A Highway to Heaven (Part 1)

If you've been with us for a while, you know we are in a summer series on how to be happy according to the Bible, and if you'd like a sermon outline, didn't get one, just raise your hand.

Our ushers would be happy to give you one.

You can tell where I'm at in the sermon and then anticipate when it's all over.

Let me ask you is it still hot outside?

I came in really early when it was really cool.

Is it still hot out there?

Okay, and it was really cool.

Is it still hot out there?

Okay, many of you may realize that we are officially in summer, but there may be some here who may not be sure yet.

So let me tell you how you know it's summer.

You know it's summer when the best parking places are determined by shade instead of distance.

You know it's summer when hot water comes out of both taps.

And also you learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron makes a pretty good branding iron.

You know it's summer when the temperature drops below or drops to 95, you feel a little chilly.

And you know it's summer when you realize that asphalt has a liquid state.

And finally, you know it's summer when you see your kids roasting marshmallows out the house window, and this summer we've been talking about a hot topic.

The biblical phrase blessed is the one We've been calling this blessedness a heavenly happiness, a happiness that God gives when we follow his ways.

It's like a little taste of heaven right now, experiences where we find ourselves filled up with joy, with God's presence, knowing that he's with us, he's for us and he is going to help us Today and next time.

This is a two-part sermon.

Today and next time we're going to be looking at another one of God's kingdom blessings in Psalm 84.

If you've bought a Bible and you want to follow along in the scripture, feel free to turn to Psalm 84.

I'm just going to look at a few verses this morning.

Psalm 84, beginning in verse 1.

God the bird also has found a house and a swallow and nest for herself where she may lay her young.

Even your altars, o Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

How blessed are those who dwell in your house.

They are ever praising you, selah.

How blessed is the man whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

This passage is helping us understand the blessing of finding our strength in the Lord.

We'll talk about that this morning.

First we'll look at the setting of our strength in this psalm, then we'll look at the source of our strength and then finally, we'll see the secret of our strength in the Lord.

First, the setting of our strength and then, finally, we'll see the secret of our strength in the Lord.

First, the setting of our strength.

I've got to set the setting for Psalm 84.

It's really meant to help people worship Yahweh.

It was written by, we're told, the sons of Korah.

The sons of Korah were Levites who were children of the Korah, who rebelled against Moses in Numbers 26, and they were immediately judged by God.

However, korah's sons learned from what happened to their patriarch and became very humble, godly, faithful priests who served in the temple worship and in Israel's army.

If you look through the psalm, you can see these references throughout Psalm 84 concerning the temple, and it serves to emphasize the importance that sons of Korah want to give us to the idea of worship from this psalm See verse one, the dwelling places.

Verse two, the courts of the Lord.

Verse three, thine altars.

Verse four, thy house, thy courts, verse 10,.

Verse 10, the house of my God.

Some of the sons of Korah were musicians, actually like Asaph, ethan and Heman.

They all wrote different psalms.

In the psalms.

Every once in a while catch their name at the superscript of a psalm.

They all wrote songs, and most of the sons of Korah, though, were linked to the temple, and they were gatekeepers in the temple, the dwelling place of God.

What's interesting about the sons of Korah?

They were also part of Israel's army.

So we see military terms in this Psalm, where verse one, the Lord of hosts the word hosts in Hebrew is actually armies.

So the Lord of heavenly armies.

Verse 3, o Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

Verse 9, behold our shield.

Verse 11, our Lord is a son and a shield.

Verse 12, o Lord of hosts.

All military kind of concepts in thism due to the fact that the sons of Korah were also in Israel's army.

All of that is the setting for this, really a threefold invitation in Psalm 84 to experience God's heavenly blessing.

The formula blessed is the man is mentioned three times.

Verse four how blessed are those who dwell in your house.

They are ever praising you, selah.

Verse five how blessed is the man whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion?

In verse 12, how blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Now.

So this psalm, all three of them are connected together, and when you put them together, you discover the key to experience a little taste of heaven.

