The Best Day of the Week

6 · Employs C

CS Lewis also has this to say about the Sunday mornings. What he's trying to do in this quote is touch on the desperation and the delight of Sunday mornings. Here's what CS Lewis says I have, rather, though the expression may seem harsh to some, called this the appetite for God than the love of God. The love of God too easily suggests the word spiritual in all those negative or restrictive senses which it has unhappily acquired. The appetite for God has all the cheerful spontaneity of a natural, even a physical desire. What he's saying is this. We are to approach the church gathering with the same amount of joy that we have when it comes to the physical appetites in our lives.

7 · Illustrates the spontaneous appetite for God through contemporary cultural analogies — anticipation for Cowboys game snacks and the craving for In-N-Out Burger — to make Lewis's abstract claim viscerally accessible

So what he's saying is, as excited as you get to anticipate all the snacks for the Cowboys game. That is the same amount of joy you should have and more for being in the presence of God. Or this is probably a little more helpful for you because it is for me. It's like when you see in and out past all these whataburgers, there's that delight, this joy, this desperation. I need that that will satisfy. Sorry, I won't go there. Brent Clark told me you need to repent on the spot after I said that in the first service.

8 · Asserts that the primary reason for gathering is encountering God himself, not the secondary benefits of fellowship or ministry

But guys, when God's people gather, his presence is with them. There are lots of benefits to Sunday mornings. We can list a million of them. Seeing our friends enjoying fellowship over coffee and donuts, seeing our kids being discipled in our wonderful kids ministry. These are all wonderful things. But the reason we go to church is to experience the living God and to worship him. I love what Spurgeon says about this. He says, some go to church to take a walk. Some go there to laugh and talk. Some go there to meet a friend. Some go there their time to spend. Some go there to meet a lover. Some go there a fault to cover. Some go there for speculation. Some go there for observation. Some go there to doze and nod. The wise go there to worship God. God is holy. God is highly exalted. He is infinite in power and worth. There is no nothing in all of creation like our God.

9 · Introduces Psalm 84:3's sparrow imagery and establishes the shocking claim that God's majestic dwelling welcomes even the lowliest creatures, setting up the gospel application

And you wonder who could possibly be in the presence of a God like this? Guys? Verse three gives us a shocking answer that is sure to move our hearts from duty to delight. Look at verse three. The psalmist writes, even the sparrow finds a home in the swallow, a nurse for herself, a nest for herself, where she may lay her young at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God. That's shocking. God's grand house is welcoming to the lowliest of creatures. What he's saying is he's using these simple animals to illustrate a very profound and amazing gospel rich, grace infused truth.

10 · Extended personal narrative of conversion from CEO churchgoer to committed believer, illustrating the duty-to-delight transformation through the preacher's own experience of grace at a youth retreat

