WEBVTT 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:05.120 Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:06.879 Thank you so much for listening today. 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:09.439 We hope it encourages you and inspires you. 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:10.960 Here's today's message. 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:13.519 Good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning. 00:00:13.919 --> 00:00:15.279 Good morning, you all. 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:17.359 Good morning, you watching online. 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:26.399 It is such an honor and a privilege for me to be here this morning sharing with you what I believe God has for us. 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:32.560 On behalf of our pastors Keith and Megan, I wanted to say welcome to the house of the Lord. 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:39.600 My prayer uh this morning is that you receive something fresh and anointed from God. 00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:42.320 Maybe even bolder than that. 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:48.079 My prayer this morning is that you receive something you need, not only something you want. 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:53.200 My name is Vinicius, but everybody here in the US call me Vinnie. 00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:55.840 Uh, I am 34 years old. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:00.960 I am married for life with my lovely wife Juliana, right here. 00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:03.200 We have a daughter together. 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:08.560 Uh her name is Serena, she's three and a half years old, probably running around. 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:17.359 Um, on March 10th, so a couple of months ago, I celebrated uh 16 years in full-time ministry. 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:28.560 Uh what a journey! It has been a crazy and amazing life, and three out of those 16 years serving God here uh with Celebration Church. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:30.480 It has been amazing. 00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:35.200 Songs of Summer, this is our uh summer series. 00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:38.480 Colorful, upbeat, encouraging. 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:43.680 I love the intro video you just watched and be flat, if I am not wrong. 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:46.239 Um, but I really, really love it. 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:51.599 And uh the series, it will be all based on the book of Psalms. 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:54.719 I don't know if you ever had a chance to read Psalms. 00:01:54.879 --> 00:01:57.200 I definitely recommend you to read. 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.200 You can find it pretty much in the middle of your Bible. 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:07.840 It's a collection of poetry divided into five little sections or five books. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:10.960 It used to be the hymnal of Israel. 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:21.360 They used to sing those poems to exalt God, to encourage each other, and of course, to share experiences. 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:29.039 It was really, really hard for me to pick one psalm for us to process this morning. 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:33.120 I started with Psalm 50, I was like, it will be it. 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:43.360 I was pumped about it, and then I changed it for Psalm 4, and then I change it again for 133, and then I stayed there 133 for a couple of days. 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:59.840 I was sure it would be 133, change it for 137, change it again for 139, and then after praying a lot, I believe I know what God wants us uh for us to be processing uh together this morning. 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:08.560 So I believe this will be a very, very challenging word for both of us. 00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:16.879 I would love to remind you something before I stand here in front of you trying to preach in English. 00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:20.879 Uh God share this same word with me. 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:28.000 So if this is challenging for you, this is also challenging for me. 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:33.840 So bear with me as we try to figure out together what God has for us this morning. 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:34.639 Amen. 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:36.400 Psalm 84. 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:38.319 I'm not changing anymore. 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:47.439 Psalm 84, it will be it, is a well-known psalm, and I would love us to process this together this morning. 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:58.639 Psalm 84, it says, How lovely, how lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts. 00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:10.159 My soul longs, yes, faints for the cords of the Lord, my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:25.519 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my and my God. 00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:38.160 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, blessed are those who dwell in your house, blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise. 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:44.879 Verse 10 it says, For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:54.160 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere, for a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. 00:04:54.480 --> 00:05:03.519 I would rather to be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in a tents of weakness. 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:13.199 If you are taking notes this morning, and hopefully you are, I title this message as Love and Soldade. 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:16.560 Love and Soldade. 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:18.639 Let's pray together. 