Now let's turn to what Psalm 84 says about the source of our strength.

That's the context of what they're going to talk about.

Now let's look at the actual point of the psalm, and the main idea of God's blessing occurs in verse 5.

How blessed is the man whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

Now this blessing is right in the middle of the other two.

It's sandwiched there between the other two blessings and connected to them.

What does it mean that?

The Lord of the other two?

It's sandwiched there between the other two blessings and connected to them.

What does it mean that the Lord is the source of our blessing?

First, it tells us what isn't the source of our blessing.

If we want to experience the blessing of heaven, the source of our strength is not our own wisdom or willpower.

The source of our strength isn't the power we hold, the riches we have or the achievements we've made.

The source of our strength isn't the government and it isn't the human authorities.

There's a huge contrast when we start comparing our own strength with God's strength In ourselves.

The scriptures are clear.

We do not have the power in ourselves, as sinners, to live as God would want us to.

Don't have the power In ourselves, we don't even have enough power to overcome spiritual assaults and temptations of sin.

Jesus said in John 6, 63, it's the spirit who gives life.

The flesh profits nothing, and the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

When I think of how limited my strength is compared to God's, I think I right away think of the physics principle of hydraulics.

If I tried to lift my car with my hands, I would fail, no matter how many times I tried.

But you know what?

I've got a two-and-a-half-tongue hydraulic jack and when I put that under my car I can effortlessly lift my car with one finger, and I've had to do that many times.

The Lord is like that hydraulic jack.

When we need strength, it's not merely he's not merely talking about physical strength that the Lord gives, but an inner listen, an inner spiritual strength of soul that is courageous, resolved and confident.

That's the Lord's strength and that's what this psalm is talking about.

King David, you see, once hit a very rough patch in his life, life In 1 Samuel 30,.

He is on the run from King Saul, who's trying to kill him and stop him from taking the throne of Israel, throne of Judah.

And so David fled.

He took cover for a while among the Philistines, until the Philistines discovered he was there.

They remembered he's the one who killed our champion Goliath, so he's in danger now.

So David then fled, with several hundred of his followers, back to their camp, which was at this place called Ziklag.

And when David and his men returned to Ziklag, the Amalekites had attacked the city.

They found the city burned to the ground, their wives and children taken along with all the possessions David had and his men had.

Not a good situation.

And here's what 1 Samuel 3,.

I'm just going to read this for you to get the sense, because it's connected directly to what we're talking about this morning in Psalm 84.

It's 1 Samuel 30, verses 4 to 10.

1 Samuel 30:4–10

Then David and the people were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.

Now David's two wives had been taken captive Ahinoam the Jezreelites, and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.

Moreover, david was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him.

For all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters, but David strengthened himself in the Lord, his God.

Then David said to Abiathar, the priest, the son of Ahimelech, please bring me the ephod.

So Abiathar brought the ephod to David and David inquired of the Lord, saying shall I pursue this man?

Shall I overtake them?

And he said pursue, you'll surely overtake them, you'll surely rescue all.

So David went out, he and the 600 men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor where they left, where those left behind remained.

But David pursued.

He and 400 men, for 200 who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor remain behind.

They're all exhausted, they've lost everything.

They want to stone their leader.

David's under huge stress, he's exhausted and burned out.

His own men want to kill him, but David could go on and others were not able.

Why how?

Verse 6, david strengthened himself in the Lord, his God, and he rallied his men, defeated the Amalekites, recovered everything that had been taken and brought it back by God's power and provision.

You see, when we experience strength in the Lord that's described in Psalm 84, we're going to get a little taste of heaven.

We realize it's God who's doing this.

The Apostle Paul, by the way, learned that his own strength was no match for life's challenges, as we probably understand as well.

But like David, he learned the secret of facing anything with a little divine hydraulics.

Philippians 4, 12 and 13,.

Paul says I know how to get along with humble means.

I know how to live in prosperity In any and every circumstance.

I've learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, of both having abundance and suffering.

Need you know what that is?