I wanted to share a personal story of my own life, of how church was really a duty for over half my life, and how the Lord just transformed my heart to see it as a delight. I was considered a CEO church goer growing up. Is there any other CEO churchgoers which is a Christmas and Easter churchgoer? Anyone? Well, that was me growing up. And my thoughts, my honest thoughts when it came to my position in the church was this. I'm not good enough for that. I'm not nowhere clean enough to be there. I just don't belong there where they are. So when I was a senior in high school, guys, I was just controlled by sins that just took the driver's seat of my life. Lust, pride. These things led to just an overwhelming amount of guilt that was just far too great for me to carry. So what happened my senior year in high school was my sweet grandma Cathy said, alec, the church is having a youth winter camp. Do you want to go? And I said, no, I'm okay, grandma. Thanks, though, for asking. That was kind. But like all great grandmas, she was persistent. And she asked and she asked and she asked until I finally gave in and said, okay, grandma, I'll go for you. That is the duty of grandsons, apparently. And I didn't know it yet, but that weekend, guys, is when my life just turned upside down. And when I look back at it now, it was really. My life was turned right side up. I remember my first night there. We were in the middle of a small group, and because I didn't even want to be there. So you just imagine me. I'm just so uncomfortable there. And I remember the youth group speaking, and I just, like a jerk, I rudely interrupted him, and I said, hey, man, I'm so sorry, but I have so much guilt, so much shame. I don't feel worthy of being here. And, guys, what he ended up doing and what his response was. He just shared the gospel with me. And the Lord just opened my eyes, and I saw that there's a savior who can wash me white as snow, who can forgive me of all the bad I had done and who welcomes me and gives me new life. Guys, I didn't know that my eyes, I couldn't see. I was blind that weekend. This was just the cherry on the top. That weekend. We were just spending time in worship. And in between songs, people could just pray as they felt led to pray. And I remember in between some of the songs, these high school boys who, honestly, I wanted nothing to do with going into that trip. I was like, I don't care to be your friend. But these high school boys were praying over me, saying, lord, we're so thankful that you brought Alec here to hear the gospel. We're so thankful that it became sweet to him because I went up that mountain with an understanding. That church was about duty and obligation. You just do it. But I came down that mountain full of delight, knowing there was nothing I wanted to do with the rest of my life than love the Lord and love his people. Nothing. The Lord is so good.

11 · Draws the theological claim from the conversion narrative: all believers share the same testimony of sinners welcomed by grace, and this shared identity should produce amazement at being permitted to worship

And it was at that mountain that I learned. Yes, that is true. I could never be good enough. But that's where the gospel sweetly came in and said, but Jesus was more than enough for you guys. That just transformed my life that one weekend. But here's the thing. My testimony is very similar to your testimony. We are sinners welcomed into the family of a gracious, loving and merciful God. Amen. The fact that God welcomes us, guys, that should change how we understand the church gathering. We should be amazed that we are even here worshiping the Lord. That's just crazy to me. I never could have pictured my life being one that's like, Lord, my life is yours. I want to be all in with you. I never would have pictured that. But that's what the Lord does when we experience him. He transforms our hearts.

12 · Returns to Psalm 84:3-4 to ground the theological claim in the text, defining delight as the outward evidence of a personal relationship with God

Guys, look back at verse three. The thought of these lowly birds in such a glorious place. This is shocking. This is shocking. But this image of the sparrow is a reminder every single Sunday when we come to church that we have been welcomed with open arms by a loving God who has saved us. Knowing who God is and what he has done for us moves us in our hearts from duty to delight. And delight is the outward expression and evidence of someone who has, who knows and has experienced a personal relationship with God and who cannot wait to be with the Lord and his people. Verse four sums it up well. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise.

13 · Invites self-examination through a diagnostic question, asking the congregation to assess their current position on the duty-to-delight spectrum

Question for you when it comes to the church gathering on Sunday mornings. One to ten. If one is duty, ten is delighted. What number would you give yourself? What is kind of that? If you were to take up the sum lately of man, am I leaning towards duty or delight? Where are you? Honestly, where are you?

14 · Introduces the second major point by expounding Psalm 84:5, explaining that the highways-to-Zion imagery describes an inner orientation toward God that produces both faithful striving and dependent neediness

Another reason God uses Sundays to move us from duty to delight is point number two. Sunday is a day of strengthening. In verse five, God's word says, blessed are those whose strength is in you. In whose heart are the highways to Zion? Again, some very vivid imagery that is helping them here. Highways were what they traveled on on their way to Jerusalem. So what he's saying is, those whose hearts are the highways to Zion, those are the ones who find their strength in the Lord. So what he's saying with this, their highway is a heart to the Lord. What he's saying is they have this inner compass in their heart that is constantly just pointing to the Lord. They are faithfully striving to the Lord. And not only are they just trying to seek the Lord and follow him with their lives, they also know oh, man, all this baggage I got, all these heavy, weary things, that's where I'm going to take them to him. I will take my needs and my weaknesses to God. I love what moody says here. Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant coming and asking. The way to trouble God is not to come at all.

