172: Mark Lloyd - Exhortation: I'd Rather Be A Doorkeeper

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Welcome to Good Christadelphian Talks. I'm Levi. And I'm Chris. And I'm Brian. Thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one talk a week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post a new episode at the start of each week with a short intro beforehand to kind of set the stage for the talk you're about to listen to.

2. 0:33

   And now, let's talk more about this week's talk. Welcome to the Good Christadelphian Talks podcast. This is Brother Brian. This week's talk is one that we received by recommendation. It's an exhortation by Brother Mark Lloyd called, I'd Rather Be a Doorkeeper. And this was given of May of this past year, 2021, at the Eastern Suburbs Ecclesia in Western Australia.

3. 1:14

   Brother Mark takes his thoughts from Psalm 84 and the remarks made from the Sons of Korah. And this jumped out to me right away because this was actually the workbook study at the Manitoulin Youth Conference in 2016, which was the last year that my wife Rachel and I went. And so I really appreciated the backstory of the Psalms of the Sons of Korah in the first place.

4. 1:39

   That was my mindset going into this talk. And then I listened to it. And this exhortation hit me square in the mouth in all the right ways. It touches on a lot of practical reminders about what it takes to be able to keep ourselves unspotted from the world and what an honor it is for us to be able to bear the name of Christ.

5. 2:06

   And after personally what I felt was a really rough year, I felt like I'd just been wearing the weight of the world and letting things slide. And so that so much of what Brother Mark lays out, it's familiar words of warning, familiar words of encouragement, but I found that it was the way that he presents it within the scope of the role of being a doorkeeper for God that just hits on all the right notes.

6. 2:39

   And as I think many of us are, we're looking forward to the new year as an opportunity for a reset and hopefully prayerfully for this year to be the year of our Lord's return. And so I found the message about, you know, needing to become a tone setter for our thoughts, for our speech, a tone setter for our families, for our ecclesias, to just be like the exact words that I needed to hear.

7. 3:10

   And hopefully this will be powerful for you as well. Brother Mark includes a few amazing little sayings and quips that are like Sunday school quote worthy. And then he ends with a surprise five minute poem that I found to be incredibly moving. So, as always, we hope this strengthens your faith and brightens your day.

8. 3:38

   Brother Mark Lloyd, I'd rather be a doorkeeper. As you've probably worked out, the theme that we're going to take for this morning comes from verse 10 of the chapter we read, the psalm we read this morning. It says, For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

9. 4:04

   Psalm 84 is one of the 11 psalms written by the sons of Korah. It's a psalm of praise to Yahweh and of gratitude for the exalted position that the psalmist found himself in.

10. 4:22

    I want to have a look this morning at why the psalmist makes this statement and why he wanted to be a doorkeeper. Before we do that, we need to go back and have a brief look at the Korahites, who were the writers of the psalm, see who they were, where they came from, and where they ended up.

11. 4:48

    So in Numbers 3, God set aside the Levites out of all the tribes of Israel for full-time service to him. They were ordained to take care of the tabernacle and all its implements, including the Ark of the Covenant. The three sons of Levi were Gershom, Merari, and Coath. The Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle, the curtains in the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard, and the ropes.

12. 5:26

    The Merariites were appointed to take care of the frame of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, and all the tabernacle equipment in relation to the building itself, as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard, their bases, pegs, and ropes. Now, the Coathites were given the task of taking care of the sanctuary itself.

13. 5:52

    They were responsible for the care of the Ark, the table of showbread, the lampstand, both altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, and the veil. All three sons were under the direct supervision of Eliezer, the son of Aaron.

14. 6:11

    Unlike the Gershonites and the Merarites, who were allowed to transport the items in their care on carts, the Coathites had to carry the holy things of the tabernacle on their shoulders. They had the honour of transporting these items from place to place as the camp moved, but they were not allowed to actually touch the items or they would die.

15. 6:38

    Unfortunately, over time, many of the Coathites began to disdain this task and began to covet the role of the priests. We know this from the actions of Korah and his rebellion. Now, Korah was the grandson of Coath and he joined in rebellion with Dathan, Abiron, and On, who were Reubenites. along with a selection of 250 princes from all the other tribes of Israel.

16. 7:10

    Now, we know they were all destroyed by Yahweh in their rebellion and in their setting up of a false worship in opposition to God.

