By The Abundance Of Your Mercy

Study: # 727 – Church in the Houses From: May 15 – 21, 2012

Theme: "By The Abundance Of Your Mercy" Psalm 5:7 I will not enter to pray and worship in the House of God by my own merits. I do not enter the Lord’s House because I have a great deal of sins that weigh on my consciousness but rather because of the abundance of His mercy. Although we know that David was a devoted man of prayer (vs. 2 and 3), he was also someone constant in his attendance at the sanctuary, at the temple, at the Lord’s House. He was sure that because of so much kindness from God, he should be able to attend the sanctuary and feel there a holy fear before the infinite distance that separates us from our Creator. David knew of this abundance of mercy from God towards him (1 Chronicles 29:3). He acknowledged it and was grateful to God. He had his affection in the House of God. This affection led him to act in "... the Lord’s House." David’s tendency above everything else was for the Lord’s House. That emotion of love towards the Lord’s House was what David was feeling, that affection to God’s manifestation and all of this because of His abundance of mercy towards men. God searched for a specific place so that man would rejoice and for such reason David returned the love, affection for His house. The enthusiasm was shown when painting, while restoring the temple with so much affection, so much love that his eyes were delighted in so much beauty. David had offered of his personal fortune generously for the embellishment and enrichment of the Lord’s House. (V. 2) "With all my strength I have prepared for the house of my God, gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, all kinds of stone, marble in abundance." This act of giving of David was due to the affection and love he felt for the House of God. He did so with all his strength. David knew what war was like and to be exposed to great dangers, that is why he loved the House of the Lord. Psalm 23:6 it’s possible for an unfaithful to visit the House of God once in a while and pray or maybe make a commitment, but nothing else. On the other hand, the merciful live this perpetually; his soul is always found before the throne of grace asking for more grace. The unfaithful pray like the rooster sings. The rooster sings and stops and then sings again and stops again. It does not think about singing again until it does; that is how a wicked man prays and ceases, prays and cease again, his mind does not worry if his prayers are heard or not. He thinks

that God is obligated to listen the first time. But why would that person think that, if he is living a life full of evilness and so far from the house of the only true God. The house of God is not a "settlement place"; it is to have affection towards it with all the strength. It is believed that it is a good practice for the unfaithful to pray in the house of God and therefore, assume that their prayers will be heard. Although, in reality, God never listens to their prayers; they are as if it were about an oxen’s bellow. Where would you like to dwell? In the House of God or far, far away? Psalm 26:8 "I love the house where you live, O Lord." I have loved your house. There was a great preacher who said, "I have an elderly lady in my congregation who has been deaf like a wall or a garden wall for many years (this man she cannot hear), but she is always the first one to sit in the meeting. When she was asked what was the reason of her constant attendance to the temple, she said: "Although I can’t hear the sermon I come to the house of God because I want to come and because I want to be found in His ways and for God to give me sweet thoughts about the text when indicated; another reason is that I am among the best company, here in the immediate presence of God and among His saints, the worthy of this world.” She added:" I am not satisfied with serving God in private, my duty and privilege is to honor Him regularly in public”. What a reprimand there is here for those who can hear who attend church, some show up at the wrong time to the place of worship, others don’t even show up! What we are asking of God! (Psalm 27:4) "One thing I ask of the Lord ..." That all our being be focused on heavenly things! David reveals in this the blessing of the communion of men with God and if a Christian already has this, they desire anything else. I am looking, for the holy desires to seek the Lord that takes a resolute action; I am not looking for anything else in my life but God. The only way to contemplate His beauty is when we seek him. To contemplate Him in His beauty! Don’t seek to be looked at, don’t look for this, seek for God; everything that is in God is beautiful. Psalm 84:10 "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." The worst thing that you could see in God would be the best of the Devil. A sign of being a child of God is being delighted so much in the presence of God. Psalm 122:1 "... I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord." David's heart rejoiced in the worship of God. This is to be a child, not a guest. Glory to God! Amen.