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:31.199 Jesus, we thank you for the amazing opportunity we have this morning of being here in this house, worshiping you. 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:38.560 We're so grateful for you, and we are so ready to receive your word. 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:44.959 We open up our lives, we open up our hearts, we open up our ears. 00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:46.560 We're here for you. 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:51.040 Please do what only you can do in Jesus' name. 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:52.160 Amen. 00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:53.600 Amen. 00:05:53.920 --> 00:05:55.439 Psalm 84. 00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:02.000 We will be talking about verse 1, verse 2, verse 3, verse 4, and verse 10 of the psalm. 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:11.360 But instead of starting there, instead of starting on verse 1, I would love to talk a little bit about the title of this psalm. 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:17.680 If you have your Bible with me, your physical Bible with you, you you know exactly what I'm talking about. 00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:28.480 Most Bible versions they give title, titles, or names for chapters or specific portions of the Bible, and with Psalms, it's not different. 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:34.480 So each psalm in your Bible has a title, of course, depending on the Bible you are using. 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:43.279 And this is very important because usually the title of the psalm summarizes what's the most important thing on that portion. 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:50.480 It's very important to understand as well that those titles, they were not in the original languages, right? 00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:56.800 They were added later to make it to make it easier for me and for you to read it. 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:07.439 So every biblical version or every translation of the Bible has freedom to title the chapters or the portions of scripture or the Psalms as they want. 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:12.959 I really love how ESV has titled Psalm 84. 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:18.800 The title of it is My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord. 00:07:19.279 --> 00:07:26.560 I think it's beautiful, I think it's profound, I think it's romantic, my soul longs for the courts of the Lord. 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:27.600 Amazing. 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:37.360 But when I was reading my Bible in Portuguese, the title they have for Psalm 84, I think it's even more beautiful than that. 00:07:38.399 --> 00:07:50.560 The title of Psalm 8484 in my Portuguese Bible is Saudades do Temple or Saudades of the Temple. 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:51.839 Saudades. 00:07:52.079 --> 00:07:53.360 Can you repeat that word after me? 00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:54.240 Saudades. 00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:57.040 Oh, you sound amazing. 00:07:57.600 --> 00:07:59.120 I love your accent. 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:00.720 Saudades. 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:07.439 It is very, very difficult for me to try to explain to you what saudade means. 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:17.439 It is hard to even translate south what's translate saudade because this word saudade, we only have that word in Portuguese. 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:25.519 There is no equivalent of saudade in English, Spanish, or any other language. 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:28.399 Saudade is a Portuguese word. 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:31.040 Hard to translate. 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:48.159 So saudades of the temple will be I miss the temple, but just because I know what saudade is, I understand that saudade is way deeper than just miss. 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:53.840 There is a feeling attached to that word saudade. 00:08:54.399 --> 00:09:09.919 According to a bunch of different dictionaries, the definition of saudade is saudade is a word for a state of intense longing for someone or something that is absent. 00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:15.120 Saudade is described as a kind of melancholic yearning. 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:25.519 Saudade is a feeling of longing, desire, and nostalgia that is characteristics characteristic of Brazilian temperament. 00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:28.480 That's saudade. 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:34.159 So easy for me to understand, so hard for me to explain. 00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:41.840 But in order to make it even easier for you to understand, I would love to show you a couple of pictures. 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:44.480 That's the first one I would love to show to you. 00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:52.960 This is me and my wife 15 years ago. 00:09:56.320 --> 00:09:58.720 This is the first trip we took together. 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:04.559 My parents uh they were with us and they took us uh to this trip. 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:08.480 And uh at this time we were dating for three months. 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:17.120 And even though I love our current season, when I look back to this picture, it reminds me of a great season as well. 00:10:17.279 --> 00:10:21.039 And then I look at this, I feel saudaji. 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:23.440 Do you understand what I'm saying? 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:30.720 Saudage of exchanging 300 text messages a day, saudage of that flirting season. 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:32.799 You guys know what I'm talking about, right? 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:35.360 So I look at this and I feel saudaji. 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:41.759 I also feel saudage of the amount of hair I used to have back then. 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:44.960 Let me show you one more picture. 