17. 7:21

    Now, this spelt the end of Korah and his family. But we find in Numbers 29, verses 9 to 11, that Korah's sons refused to join in the revolt and they separated themselves from their father and from the others in that revolt. By doing so, they were spared from the punishment that God inflicted on their father and the others of that rebellion.

18. 7:50

    After the rebellion of their father, his sons, the Korahites, continued to carry the holy things of the tabernacle. Now, during the time of King David, the Korahites also became leaders in choral and orchestral music in the tabernacle. Heman, the Korahite, had a place of great importance as a singer, along with Asaph, a Gershonite, and Ethan, or Juduthin, a Mararite.

19. 8:21

    their role was also to be doorkeepers. No, I've skipped a line there, sorry. Because of their faith, the sons of Korah, because of their faith and moving away from their father's revolt, were rewarded. And they were not only allowed to continue to carry the things of the tabernacle, but they were given the honour of becoming porters or guards for the tabernacle and later on for the temple.

20. 9:00

    Their role was to be doorkeepers. They were responsible for opening, closing, and guarding the doors. And we find that from 1 Chronicles 9. Just turn back to 1 Chronicles 9. and verse 19.

21. 9:30

    It says, I think I've got here from the complete Jewish Bible. That's okay. Shalom, the son of Korah, as well as the other men of the Korahite clan, guarded the entrance to the temple, just as their ancestors had guarded the entrance to the sacred tent. Phinehas, son of Eliezer, had supervised their work because Yahweh was with him.

22. 9:56

    Zechariah, son of Mishalamiah, was also one of the guards at the temple. And verse 27. Their ancestors had been chosen by King David and by Samuel, the prophet, to be responsible for this work. And now they guarded the temple gates. They guarded the temple day and night and opened its doors every morning.

23. 10:23

    So with that background in mind, it's easy for us to understand why the Korahite who wrote Psalm 84 says, Verse 10 is a direct reference to what happened to their ancestor. The sons of Korah heard Moses say to all those who were camped around them, Leave the tents of these wicked men. Don't touch anything that belongs to them or you may be swept away in all their sins.

24. 11:09

    That's Numbers 16 verse 26. His sons had walked away from rebellion, left family and friends behind and then watched while they were destroyed. They had an incredible respect for Yahweh and the service they were doing. And for that, they were elevated to be keepers of the gate of the dwelling place of their God.

25. 11:38

    Theirs was a life of devotion and service and a position of enormous responsibility. To them, one day in service to God was better than a thousand days doing what they wanted to do.

26. 11:55

    Guarding the door of God's dwelling was worth more to them than living the good life of this world and enjoying the pleasures that it gives. And it reminds us, doesn't it, of what Moses considered of Egypt in Hebrews 11 where it says, by trusting, Moses, after he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.

27. 12:20

    He chose being mistreated along with God's people rather than enjoying the pleasures of sin. He came to regard abuse suffered on behalf of Messiah as greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for he kept his eyes fixed on the reward. And that's the key. Keeping our eyes fixed on the reward. And that's what the sons of Korah did.

28. 12:49

    They knew that the reward God could give them was greater than the rebellion that their father could give them. And by keeping their eyes fixed on that reward, they left Korah and his rebellion and stood alongside their God.

29. 13:09

    We need to keep guard of ourselves. Not in a selfish way of ignoring others and looking after number one. We need to guard our mouth. Watch what we say. To do that, we need to start guarding what goes in, what we watch, what we read, even who we spend our time with. They all have an impact on our thoughts and our speech.

30. 13:41

    As Brother John Carter says, saints are separated from the world and it becomes them not to let the mind dwell on the sins of the world. The mind is insensibly affected by the stream of thoughts passing through it and it is desirable to have the stream as pure as possible. A mind familiarized by pictures of evil is not strongly fortified if sin should assail.

31. 14:11

    Or to put it in simple plain language garbage for the computer geeks. Geigo. Garbage in, garbage out. If you your lips would keep from slips five things observe with care, of whom you speak, to whom you speak, and how and when and where. If you your ears would say from jeers, these things keep meekly hid, myself and I, mine and my, and how I do or did.

32. 14:57

    We, brothers and sisters, are doorkeepers for our God. Our service to Yahweh is to guard and protect that which has been declared as holy from the profane and the unworthy. So how do we do that today? How do we, as doorkeepers, protect what we are holy from the profane?

