Those Who Love the Church Will Prosper
[Psalm 122]
Among the books written by Philip Yancey, there is one titled "Church: Why Bother?" In this book, the author Philip Yancey speaks about the community within the church, saying: “The fundamental foundation of the Christian community, the love of God that reconciles us, transcends all the nations, races, classes, ages, and genders of the world. Community comes first. The conflicts and issues that divide us come later.” While the church is made up of diverse people, as God’s family, the church must pursue unity in the midst of that diversity. "When everything is different but the same thing unites us, how beautiful the church becomes when we come together as a community!" (Yancey). Personally, I dream of this beautiful community. I dream of a church that, in the midst of diversity, does not divide but faithfully maintains the unity of the Spirit.
Today, in the 6th verse of Psalm 122, we see that the psalmist David says: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure." Here, "Jerusalem" symbolizes the church (Park Yoon-sun). In other words, it is a blessing for those who love the church to prosper. Yes, those who love the church will prosper because God is with them. So, what do those who love the church do? Today, I would like to reflect on two lessons based on this passage.
First, those who love the church rejoice in going to the church.
Look at Psalm 122:1: “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” David rejoiced when his friends invited him to go to the house of the Lord, the temple in Jerusalem. Why was he so joyful?
(1) The first reason is that “what was once destroyed has now been restored” (Park Yun-sun).
When the destroyed temple of Jerusalem was restored, David rejoiced and was glad. This should be our joy as well. Those who love the church must “rejoice and be glad when the fallen church repents and is beautifully restored” (Park Yun-sun). Isn’t this our joy as well? Seeing the church, which had fallen, being cleansed and renewed through true reform. In this process, when the church, the body of Christ, is prepared like a pure bride to welcome the Lord Jesus, the Bridegroom, how much joy will there be in that?
(2) Secondly, the reason the psalmist rejoiced in going up to the house of the Lord, God’s temple, was because he wanted to worship God with a grateful heart.
Let’s look at Psalm 122:4: “The tribes, the tribes of the Lord, go up there, according to the custom of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.” David, seeing the holy city of Jerusalem, the temple of God, restored by the gracious hand of God (Nehemiah 2:18), wanted to go up to the house of the Lord with joy and give thanks, worshiping God. Also, since the city of Jerusalem was populous (Psalm 122:3) and just governance was being practiced (v. 5), David rejoiced and gave thanks to God (Park Yun-sun).
This should be our attitude. When we experience the work of the Lord cleansing and establishing the church, we should go up to the house of the Lord with joy and worship Him in gratitude. Moreover, when the body of Christ, the church, is together, and true revival brings about church growth and the implementation of biblical and righteous church governance, we should go up to the house of the Lord with gratitude, worshiping Him with joy. Only those who love the church and experience the work God is doing in our church can go up to the house of the Lord with joy and a grateful heart to worship God. As we experience the joy of worship, we must love the body of Christ, the church, even more.
Secondly, those who love the church seek peace and prosperity for it.
Let’s look at Psalm 122:6-8: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.” As someone who loved Jerusalem, David blessed the city. The blessing he sought for it was peace and prosperity. Here, “peace” refers to the peace between God and people, as well as the peace among people. In other words, those who love Jerusalem seek the blessing of peace for it. In this way, those who love Jerusalem, while seeking the blessing of peace, the psalmist also longed for God’s blessing of prosperity.
If we love the church, we must bless it. But in blessing the church, as those who love it, we must also seek the peace of the church. The characteristic of the body of Christ, the church, which the Lord builds and where He is present, is peace (Park Yun-sun). There must be spiritual peace within the church. Not only peace in our relationship with God but also peace between the members of the church. In this context, the body of Christ, the church, must prosper because the Lord, Emmanuel, is with us.
In hymn 246, "My Lord’s Kingdom," the lyrics of verses 1-3 are as follows:
(Verse 1) “I will always love my Lord, His temple, and His church, which He bought with His own blood.”
(Verse 2) “The church of my Lord is like a treasure, He guards it like the apple of His eye, always protecting it.”
(Verse 3) “For this church, with tears and prayers, I will serve with my life until the end.”
We, who love the church as the body of Christ, should rejoice and be glad as we see the church becoming a pure and spotless church, like the bride of the Lord, the Bridegroom. When we witness the Lord’s work in building His church, we should ascend to His temple with joy and worship Him with gratitude. Moreover, we must seek the peace of the church we love. In seeking God's peace, we must also seek peace in our relationships as brothers and sisters. In doing so, we should ask for blessings for our brothers and sisters in the church (v. 9). We pray that our church may be filled with God's peace and prosperity.
With a desire to love the church even more,
Pastor James Kim
(Sharing this morning, remembering the faithful grace of the Lord on this new day)