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:48.320 This is my daughter Serena. 00:10:49.759 --> 00:11:02.080 And she's three and a half years old now, and even though I love our current season with her, that season, um, where they ask t thousands of questions every day. 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:05.919 Uh last week she asked us, hey, what what is sin? 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:14.639 And then we're like, Well, how would how do we explain to uh this tiny little human a very complex theological concept? 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:24.639 Even though I love the current season, when I look back at this and I when I look at Serena with one day old, I miss this. 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:31.679 I miss interacting with her for the first time, I miss the first time I hugged her, I had her in my arms. 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:34.639 I miss this so very much. 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:39.679 I even miss changing diapers, to be honest with you. 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:42.320 Missing saudade. 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:46.000 I feel it, but it's so hard to explain. 00:11:46.240 --> 00:12:00.639 When I was 17 years old, I moved out of my parents' house and I enrolled myself into this uh two-year internship bible seminary ministry training program for lack of a better explanation. 00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:06.159 It was a very, very intense Bible training, um, ministry training. 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:12.639 So we I moved out of my parents' house to be in this program, and this program was led for four Americans. 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:17.919 They moved out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Sao Paulo to lead us there. 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:27.360 Uh Jason Wilson, Paul Reddick, Shannon Bully, Melody Hall, they they led us for two years, and it was an amazing time. 00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:31.759 We preached the gospel for thousands and thousands and thousands of people. 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:34.720 We grew in our relationship, we became friends. 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:38.720 They were probably one of the best leaders I've I've ever had in my life. 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:44.799 But when I graduated, when I graduated two years later, it was time for two of them to move back to America. 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:55.440 So Shannon and Melody, they decided to move back to the United States, back to Tulsa, and we said we said bye, we said thank you, farewell. 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:59.279 I don't know if I will ever see you again, but I really appreciate you. 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:08.159 Seven years later, 2014, my wife and I we decided to come and visit America for the first time, and we came to visit Houston, Texas. 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:09.919 Why Houston, Texas? 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:10.720 I don't know. 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:13.519 Not Los Angeles, not Orlando, not New York. 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:14.720 It was Houston, Texas. 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:16.399 Don't want to talk about it. 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:23.919 But we were there in Houston, Texas, and I knew Melody and Shannon, they used to live in that area, right? 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:28.720 So I emailed them and I said, Hey, I'm I'm here, I'm in the US. 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:30.240 Do you want to meet? 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:34.080 And they said, Of course, we miss you so very much. 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:35.039 Let's do this. 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:41.600 So we met at this zoo in Dallas, and we spent the entire day together. 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:43.679 It was amazing, it was a great time. 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:45.679 And then it was time to say goodbye again. 00:13:45.759 --> 00:13:51.519 At the end of the day, Melody had to head back home, and it was time to say goodbye. 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:53.200 So I hugged her. 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:57.679 The Brazilian type of hug, not the American type of hug. 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:04.799 I hugged her, and it was my opportunity to tell her, I think, hey, listen, thank you. 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:06.399 I really appreciate you. 00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:10.240 You have no idea how much I missed you. 00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:14.320 You have no idea my saudade inside of me. 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:15.600 Thank you so very much. 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:16.399 I loved you. 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:25.519 And as I was sharing my gratitude, as I was telling how much I missed her, as I was expressing my saudade, I start crying. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:31.679 And I don't know if you ever see me crying, but when I cry, I lose my dignity, okay? 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:45.759 I I cry like a baby, and then I'm I'm I am right there with my family at this zoo in Dallas, hugging this American, crying like a baby, a bunch of other Americans around me asking who died. 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:47.360 Well, nobody died. 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:51.759 It was just me trying to express my saudade. 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:54.960 I was possessed by this feeling of saudade. 00:14:55.200 --> 00:14:58.639 I just, I just I don't know when I'm gonna see you again. 00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:01.600 It's been seven years since last time we were together. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:04.320 I sauded you. 