33. 15:25

    David gives us some very good advice in Psalm 141. And in Psalm 141 verse 3, he prays that Yahweh would watch over his mouth. He says, set a watch, O Yahweh, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity.

34. 15:53

    We need to watch what we say, because as doorkeepers of the dwelling place of God, no evil thing should pass from our lips or into our mind. It's our responsibility to guard that which God has declared as holy.

35. 16:12

    Job says he did this by making a covenant with his eyes. So he would not see and focus his mind on that which was unacceptable with God. He says that in Job 31 verse 1.

36. 16:29

    Our role as keepers of the temple of God is just as important now as it was when doorkeepers were first introduced. And doorkeepers go back a long way, back to the beginning of creation of men and women. The first doorkeepers in scripture recorded for us are recorded in Genesis. Adam was put in the garden and told to dress and keep it.

37. 17:00

    The word keep means to guard, to watch, and to protect. Adam and Eve were the first doorkeepers. They were doorkeepers to the garden, that area that God had set aside as different from all of creation. And they were to protect it from entry by whatever would defile or destroy it.

38. 17:29

    We know what happened. They failed. They failed to protect that which is holy, and sin as a result entered the world. And so God banished Adam and Eve from the garden. They lost the right to protect what God had enclosed as his special place. And to prevent mankind from returning and gaining access to the tree of life, God appointed new doorkeepers.

39. 18:02

    Genesis 3 verse 24 tells us that the new doorkeepers were placed at the east of the garden of Eden. And they were the cherubim.

40. 18:17

    And with the cherubim was a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life. The role of these cherubim was to guard the way to the tree of life. They were there to protect that way and stop those who were not worthy from entering the garden. Man had failed in that role.

41. 18:40

    And the cherubim were there to protect and set a pattern for us to follow. Adam is the figure of the old man. And we are commanded to destroy the old man. It's our responsibility to make sure he does not re-enter the holy place and defile it. Like Adam and Eve, he has been cast out of Yahweh's dwelling place and must not be allowed access again.

42. 19:07

    As the cherubim guarded the holiness of Yahweh, so we do the same. And again, we take encouragement from the psalmist, where he says in Psalm 39 verse 1, I will guard my ways so that I may not sin with my tongue. I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are in my presence.

43. 19:35

    Now words can build or destroy. They can heal or they can break. What we say can spell life or death, not only for ourselves but for others. We need to grow in the fear of God and allow his words and the life of Jesus Christ to filter everything we say. After all, Jesus told us that our words will be used against us.

44. 20:10

    He says in Matthew 12, a good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

45. 20:34

    For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. The word idle is made up of two Greek words, not and work. An idle word is a non-working word. and an inoperative work. It has no legitimate work, no office, no business, but is morally useless and unprofitable.

46. 21:07

    We need to be like David and guard our mouth so as not to sin with our words. Again, what goes into our minds will be the controlling force in our lives. And eventually what goes in will come out. we need to make sure our thoughts and therefore our words are active and alive, working to building up ourselves and those around us.

47. 21:36

    It's a war we wage on who controls our mind. It's a war that Christ needs to win. war we need to be active in as well. And how do we do that? How do we wage the war on who controls our mind? Well, Paul tells us how we do that in 2 Corinthians 10 verse 3 to 6.

48. 22:03

    He says, for all, although we do live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, they have God's power for demolishing strongholds. We demolish arguments and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God.

49. 22:28

    We take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah. And when we have become completely obedient, then we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience. we're back to the cherubim. We see the cherubim continuing their role in protecting and guarding. So the next time they're mentioned is in the building of the tabernacle.

50. 22:59

    They used extensively throughout the tabernacle to remind Israel of what happened in Eden. The holy was not guarded and sin entered the world. As the high priest entered the tabernacle, the first thing he saw was the cherubim on the veil to the most holy place. They were a constant reminder that the way of life was protected and guarded and only those who were selected were given access.

51. 23:29

    when you entered the most holy, the first thing you saw was the cherubim placed over the mercy seat with their faces looking towards the Ark of the Covenant. Again, a reminder to the high priest that the dwelling place of God was being guarded and they were to treat it as holy and with the respect it was due.

52. 23:55

    You know, six times it is stated that God dwelt between the cherubim and twice that God spoke to Moses from between the cherubim. They were doorkeepers protecting and guarding Yahweh from anything that was unholy. And not that God needed protection as such, but the lesson was there for all to consider and to act upon it in their lives.