15 · Provides historical context for Psalm 84 as a pilgrimage song, explaining how the Israelites used corporate singing to remind themselves of God's strength during difficult travel

Guys, when these guys traveled, they didn't have air conditioned cars. They didn't have podcasts. They did not have music. What they had, what their entertainment was on their travels to Jerusalem was singing together. Psalm 84 was a song to be sung together to inspire delight on their way to the temple. And so when verse five is sung, what they are doing is they are reminding themselves it's a joy to go find our strength in the Lord, that we don't have to look elsewhere, that we can find it in one place that is with the Lord. So, as you can imagine, a very necessary reminder, especially for those long journeys to Jerusalem. God welcomes our neediness, and he covers them with strength.

16 · Expounds Psalm 84:6's valley-of-Baca imagery, establishing that God often transforms duty to delight through difficulty, using the historical experience of finding springs in desert valleys during pilgrimage

Further imagery here. Put your eyes on verse six. Here he writes, as they go through the valley of Bacca, they make it a place of springs. The early rain also covers it with pools, and they go from strength to strength. Each one appears before God and Zion church. God moves us from duty to delight, but he often does it in ways that we would never think. He often does it through difficulty and challenges that we go through in our lives. It is unknown where this valley of Baca is, but it's assumed that like most valleys in the region, it's a very dry place in the desert. So these images of the valley, the wilderness, these dry places, the deserts, they're very familiar with God's people because they constantly were walking through them, seeing them all around them all the time. And while traveling, they would often get tired. There were times they didn't want to keep going. There were times they wondered, why did we even start in the first place? But then on their travels, they would see a spring of water, and that would provide exactly the strength they needed. Relief from the heat, rest from the traveling hydration to the body.

17 · Extended marathon analogy illustrating how provision sustains endurance during difficult journeys, with water stations functioning as the springs of Psalm 84:6

Just by a show of hands, is anyone here into running? Do they like running? Do they enjoy running? Even if you don't enjoy running, do you run? Okay. By a show of hands, who here has done a five k? Okay, quite a bit of us. A half marathon. Anyone there? Okay, some more people. Half marathons. Full marathons. Okay, we got some beasts over here. Iron man. Has anyone ever done an ironman? Well, I remember one time a few years ago back, Amanda had this idea, hey, let's go run a half marathon together. I said, okay, sure, let's do it. When is it? She's like, it's in six months. Great. Got plenty of time to train for this church. Did we train for it? No, not at all. And there were many times while running this marathon where I asked myself, self, why are we even doing this? Self, I can't believe you paid money to do this. And what's funny is while you're running a marathon, there comes a point where your legs are just like concrete, like trunks, and you're just like, man, I cannot go longer. But as you're running, all of a sudden you start to hear something. And then as you get a little closer to it, you notice this is music. And then there is cheering going on. And what this is is it's a water station. People are running to you, handing you water, cheering you on, and you're just like, oh, yeah, I could do this. I can do this. 20 more miles. Let's go. I don't know if I would finish the race with a delightful attitude. If it wasn't for these water stations, I think I would cross that finish line in a very, very grumpy, grumpy mood.

18 · Applies the marathon analogy to the Christian life as pilgrimage, asserting that God uses the corporate gathering as a unique means of strengthening believers for the journey to their eschatological home

Because christian life is like a marathon. It is a pilgrimage. We are journeying to our forever home. This is all temporary. We are on our way to be in the presence of our savior forever. The journey is joyful, but if we are honest, it has seasons of difficulty as well. There are times we think, I just can't go on. But then God provides a spring to sustain us. He provides rest when we are weary. So another reason why Sunday is the best day of the week is because God uses the church gathering as one of many means he uses to strengthen us. And don't get me wrong, you can be strengthened in the Lord, in your personal time in prayer, in your personal time in God's word as you are worshiping God. That is true. Yes, and amen. Do that. But there is something unique and special to God about the Sunday morning gathering of his people. It's special to him. Psalm 84. During this time, they lived all over Israel, but God desired that they would all come to one place together to worship him. We see here at cross of grace, we all come from the northeast, the west side, the east side, all over our city to come to one place to worship together, to worship the Lord. We see this trajectory of where the Bible is going. In revelation five, when John hears that every creature in heaven and on earth is worshiping God. When God gathers us to himself on Sunday mornings, we are fortified in our faith.

