we all must be, and that is, if I believe that the assembly is right, if I believe that the assembly is the only thing, then dear brethren, let's get planted. Let's get firmly planted in that soil and be able to not only be able to worship, but let's get to work and move amongst God's people and seeking to work in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the Lord.

A man who is flourishing, a man who is planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the Lord, is a man who is rich in grace. He's a man who is happy in experience, and he'll be a man who will be mighty in influence. May we appreciate the fact that we today can enjoy the courts of the Lord and his divine presence.

May we never lose sight of the fact, may we lose where I go, and yes, I'm taking divine persons with me, and as the mansion who dwells within, may we value and value until our traveling days are done, that we can flourish and be favored in the courts of the Lord.