53. 24:27

    If you don't guard the holiness of God, sin will enter. It happened in the beginning when Adam and Eve were very good. If it happened then, how much more so when we're not in a very good state ourselves?

54. 24:49

    How well are we guarding the holiness of our God? God? We are his temple. We are his dwelling place. We are the house that God is building. What have we put in place to guard the entrance to that house? God?

55. 25:10

    We said God dwelt between the cherubim who stood on top of the Ark of the Covenant and guarded its holiness. And when David attempted to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, he ignored the cherubim and their role as keepers of the Ark. He ignored the fact that God dwelt between those cherubim. And because of that, the Ark was not treated with the due respect that it deserves and Uzzah died.

56. 25:41

    Now, when David brought the Ark up the second time, he understood the importance. He understood the importance of the Ark and of the cherubim, that it was the dwelling place of God and it was guarded by the cherubim. So when he brought the Ark up the second time, he placed door keepers not only before the Ark, but behind it as well.

57. 26:07

    He surrounded the Ark. Their job was to guard the Ark, the same as the cherubim, to guard and protect it from those not worthy to touch it or enter its procession. 1 Chronicles 15, verse 23 to 24, says, Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the Ark. And Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethaniel, Amasar, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer, the priest, did blow with the trumpets before the Ark of God.

58. 26:45

    Obed-Edom and Jehoshaphat were doorkeepers for the Ark. That was the dwelling place of God. And David made sure that it was given reverence and protection.

59. 27:01

    So again, we ask the question, do we? As the dwelling place of God, do we give it the reverence and protection that is due to it? As we said, we are the dwelling place of God. We are his earthly temple and housed within us is his word. Have we surrounded ourselves with doorkeepers for its protection to keep it holy and undefiled?

60. 27:26

    Like the role given to Adam, which he failed to keep, a role that was then passed on to the cherubim and has been graciously given to us, doorkeepers are important. They're responsible for guarding the house and giving entry to only those who are eligible. people. It's the doorkeepers role to watch for individuals coming, to discern between good and bad, wanted and unwanted, to welcome and refuse, to keep the house full of the holy and empty of the unclean.

61. 28:06

    After the crowning of Josiah as king, one of the first things Jehoiada did was reinstate the doorkeepers to the temple. 2 Chronicles 23 verse 19 says he did this so that no one who was unclean was able to enter the temple and defile the holy place of God. It's one of the first things that Nehemiah did after he finished building the wall.

62. 28:31

    Before he even appointed singers and Levites, he appointed doorkeepers to guard the entry points to the city. We see that in Nehemiah 7 verse one.

63. 28:45

    It is, brothers and sisters, a very important position and one that has been considered as top priority before other duties are selected and put into place. It's a role that we're all responsible to carry out in our lives today. All of us. And yes, sisters are doorkeepers as well. And I'm not talking about being doorkeepers of our hall.

64. 29:13

    I'm talking about the personal role as doorkeepers of the temple of God. In New Testament times, doorkeepers were often women. They kept the door and were slaves, elevated to a position of responsibility. We see a number of times where they're mentioned. In John 18 verse 17, the damsel who kept the door challenged Peter about his association with Jesus.

65. 29:42

    That word damsel was used 13 times. And in all occurrences, it refers to a slave girl directly or by context. When Peter was released from prison, it was the slave girl, Rhoda, who went to answer his incessant knocking. We're all doorkeepers, slaves to Christ, elevated from the gutter of this world to the important role of guarding the word within us, allowing no unholy thing in and opening the doors of our mind to what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report.

66. 30:24

    Our Lord gave us a command in Mark 13 to guard that door and watch for his return. He says, For the Son of Man is as a man taking a fair journey, who left his house and gave authority to his servants and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

67. 30:49

    Watch ye, therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or cockcrow, or in the morning. There's coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all, watch. Where to keep the door and watch for our master's return. Where to remain awake and alert.

68. 31:17

    Now the penalty for sleeping at your post under Roman law was death. Up until 1929, it was still death under our military law. Under Jewish law, beating and setting one's robes alight was the method used. This was not to kill the offender, but for punishment and shame. And John refers to this humiliation where he exhorts us to watch in Revelation 16.