19 · Invites self-examination through rhetorical questions designed to surface the congregation's own testimony of growth through difficulty sustained by God's strength

There's another question for you. If you look back on your life, would you say you have grown more in difficulty or in ease? Probably difficulty, right. So during those times of difficulty, did the Lord sustain you? Did he give you strength that wasn't of you?

20 · Returns to Psalm 84:6 and illustrates the life-producing power of water in dry places through a personal observation from the preacher's backyard ponding area

The psalm reads that as they go through the valley of Baka, what happens? It becomes covered in springs, in pools of water. And when pools of water form over dry ground growth, life happens. So over on the west side, in my backyard, I have one of those ponding areas where once it rains, all the water from the mountain comes down into there. And I'm super thankful for it because it's fun to watch all the animals that fly around everywhere and that they'll never build behind my backyard. So I appreciate that, that no one's looking into me all the time. But when it rains, I mean, this ponding area, it's just rocks and dirt. There's nothing back there. All it does is catch water. But when it rains and the water subsides, all of a sudden there is, like, these lush, wild plants everywhere. It looks like a mini jungle. I'm just like, where did this come from? I did not know that could come out of what was already there.

21 · Asserts that valleys are where believers learn to cry out, know God, and trust him — trusting being a learned capacity developed over time, not an instant achievement

When we're out of the valley, sorry. In the valley, here's what happens. We learn how to cry out to God. In the valley, we learn who God is. In the valley, we learn how to trust God. Guys, trusting God is not just a light switch, all right? Do it. It takes time. You learn how. Do I trust you, Lord? More and more, we learn how to find our strength in the Lord. And when we're out of the valley, we look back and we just don't. We appreciate those seasons. Don't we thank God for what blossomed out of those difficult situations?

22 · Personal testimony from a recent discipleship conversation illustrating how looking back on valleys reveals God's provision of springs at the point of exhaustion

Well, Friday mornings are when I meet with some buddies for discipleship. And this past Friday, a brother and I, we just spent time talking together, looking back at some very difficult valleys that he and I had been walking through lately, because the things that we have walked through were really hard. They were really painful. There were moments where he was like, both of us were just like, man, I don't know if I could go any further. I'm tapped out. But then we also spent time looking back and marveling at all the ways that God gave us strength when we had none left. All those ways God sustained us were these springs of water that God provided at just the right time when we needed it most.

23 · Concretizes what springs look like in the Sunday gathering: preaching, worship, intercessory prayer, and witnessing the perseverance of others who have walked through valleys

Springs on Sunday morning can look like God speaking to us through Ricky or Steve's preaching, we can experience refreshment for our hearts as John, Andrew and Neil lead us in, singing gospel truths over our fears and anxieties. We experience the bubblings of springs when we see our friends on Sunday morning and we know they had a hard week and we just say, can I pray for you? We are strengthened when we look around on Sunday mornings worshiping our great God. And we see people that have walked through some deep, dark valleys and they're still here. They're still worshiping the Lord. They're still thanking him for who he is and all that he has done.