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:16.240 Shannon was around, and Shannon was just watching, kind of crying a little bit, but his wife, she was like, What's happening? 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:18.399 She was in shock. 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:21.039 Why he's crying, I don't understand. 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:23.120 And then I love what Shannon told her. 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:27.200 Shannon said, he's crying out of saudade. 00:15:28.559 --> 00:15:31.759 It will be very hard for me to explain to you what it is. 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:36.080 But when I was there in Brazil, I learned about this feeling called saudade. 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:39.039 What you're seeing is just saudade. 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:49.039 The title of this psalm is Saudade of the Church, Saudade of the Temple. 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:57.519 So whoever wrote Psalm 84 had this intense saudade for the church. 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:03.120 He wanted to go back to the time he was at the house of the Lord. 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:08.080 The title of the psalm summarizes what's most important in a psalm. 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:15.600 So the psalm is all about missing the church, missing the house of the Lord. 00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:23.279 Right under the title of Psalm 84, we have in your Bible who wrote the psalm. 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:35.440 And for this one, the 84, it was not David, it was not Moses, it was not Azap who wrote the psalm, it was the sons of Korah. 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:39.039 And then you would ask me, Vini, who are they? 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:41.120 Who are the sons of Korah? 00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:46.000 Well, I'll tell you, they are Israelites from the tribe of Levi. 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:54.639 You know, in the Old Testament, the tribe of Levi, they were responsible for serving God in the temple. 00:16:55.519 --> 00:17:00.960 They were responsible for taking care of the church. 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:21.680 And that family, specifically, the sons of Korah, the Bible tells me in 2 Chronicles that the King David, that I believe he was some type of planning center administrator of that time, King David scheduled that family to serve God in the temple with two responsibilities. 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:32.880 2 Chronicles chapter 9, it says the sons of Korah, they were responsible for being the singers in a church and for being the doorkeepers in a church. 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:43.759 King David scheduled, and hey guys, for now on, you guys, sons of Korah, you guys gonna be the singers, you guys gonna be the doorkeepers of the temple. 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:54.400 The Jewish tradition it tells us that in the Old Testament, when someone was were scheduled to serve, they were scheduled once in a year for seven days. 00:17:55.680 --> 00:18:06.319 So once in a year for seven days, they had to go to Jerusalem to be the singers of the house and the doorkeepers of the church. 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:21.359 Once in a year for seven days, they need to pause everything they're doing, they need to stop everything they're doing, they need to cancel every single appointment in their agenda to go to Jerusalem to serve God for seven days. 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:22.880 Vini, why Jerusalem? 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:26.160 Well, because they didn't have lots of churches back then, right? 00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:35.279 It was just one church, and that church is located in Jerusalem, so they had to go there. 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:48.240 The moment the sons of Korah wrote Psalm 84, they moment the moment they they wrote this poem or song, they were far from Jerusalem. 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:54.480 They were not there, they were missing the temple, they had saudade. 00:18:55.519 --> 00:19:03.279 They are thinking, like, well, what's what's the next opportunity for me to go back to Jerusalem to serve to serve the church? 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:08.319 I was scheduled 14 months ago, and now I'm so ready to go back then. 00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:12.000 I love that place so much, I have saudages of it. 00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:18.000 I wish I could be there right now, I wish I could go back to church because I have saudages. 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:22.480 I know I'm supposed to be scheduled once a year to serve seven days. 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:26.720 I'm so far from Jerusalem right now, but what I'm feeling, let me write about it. 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:28.160 I'm feeling saudades. 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:32.559 I would give everything to go back to church. 00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:38.400 I would do everything to go back to the temple. 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:42.640 Have you ever felt saudade for the church? 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:51.680 I felt saudade for the church when COVID hit us in March of 2020. 00:19:53.200 --> 00:20:01.200 And all of a sudden our doors are closed, our temples are closed, we are isolated from each other. 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:14.000 And I I thought with myself back then, I miss my church, I miss my community, I miss being in the house of the Lord. 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:20.400 And we waited six months to be back to God's house. 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:27.359 From March to September, we waited six months to be back to the house of the Lord. 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:30.799 Well, I have good news for you. 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:34.240 I have great news for you, actually. 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:37.680 We don't need to wait months and months again. 