I can do all things by my own power.

No, in him who strengthens me?

What's the secret of finding our strength?

In the Lord?

I believe that Psalm 84 gives us a clue.

Let's look at it.

The secret of our strength, having strength in the Lord, is linked.

Don't miss this.

It's really the whole ball of wax this week and next week.

It's directly linked to praising God from our heart.

Psalm 84, 4 and 5.

How blessed are those who dwell in your house.

They are ever praising you, selah.

How blessed is the man whose strength is in you and whose heart are the highways to Zion.

This is where we need strength, strength of heart when times get tough.

We don't have that kind of strength.

Let's unpack that a bit.

Now you've got to keep in mind the Psalms are songs and they're poetry.

They're using analogies to describe realities and truths of our life.

This is an analogy.

The psalmist is using an analogy of a highway to describe our relationship to the Lord in the context of worship.

A highway in the scripture describes a route to get from one place to another.

Now, in ancient days, highways were literally highways.

It was a road raised up above the surrounding area.

Highways were not found in cities.

In the cities they're called streets or roads, but highways were found, were the main routes between cities.

In ancient days, interesting, a highway was raised as the result of a military conquest over a people over here in this city.

So they connected for commerce and so on with a highway a result of a military conquest Opened up.

We just opened it up.

Now, when God comes to visit us, he makes a highway.

He doesn't come on a little path, he's going to make a highway.

And Isaiah is filled with this image as well.

Isaiah 40, verses 3 to 5.

Isaiah 40:3–5

A voice is calling Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness, make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

Let every valley be lifted up and every mountain and hill be laid low.

We're making a highway here for the Lord.

And let the rough ground become a plain and rugged terrain, a broad valley.

Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all flesh, flesh will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord is spoken.

It's just one place where you see this sense, where the Lord comes to visit us on a highway, not a little path, and this analogy in Psalm 84,.

You know where this highway leads it goes from our heart to a place called Zion, and that is where we find our strength.

Why is Zion mentioned?

In ancient Israel, zion was a poetic term.

It was an actual, real place on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, but it became a poetic code word for worship.

You know why?

Because that was the place they worshiped.

That's where the temple was Zion.

Psalm 84, 7, verse 7, they go on from strength to strength.

Every one of them appears before God in Zion.

In Zion, you see, in the context of worship, we're connecting to God's presence from our heart by praising him.

That's the point of Psalm 84.

Our heart is the link between heaven and earth.

The Lord opened that connection so our heart could reach him as a result of a military conquest over the forces of evil and we see that ultimately finally eternally fulfilled.

When God opened that highway wide open with Christ's victory over sin and death on the cross, he made a highway.

We'll talk about that in a minute.

Now note that the link between heaven and earth, the way opened up in our heart, is a highway.

It's not a cow path or a little trail.

It's a highway that God made for us so we could directly connect to him in worship.

The final piece to understand here about how we can experience the blessing of the Lord's strength in us is by considering and again I've hinted at it what's the traffic on this highway?

The traffic on this highway, the traffic on this highway.

Our heartfelt praises to God and that's where our strength in him is found.

Psalm 84, 4,.

How blessed are those who dwell in your house.

They are ever praising you, selah.

Right after that is where our hearts blessed is the man whose strength is in you, whose hearts are to Zion.

The sons of Korah are writing this psalm to help us worship the Lord, and they said there's an added blessing to really understanding worship and worshiping the Lord from the heart.

You know what that blessing is Strength, inner soul, strength, courage, resolve, confidence, knowing the Lord is with you.

He's working in your life and in your circumstances, just like David had.

There's a couple of references to heart and soul.

See this inner person in us.

Verse 2,.

My soul longed for, yearned to be in worship in the courts of the Lord.

If our heart's not engaged in connecting with God in worship, then we haven't understood what's going on.

Verse 2, again, my heart and my flesh sing for joy from the heart.

Some of us sing for joy from the lips.

That's fine, but are you doing it from your heart?

Do you really engage in who God is and what he's doing in your life?

