Psalm 84
July 14, 2024
preached by Pastor Doug Cooper
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“Christ died our death, and now in His resurrection He continues to wear our nature forever, and in it He lives for us before the face of God. He could not do more for us than He has done; we need no other resources to enable us to walk through this world into the next. You and I need a Savior who is near us, is one with us, understands us. All of this the Lord Jesus is…”

~ Sinclair Ferguson (1948-present), Scottish professor and author

“The doctrine of the cross is the sun in the system of truth. It is seen by its own light, and throws light upon every other subject.”

“The older I grow, the more I am drawn to preach much concerning the person, the atonement, the glory of the Savior, and the influence of the Holy Spirit. There are other truths, important in their places, but unless beheld through the medium of the cross, they have but a faint effect.”

~ John Newton (1725-1807), Anglican clergyman and abolitionist

“I feel strongly that the God we meet in solitude is always the God who calls us to community.”

“Jesus’ invitation to ‘lay down my life for others’ has always meant more to me than physical martyrdom. I have always heard these words as an invitation to make my own life struggles, my doubt, my hopes, my fears and my joys, my pains and my moments of ecstasy available to others as a source of consolation and healing.”

~ Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer

“There is a lot of love in this world, most of it moderate. But under the blessing of God, gospel doctrine cracks our hearts open to receive something from beyond this world. We see how massive God’s love really is, and so we give up our aloofness and come together to care for one another in real ways, even as God wonderfully cares for us.”

~ Ray Ortlund, contemporary pastor and author

Sermon Passage

Psalm 84 (NIV)

For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

¹ How lovely is your dwelling place, LORD Almighty! ² My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. ³ Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young — a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God. ⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. ⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. ⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. ⁷ They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

⁸ Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob. ⁹ Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.

¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. ¹¹ For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. ¹² LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.