00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:43.519 You can be here whenever you want. 00:20:47.519 --> 00:20:52.000 You don't need to feel saudages of the church. 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:52.880 Do you know why? 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:56.000 Because our doors they are opened. 00:20:56.319 --> 00:21:02.240 What a privilege! What a privilege I have, what a privilege you have. 00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:11.839 We can be here every single Sunday, we can sing his praises as loud as we as we want, we can read our Bibles, we can share our testimonies. 00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:19.119 How many people in the world dream with the day they will be able to go to the church? 00:21:21.039 --> 00:21:27.680 We have this privilege, not also an ear, not only for seven days. 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:30.160 It's available for me. 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:32.000 It is available for you. 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:38.160 Our doors are open, so welcome to the house of the Lord. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:40.480 God is here, Jesus is here. 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:44.480 Look around, your brothers and sisters, they are here. 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:52.480 So you and me, we should take advantage of this privilege and we should attend. 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:58.640 We should take advantage of this privilege and we should attend when it's summer or winter. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:06.880 We should take advantage of this privilege and we should attend when it's a beautiful day or a rainy day out there. 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:13.599 We should attend when it's Easter Sunday or just a regular Sunday on the second week of August. 00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:16.400 We should attend at 9 a.m. 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:17.759 or 10 30. 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:20.640 We should attend with expectations. 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:24.079 We will find Jesus in this place. 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:29.440 We should attend understanding that the church is the hope of the world. 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:32.640 We should attend when we are tired because guess what? 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:34.480 He will renew your strength. 00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:42.319 We should take advantage of this privilege and we should attend even when we don't work because we live by faith, not by feelings. 00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:50.400 We should take advantage of this privilege and attend even when we are disappointed because this is the house of healing. 00:22:52.319 --> 00:23:00.000 We should attend understanding that Jesus doesn't have a mission for celebration church. 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:04.480 Jesus doesn't have a mission for celebration church. 00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:09.839 We should attend understanding that Jesus has celebration church for his mission. 00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:15.920 Focus on Jesus. 00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:18.480 We should attend because he is here. 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:20.880 We should attend because Jesus is here. 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:25.039 And we are here for him and him alone. 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:30.559 So you can come, you can attend, you can be here. 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:35.519 This place is available for you, not once and here, not only for seven days. 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:38.880 The sons of Korah, they would be jealous of us. 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:43.599 They would be jealous of myself and you. 00:23:44.559 --> 00:23:57.200 While they are far from Jerusalem, far from the church, apart from community, writing about it, writing about it, writing one day at your courts, oh Lord, it's better than a thousand elsewhere. 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:05.119 Just one day, I would trade a thousand days for one day in your church. 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:32.079 The sons of Korah will be very jealous of us, but not only then, not only the sons of Korah, all the Israelites will be very jealous of us because a Jew from any other tribe, so not a Levite, they used to go to Jerusalem three times a year for the main three Jewish feasts: Pentecost, Tabernacle, Passover. 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:37.920 Just three days a year, they used to go to Jerusalem to worship God. 00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:40.559 The trip, it was long, right? 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:42.960 They live far from Jerusalem. 00:24:43.119 --> 00:24:48.720 The trip was long, so the tradition says that as they travel, they used to sing psalms. 00:24:49.920 --> 00:24:53.359 And one of these psalms they used to sing was Psalm 84. 00:24:53.759 --> 00:24:56.480 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord. 00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:59.119 Blessed are those who dwell in your house. 00:24:59.279 --> 00:25:02.400 It's better one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. 00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:08.079 Traveling to Jerusalem, singing how amazing it is to be a God's church. 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:11.599 The Bible calls this type of psalms a pilgrimage psalm. 00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:13.519 Please pilgrimage psalms. 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:24.400 And you know what's very interesting to me? 00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:25.599 Listen to this. 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:31.839 They wanted to be in God's house regardless of adversity. 00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:34.480 Do you know why? 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:36.640 Because Jerusalem is far. 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:40.480 The majority of them live far away from Jerusalem. 00:25:40.559 --> 00:25:45.839 Actually, tradition believes the majority of them lives 60 miles away from Jerusalem. 