Finding the Lord's strength, even in impossible situations, is found in a heart of worship to the Lord.

I can think of no better example really, the Lord.

I can think of no better example really than as we listen to Paul and Silas in prison in Acts, chapter 16, which we'll get to one day, by the way Acts 16, 25 and 26, midnight, paul and Silas are praying and they're singing hymns of praise.

Acts 16 · chapter mention

They're in a dungeon, they're chained up, they're singing praises to God.

You know what they're going to experience strength, resolve, confidence, even joy, singing hymns of praise to God and the prisoners were listening to them, probably thinking what are they doing, and suddenly there came a great earthquake.

So the foundations of the prison house were shaken and immediately all the doors were open and everyone's chains were unfastened.

God loves the context of our praises.

It shakes things up, it strengthens the inner person.

Now let me ask you when you come to church you came this morning do you ever feel spiritually lifted up and energized by the singing of songs of praise to God, by prayers from our heart to God, listening to the word of life, energized?

I've heard some of you tell me this.

Well, make the connection.

See, when you do, when you actually are energized, lifted up.

When you come in to worship God, you are on the entrance ramp to the highway to Zion, where you'll taste a little bit of heaven and receive strength you didn't have before you will.

Psalm 84, 5,.

How blessed is the man whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

So begins by you know, there's a lot that can hinder us from this heart of worship.

Really, we have to intentionally and consciously open our hearts to the Lord, really immersing ourselves in who he is His glory, his majesty, his power, his character, enlarging our heart to Him and praising Him, and it will supply the strength.

He will supply the strength we need.

I love what Nehemiah 8.10 says.

Many of you have memorized it.

But again, the people were not exactly happy that day.

There was a lot going on as they rebuilt the wall in Jerusalem.

And Nehemiah 8.10 says For this day is holy to our God.

They've gathered together to worship, but they're not very happy.

And so this day is holy to the Lord.

Whenever we gather to worship the Lord, it's a holy time.

We're in the Lord's presence and he knows our hearts, he knows our thoughts, he knows what's going on.

He wants to take care of us.

If we'll let him.

Opening our heart, opening our heart with praise, for this day is holy to our Lord, don't be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Again, he's not talking about physical strength necessarily.

He's talking about this inner soul strength that literally, you feel energized and ready and meet the world.

We find the secret of this blessing, as that Psalm 84, 4 and 5 says, we find the secret is in constant praise.

So even if you're outside the context of worshiping together here, you can still engage in worshiping the Lord and praising him wherever you are, just like David did.

This is, I believe, what David did in 1 Samuel 30.

Everything's going against him.

His people want to stone him.

He lost everything, he's exhausted, but the text says he strengthened himself in the Lord, his God, and then rallied the troops.

What did he do?

I believe it was praise oh God, you are almighty, only God, only God, you are the almighty, praise you.

Now we're not done with this psalm.

There's so much more in part two.

I hope you can return for it.

The amazing thing is, though, that God is the one who opened a highway to heaven in the first place.

In fact, ultimately, we see that when Jesus died for our sins on the cross.

As I said, god has given us a way to get from here to there, right in our heart, through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

And, by the way, there's only one, and only one highway to heaven.

That is through faith in Jesus, who said John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

Paul in Romans 10 says it well If you confess with your mouth, jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you'll be saved.

For with the heart a person believes, just as a person worships, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

For the scripture says whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.

So I invite you, I urge you, I plead with you believe in Jesus as your Savior, and God will establish a highway in your heart directly to him, through Jesus, and that ultimately, by the way, will take you right into heaven one day, to be with him forever.

Let's pray, father, thank you that you sent Jesus, who provided a way for us to come to you in your presence, to be with you when he died for our sins and rose again.

Thank you for that.

Thank you for the blessing of eternal life you give to all who believe in him.

Help us, lord.

I pray to experience the joyful blessing of your strength that David and others, apostle Paul, experienced as they gave their hearts over to praising you and worship you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent.

I pray in his name, amen.