69. 31:48

    He says, Behold, or the words of Jesus Christ here, Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame. That was a doorkeeper who fell asleep and did not do his duty in guarding the door. doorkeeper. Our example of the perfect doorkeeper is of course our Lord.

70. 32:21

    He was the perfect man who guarded the dwelling place of his father. He never allowed anything that was unholy to enter or exit. He is the shepherd and we need to open the gates when we hear his voice that those in the sheepfold will also hear his voice and be able to respond to his call.

71. 32:45

    As our Lord says in John 10, verse 1 to 3, Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him, the gatekeeper opens.

72. 33:09

    The sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. The door of life is Jesus Christ. John 10, verse 9. It's by him and through him that we enter into personal relationship with his father.

73. 33:32

    As doorkeepers, we are to watch over the door and open it to those who Yahweh is calling so they may come in. The sentiments of this poem sum up just part of a doorkeeper's role.

74. 33:53

    I stand by the door. I neither go too far in nor stay too far out. The door is the most important door in the world. It's the door through which men walk when they find God. There is no use my going way inside and staying there when there are so many still outside and they as much as I crave to know where the door is.

75. 34:21

    And all that so many ever find is only the wall where the door ought to be. They creep along the wall like blind men with outstretched groping hands feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door. Yet they never find it. So I stand by the door. The most tremendous thing in the world is for men to find that door.

76. 34:46

    The door to God. The most important thing that any man can do is to take hold of one of those blind groping hands and put it on the latch. The latch that only clicks and opens to the man's own touch. Men die outside the door as starving beggars die. On cold nights and cruel cities in the dead of winter.

77. 35:10

    Die for want of what is within their grasp. They live on the other side of it. Live because they have not found it. Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it. To open it. To walk in. And to find him. So I stand by the door. Go in great saints. Go all the way in.

78. 35:34

    Go way down and into its cavernous cellars. And way up into its spacious attics. It is a vast roomy house. This house where God is. Go into the deepest of hidden casements. Of withdrawal. Of silence. Of sainthood. Some must inhabit those inner rooms. And know the depths and heights of God. And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.

79. 36:00

    Sometimes I take a deeper look in. Sometimes venture a little farther. But my place seems closer to the opening. So I stand by the door. There's another reason why I stand there. There's another reason why I stand there. Some people get partway in and become afraid. Lest God and the zeal of his house devour them.

80. 36:22

    For God is so very great. And asks out all from us. These people feel a cosmic claustrophobia and want to get out. Let me out they cry. The people way inside only terrify them more. Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled. For the old life they have seen too much.

81. 36:47

    One taste of God and nothing but God will do anymore. Somebody must be watching for the frightened who seek to sneak out just when they came in. To tell them how much better it is inside. The people too far in do not see how near these are to leaving. Preoccupied in the wonder of it all.

82. 37:07

    Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door but would like to run away. So I stand by the door. I admire the people who go way in but I wish they would not forget how it was before they got in. Then they would be able to help the people who have not yet even found the door.

83. 37:29

    Or the people who want to run away again from God. You can go in too deeply and stay in too long and forget the people outside the door. As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place near enough to God to hear him and to know he is there. But not so far from men as not to hear them.

84. 37:51

    And remember that they are there too. Where? Outside the door. Thousands of them. Millions of them. But more important to me, one or two, maybe ten, whose hands I intended to put on the latch. So I shall stand by the door and wait for those who seek it. I had rather be a doorkeeper.

85. 38:17

    So I stand by the door. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will sup with him and he with me. Thank you for listening to the Good Christadelphian Talks podcast. We hope this talk helped you in your walk.

86. 38:59

    If you would like to hear more, please subscribe for new episodes and leave a review in Apple podcast or whichever service you are using to help more people find the show when they search for it. If you enjoyed this particular talk, please share it with someone who you think might enjoy it as well.

87. 39:13

    For show notes on the talk you just listened to, visit our show page at anchor.fm slash GCT or check the show notes section of your podcast player. Please share your thoughts on the talk from this week on our Facebook or Instagram pages where we are at good Christadelphian talks on Twitter where we are at GCT underscore podcast or leave a comment on our YouTube channel where these talks are posted as well.

88. 39:38

    If you know of a great talk, we want to know about it too. Send a suggestion to our email at good Christadelphian talks at gmail.com or message us on any of our social media accounts. Thank you for listening. God bless and talk to you next week. God bless.