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:49.039 But they just want to go to church. 00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:07.039 So they're just riding their donkeys going to Jerusalem. 00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:11.519 This trip takes weeks, sometimes three weeks to get there. 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:16.079 It is dangerous to go to Jerusalem. 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:19.359 Bad things can happen on the way. 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:21.200 It costs money. 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:25.200 They need to provide for themselves, for their family, for their animals. 00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:28.640 It takes priority to go to Jerusalem, right? 00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:34.400 It's like, well, I want to go to church, so I'm gonna block my schedule here. 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:39.119 Because my priority is going to the house of the Lord. 00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:49.680 So the question that immediately comes to my mind is do I love God's house like this? 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:54.720 Do you love God's house like this? 00:26:56.640 --> 00:26:58.880 Do we love God's house like this? 00:26:59.200 --> 00:27:07.119 Because if I am comparing myself with Dan, for then it takes 60 miles to get to the church. 00:27:07.279 --> 00:27:09.599 For me, it takes 9.4 miles. 00:27:11.359 --> 00:27:15.039 For then, it takes two or three weeks to get there. 00:27:15.200 --> 00:27:17.440 For me, it takes 17 minutes. 00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:21.759 For then, it's very dangerous. 00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:26.319 But not for me, unless you consider I4 a dangerous place. 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:30.640 For them, it costs money. 00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:37.599 For me, it costs probably$4.67 for yes. 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:42.799 But for then and for me, it takes a priority. 00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:45.440 I wanna be there. 00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:48.400 Do I love God's house like this? 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:51.039 Do you love God's house like this? 00:27:52.559 --> 00:27:59.200 In 2008, I had a chance to preach at this church so far away from my house. 00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:01.279 Very far. 00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:02.960 So we took a bus. 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:05.359 My wife was with me at that time. 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:07.680 She was not my wife, just my girlfriend. 00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:12.640 Um, pretty much that Vinnie and Giuliana version you saw up there. 00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:18.559 We took a bus in Sao Paulo, 26 hours later, we got into the city called Vitória da Conquista. 00:28:18.640 --> 00:28:20.160 We stayed there for a couple of days. 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:29.680 We took one more bus and then we took a car, and then we got there into the city called Formosa, one of the poorest cities of Brazil. 00:28:30.079 --> 00:28:32.240 400 people living there. 00:28:32.559 --> 00:28:36.720 They used they called that city the desert the desert of Brazil. 00:28:36.880 --> 00:28:38.480 Nobody wants to go there. 00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:41.200 So far away from everything. 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:46.160 We got there probably 10:30 at night, and I was so ready to go to my hotel. 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:47.440 I was tired, but guess what? 00:28:47.519 --> 00:28:48.720 There is no hotel. 00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:50.880 There is no utilities actually. 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:56.960 There is no electricity, no water, barely, they don't have they don't even have food. 00:28:58.720 --> 00:29:08.480 So they took me to this shack, for lack of a better term, maybe more like a tent to stay the night, and I just prayed. 00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:12.400 I said, God, uh I think I need you. 00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:14.640 Uh I don't know how I'm gonna do this. 00:29:14.799 --> 00:29:17.039 I don't know how I'm going to sleep. 00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:18.400 But I fell asleep. 00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:24.079 I woke up very early the next day, next day, and I had two scorpions on my blanket. 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:26.880 I was like, My gosh, what's happening here? 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:29.279 I think it's time for for me to take a bath. 00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:30.319 But guess what? 00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:32.000 There's no bathroom, right? 00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:37.440 There's only this tiny little lake that is drying up. 00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:39.440 So I decided to go there. 00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:43.440 I took a shower or a bath or whatever you call it. 00:29:43.519 --> 00:29:45.759 It it was so cold. 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:50.400 And then I was like, okay, I think it's time for me to prep for my message tonight. 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:53.599 And then I prepare myself for the message. 00:29:53.839 --> 00:29:56.400 God gave me a song that I wrote that day. 00:29:56.480 --> 00:30:07.119 That song was uh recorded for an artist in Brazil a couple years later, and then at night, I think it was 5 p.m., someone stopped at the shack and said, Vinny, are you ready to go to church? 00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:08.960 I said, I'm so ready to go to church. 00:30:09.119 --> 00:30:11.119 So we decided to walk there. 00:30:11.359 --> 00:30:15.599 And then we walked, walked, walked, walked, walked. 00:30:15.759 --> 00:30:20.799 And then at some point I was just brave enough to ask, hey, how far is the church? 