24 · Synthesizes the valley-to-springs pattern into the sermon's governing thesis: retrospective gratitude for God's provision in valleys shifts the heart from duty to delight in corporate worship

Guys. When we look back at places that used to be dry but through springs became gardens, our heart's attitude shifts from, I gotta go to church, I get to go to church, I want to go to church. I long to be at church because even when we don't feel like it, what God has done and who he is moves us in our hearts to view it not as a duty, but as a delight. Sundays are the days we as a church family receive strength from the Lord. Guys, our valleys just to encourage you. Our valleys are never wasted, never. The hope we have in God is that he can take even our valleys and use them for our good and his glory.

25 · Signals the structural shift to the third major point and previews the three images (shield, house, sun) that will establish eternal security as the ground of delight

All right, our last point. Sunday is the best day of the week because Sundays remind us that we are forever secure. We're going to look at three images here in verses nine through eleven. First, the image of the shield.

26 · Expounds Psalm 84:9's shield imagery, establishing that a shield is something close at hand that receives the blow meant for the one it protects

Verse nine, behold our shield, o God. Look on the face of your anointed. A shield is usually something that is close at hand, something that's easily accessible, that we can grab, hold on tightly and place in front of us over our hearts, over our bodies. It's something that people, when they grab a shield and when they use it, they are placing all their trust in that shield, saying, do your job and protect me, please. But what else does a shield do? A shield receives the blow that is meant for us. The shield stands before you and imminent death. Without that shield, you are dead. You're done.

27 · Expounds Psalm 84:10's house imagery, arguing that because the psalmist knows he is secure in God's protection, he treasures even the lowest position in God's house over worldly success

Second image is the image of the house. I'll talk about how all this encourages us, I promise. But the image of the house, verse ten for a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. Guys, no wonder why verse ten, he's just like, man. If I get God's protection, I don't care what I do in his house, I will take the lowest position of service as long as he is my shield. He's like, I would rather be shielded as a doorman than be something great in the eyes of the world, seeing all the success beyond outside of God's house. But notice, look how he moves from duty to delight. Here in verse ten, he says, for a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. He says, I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the house of wickedness, my God. Because of God's protection, God's home has become his treasure. Those who see they are secured by God have delight. They begin to love what God loves. They love his house, his altars, his doorsteps. All of it becomes precious to him because God's protection is precious to him.

28 · Extends the house imagery through a series of domestic metaphors emphasizing the security, provision, and perfection of dwelling in God's house

Think about God's house. It has a secure foundation. Its walls are not solid. You don't have to wonder, are things going to fall apart here? The shingles on the roof are unaffected, unlike the many shingles of our homes when they encounter the hurricane winds of El Paso. In God's house, the pantry is always stocked. The beds are the perfect temperature. Not too hot, not too cold. There is no place on earth where we could be happier, not even Disneyland. And I don't know about you guys, there are just Sundays I have here where I'm like, I don't want this to end. I just want to keep being with God's people, worshiping our God together.

29 · Expounds Psalm 84:11's sun imagery by cataloging the sun's attributes through a conversation with the preacher's five-year-old son: it casts out darkness, enables sight, provides warmth, is consistent, and is the source of life

So we got this shield. We got this house. The third image, the image of the sun, verse eleven. For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. What do we know about the sun? Well, I turned to Braxton, my five year old, to help me with this. I said, braxton, what do you know about the sun? And he says, well, the sun casts out darkness with its light. I said, good. He says, the sun helps us to see in the day. I say, good. He's like, it gives us warmth. And he's like, sometimes it's a little too warm here. I'm like, that's okay, but it brings us comfort. What else about the sun? He's like, it's just there. I was like, yeah, it's consistent. It's reliable, right? Sure, it's consistent. We don't have to wonder, is this going to rise today? Is it going to set today. Most importantly, we know that the sun is the source of life.

30 · Synthesizes the sun imagery into a theological claim about God as the source of life and true sight, supported by C

So what this psalmist is saying is God is the source of life who enables true and real sight. That's what God does. Cs Lewis famously says, I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else, because we find everlasting security in God's shelter and protection and we have the delight and joy of basking in his light as our guiding son. Not only that, but the master of the house is so, so generous toward his people. He holds nothing back from his people.