00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:24.160 And then he said, It's one hour and 20 minutes walking. 00:30:26.240 --> 00:30:32.559 And of course, inside of me, I was just asking myself this question, what am I doing here? 00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:37.119 We got to the church, the tiniest church I've ever seen in my life. 00:30:37.359 --> 00:30:48.079 Just a couple of chairs and one candle, no speaker, no sound system, no microphone, no screen, no CKS, no parking, no nothing. 00:30:49.200 --> 00:30:53.039 And I was just there waiting for 40 people to show up. 00:30:53.599 --> 00:30:55.200 They did show up. 00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:59.920 And I've never seen so much joy in my life. 00:31:01.119 --> 00:31:06.799 They live in the in the end of the world, but they were so ready to go to the house of the Lord. 00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:12.400 If it took me one hour and 20 minutes to walk there, I'm pretty sure it took then an hour and a minute to walk there as well. 00:31:12.559 --> 00:31:28.160 They were so ready to worship God, they were ready to see each other, to hug each other, to pray for each other, they were ready to hear the word of God, they were full of joy because they had saudage of that church, and now they had an opportunity to be there to worship God. 00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:34.400 They were so ready, and I was so embarrassed of myself because I didn't want to be there. 00:31:35.279 --> 00:31:40.880 They would trade any place to be in God's house. 00:31:41.119 --> 00:31:46.720 And sometimes I get the impression that in our culture we trade God's house for any place. 00:31:56.799 --> 00:32:00.000 And usually she fell asleep pretty, pretty, pretty quickly. 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:12.400 She was up, and then Juliana went there, and she was she was having a hard time to sleep, and then a couple minutes later, I was there, I went there, and I just lay with her, and I was just trying to have a conversation. 00:32:12.640 --> 00:32:20.079 Hey, daughter, tell me why you're why you're not sleeping, why why you're having a hard time right now. 00:32:20.400 --> 00:32:22.000 Do you know what she told me? 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:32.079 In her own little half Portuguese, half English vocabulary, she said, I don't want to sleep. 00:32:32.559 --> 00:32:34.240 I want to go to church. 00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:37.920 She knew she would be here this morning. 00:32:38.559 --> 00:32:44.400 We ate we wake her up every Sunday at 520 to be here. 00:32:44.960 --> 00:32:50.400 And she wakes up full of joy, excited, anxious to go to church. 00:32:53.759 --> 00:32:55.839 Do I love God's house like this? 00:32:56.880 --> 00:32:58.799 Do you love God's house like this? 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:03.920 I'm not preaching this message for it to be a burden for you. 00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:09.839 I'm just sharing this with you so we so we can evaluate ourselves. 00:33:10.640 --> 00:33:14.480 Because one thing I know for sure is I want to be like Dan. 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:17.519 I want to be like the sons of Korah. 00:33:17.920 --> 00:33:19.440 I want to be like Serena. 00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:23.680 I want to be like that church in Formosa in the end of the world. 00:33:24.400 --> 00:33:26.799 I want to desire to be here. 00:33:28.079 --> 00:33:33.519 But more than that, I want to figure out why they wanted to go to church so badly. 00:33:34.880 --> 00:33:41.599 So based on Psalm 84, I think they, the sons of Korah, they have five lessons to teach us. 00:33:42.480 --> 00:33:43.519 Five little things. 00:33:44.799 --> 00:33:53.200 And I think those lessons will help us understand why they wanted to be at church so much. 00:33:54.640 --> 00:33:55.920 And this is lesson one. 00:33:56.720 --> 00:34:01.200 They wanted to go to the house of the Lord because they loved it. 00:34:04.160 --> 00:34:05.279 Can you repeat after me? 00:34:05.440 --> 00:34:06.160 They loved it. 00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:09.199 Vinny, are you this type of preacher? 00:34:09.280 --> 00:34:09.840 Yes, I am. 00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:10.960 I'm sorry. 00:34:11.679 --> 00:34:13.280 Yes, they loved it. 00:34:13.599 --> 00:34:18.960 Verse one says, How lovely is your dwelling place, our Lord of hosts. 00:34:19.119 --> 00:34:23.679 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord. 00:34:23.840 --> 00:34:27.760 My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. 00:34:27.920 --> 00:34:31.679 They wanted to go to the house of the Lord because they love the church. 00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:33.920 They love it. 00:34:34.400 --> 00:34:39.440 They want to go to the house of the Lord not because it was part of their religion. 00:34:41.119 --> 00:34:51.679 They wanted to go to the to the house of the Lord not only out of habit, not with this feeling like, well, this is what we do every year or every Sunday. 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:57.119 They wanted to go to the to the house of the Lord not because they were scheduled on planning center. 00:34:58.079 --> 00:35:03.760 They wanted to go to the house of the Lord and it was not because they didn't have anything else better to do. 00:35:04.320 --> 00:35:10.159 They wanted to go to the house of the Lord, and it was not because their favorite preacher would preach that day. 00:35:10.800 --> 00:35:14.719 They wanted to go to the house of the Lord because they love the house of the Lord. 00:35:16.400 --> 00:35:17.519 They love it. 00:35:18.079 --> 00:35:26.159 How lovely is your dwelling place, oh Lord of hosts, my soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord. 00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:28.000 Can you say that this morning? 00:35:29.519 --> 00:35:34.239 They love the house of the Lord, and they love they love the Lord of the house. 00:35:36.159 --> 00:35:40.320 Have you noticed that we tend to be close to the things we love? 00:35:43.280 --> 00:35:47.519 So, what I'm talking about this morning is not only about attending the church. 00:35:48.079 --> 00:35:49.199 It's deeper than that. 00:35:49.760 --> 00:35:51.679 I'm talking about loving the church. 00:35:52.400 --> 00:35:53.199 Do you love it? 00:35:54.239 --> 00:35:55.360 How do you show it? 00:35:57.280 --> 00:35:59.920 Love is not a feeling, love is an attitude. 00:36:00.480 --> 00:36:01.360 Do you love it? 00:36:01.679 --> 00:36:02.960