31 · Pivots from exposition of Psalm 84's original context to its New Testament fulfillment by reminding the congregation what the psalm originally celebrated: God's deliverance and provision in the exodus and wilderness

Take a step back. Psalm 84 was written as a song to be sung to delight and inspire people to go and worship the Lord because of what the Lord has done. He saved them from Egypt, he sustained them. He provided. That was what psalm 84 was written for church.

32 · Executes the christological payoff: the shield, house, and sun imagery of Psalm 84 find their fulfillment in Christ, who absorbed God's wrath, gave believers access to God without a temple, and secured eternal joy

How much more so today should psalm 84 produce joy and delight in our hearts? When thinking about the gathering on Sunday mornings, the original singers of psalm 84 long to see, long to have what we have today on this side of the cross. Sunday is the best day of the week because week in and week out, we are reminded that we have a shield in Jesus Christ. Jesus our shield stood between us and received the blow that you and I deserved when he hung up on the cross. Jesus our shield absorbed the holy wrath of God so that those who believed would no longer have to go to a temple to worship God, but the Holy Spirit would then dwell within us. Sunday is the best day of the week because it reminds us that Christ died for the lowliest of sinners. Sunday is the best day of the week because God strengthens us through his word, our worship and one another. Even when suffering and difficulty comes, our eternal joy is secured forever that will never ever be taken from us.

33 · Extends the christological claim into eschatological hope: the same God who provided salvation will sustain believers to the end, when they will be face to face with Christ forever

I have more Sunday is the best day of the week because we are reminded that the same God who has provided salvation for his people is the same God who will sustain us to the end when we are face to face with Jesus Christ in his presence forever. One Peter one eight says, though we do not see him, we love him. Church long for that day when we will be face to face with him forever. Rely on his shield to get us there. God is faithful. He will protect us on this pilgrimage until we have arrived safely home. Sunday reminds us that we are secure, that we are freed from our sins to love God the way we were created to love him. And lastly, Sunday is a reminder that God does not withhold anything good because he gives us what our hearts long for most, what every human being was created for. He gives us himself. Amen.

34 · Returns to Psalm 84:12 and issues a diagnostic question: does Christ as sun and shield move the congregation to delight in the Sunday gathering?

Verse twelve O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you. Church. Does Christ our sun and shield move you to delight? Do you see why Sunday morning is much bigger than just a duty, but a delight that we get to be a part of? Blessed is the one who trusts in goddesse.

35 · Defines trust in the Lord not as passive compliance but as inexpressible joy and delight in a secure relationship with a trustworthy God

And here's the thing. When it comes to trusting the Lord, what trusting the Lord doesn't look like is this nonchalant, lackadaisical attitude. Trusting in the Lord is inexpressible joy and delight. There is no one like our God who welcomes us into a relationship with him that is secure and trustworthy.

36 · Direct evangelistic charge to the unconverted: abandon false shields and turn to Christ for protection

I just want to say, if you are not in Christ, what is the shield that you are holding up thinking will protect you? Behold the shield of God. Jesus Christ offers you his protection today. Would you repent and turn to his protection?

37 · Direct charge to believers: when church feels like duty, remember the four-fold reality of God's relationship to his people — above, before, for, and lavishing love — drawn from Psalm 84's imagery

Love now for those of us who attend church regularly, who would say, I follow Jesus, he is my savior, I am his. We are still going to have days where church is just going to feel like a duty. But may psalm 84 be our guide when we feel church is a duty rather than a delight? Let us remember these four things about psalm 84 God is above you, illuminating your highway as a sun. God is before you, protecting and securing you as a shield. And God is for you, bestowing favor and honor toward his people. And lastly, God is lavishing, he lavishes his love for us, withholding nothing good from us.

38 · Closes the sermon and transitions to prayer

Church let's pray.