WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:14.640 Psalm 48 is not a Psalm for the elite or for the self-assured, for the self-reliant and 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:21.440 the strong, because the city of God is not for the strong and mighty who can make their 00:00:21.440 --> 00:00:25.640 own way and who can look out for themselves. 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:33.480 The city of God is for wretches like you and me who are just tossed about by life, tossed 00:00:33.480 --> 00:00:40.640 about by death and financial concerns, deep anxieties and depressions that we can't shake, 00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:44.560 and worries that we keep on sinning and we can't seem to be good enough, and maybe God's 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:48.439 grace isn't sufficient for us. 00:00:48.439 --> 00:00:50.000 That's who this Psalm is for. 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:53.359 But the Psalmist wants us to know, and God wants us to know tonight, that it's going 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:57.960 to be okay, because God is with us. 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:00.439 But that's not all roses and peaches. 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:04.359 This is not a Psalm of rose-colored glasses. 00:01:04.359 --> 00:01:10.120 The Christian life, of course, is not, by any stretch of the imagination, an easy life. 00:01:10.120 --> 00:01:13.280 And this Psalm takes that into consideration. 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:14.680 How do we know? 00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:19.640 Because it's full of language of defensive structures, right? 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:22.560 Citadels and ramparts and fortresses and things like that. 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:25.320 You only need those when you're under attack. 00:01:25.320 --> 00:01:30.760 So this Psalm is for the battered Christians in life. 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:35.680 It makes me think of that 500-year-old hymn by Martin Luther, a mighty fortress is our 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:43.079 God, a bulwark never failing, our helper he amidst the flood of mortal ills prevailing. 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:48.040 Because Luther is acknowledging, it's actually based on Psalm 46, which is the sister Psalm 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:49.040 to this one. 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:57.400 Luther is seeing scriptures say over and over again, life is going to beat you down, but 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:02.200 God is a mighty fortress for those whom he saves. 00:02:02.200 --> 00:02:12.000 So God is offering us real sinners, real comfort for our real trouble. 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:15.000 So this Psalm begins in verse one. 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:17.840 It says, great is the Lord and greatly too we praise. 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:18.960 So now we know what it's about. 00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:20.320 It's about the greatness of God. 00:02:20.320 --> 00:02:28.480 It's a psalm of praise, but it goes on immediately to start praising the city of God. 00:02:28.480 --> 00:02:31.040 They often, he'll call it Mount Zion. 00:02:31.040 --> 00:02:36.040 Mount Zion is kind of a synonymous term you can use to refer to Jerusalem, the city of 00:02:36.040 --> 00:02:42.379 God, but the prophets in Psalmists often use the term Zion to talk about the city in light 00:02:42.379 --> 00:02:44.360 of its future. 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:46.080 And that's a really important concept. 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:50.000 They're talking about the real city in light of its future. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:54.720 But in its most plain meaning, Mount Zion would be the hill that the temple is built 00:02:54.720 --> 00:02:57.200 on right in the very heart of the city. 00:02:57.200 --> 00:03:01.320 And the temple is where the presence of God is thick. 00:03:01.320 --> 00:03:06.320 And that's a really important key for what we're going to be discussing tonight. 00:03:06.320 --> 00:03:12.400 So the psalm says that God is great by saying that his city is great. 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:16.560 That might sound weird, but if we had you over for dinner and my wife cooked a really 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:21.920 lovely meal, and afterwards you said that was an excellent meal, you wouldn't wait for 00:03:21.920 --> 00:03:24.759 the mashed potatoes to stand up and say, thank you. 00:03:24.759 --> 00:03:29.280 You're complimenting my wife who cooked the meal by complimenting the meal itself. 00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:32.200 And that's exactly what the psalmist is doing here. 00:03:32.200 --> 00:03:37.840 Is he saying God is great because look at this city that he's built. 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:41.560 So we're going to go through the psalm following the shape of the psalm, and it's split up 00:03:41.560 --> 00:03:44.360 into kind of three main chunks, if you will. 00:03:44.360 --> 00:03:48.840 We're just going to go chunk by chunk and ask a question per section. 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:53.039 So the first question, look at verses one through three with me. 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:57.560 The question is, what makes this city special? 00:03:57.560 --> 00:03:58.560 Let's read. 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:02.319 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:07.120 His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth. 00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:12.520 Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the great king, within her citadels, God has made 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:17.199 himself known as a fortress. 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:20.240 I just want to zoom in on a couple of things right here. 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:25.240 First of all, it says that it's a holy mountain. 00:04:25.240 --> 00:04:26.240 Why does that matter? 00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:30.360 Well, mountains were considered holy in the ancient world because they were higher. 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:34.319 That's why you get so many references to high places in the Old Testament as places of 00:04:34.319 --> 00:04:40.040 worship because they viewed the realm of man as earth and the realm of divine and deity 00:04:40.040 --> 00:04:41.439 as the heavens. 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:45.439 And the higher you got to that, the nearer you are to the presence of God. 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:48.279 That's the way that they viewed reality. 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:51.680 So the fact that it's a mountain is really important. 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:54.399 This is near God's space. 00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:57.439 But building on that, it's a holy mountain. 00:04:57.439 --> 00:05:02.560 Now just like when Moses sees this burning bush and God is in it and he says, take your 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:09.360 shoes off because you're standing on holy ground, the nearer we get to God the holier 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:11.879 it is. 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:18.860 Holiness grows in nearness and proximity to God. 00:05:18.860 --> 00:05:23.519 So the city is holy because God is in its midst. 00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:30.160 Look, at verse 3, it says, within her citadels, God has made himself known as a fortress. 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:35.920 So we know that God is actually locating himself and his presence thickly in that city, and 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:42.760 that is what makes this city so remarkable and so special, which means that the city 00:05:42.760 --> 00:05:50.120 of God is not special because it's full of squeaky clean, pure pious do-gooders because 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:51.400 it's not. 00:05:51.400 --> 00:05:55.440 We have not earned our way here. 00:05:55.440 --> 00:05:56.440 Look at me again. 00:05:56.440 --> 00:05:58.240 Look with me at verse 3. 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:02.639 Within her citadels, God has made himself known as a fortress. 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:08.920 So he's made himself known, which means that God is a God who says something about himself. 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:15.560 He shows you what he's like, and he does so in the defensive structures right in the 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:18.319 middle of this city. 00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:24.079 So if you want to know God, that's the place that you want to be, is in the city of God. 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:26.280 That's where he makes himself known. 00:06:26.279 --> 00:06:32.559 But he doesn't make himself known as kind of a cosmic micromanager or as a benevolent 00:06:32.559 --> 00:06:36.639 grandfather in the sky who's there to give you sweets and all of your wishes. 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:45.399 He makes himself known as a fortress because we need a fortress. 00:06:45.399 --> 00:06:53.599 So what ultimately sets this city apart, what makes it holy is that God is in the midst 00:06:53.599 --> 00:06:55.000 of this city. 00:06:55.000 --> 00:07:04.560 Now, the New Testament often calls us saints, and that word literally means holy ones. 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:05.879 That's just what it means. 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:11.319 So we as the holy ones of God are actually made holy when we believe on Jesus because 00:07:11.319 --> 00:07:16.079 God makes his home with us. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:22.600 The story of the Bible is actually a story of a God who loves his people and wants to 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:28.280 be with his people and is determined to make that happen in spite of his people's failures 00:07:28.280 --> 00:07:29.840 and sins. 00:07:29.840 --> 00:07:33.680 So of course the Bible starts in the Garden of Eden. 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:40.160 God creates everything, and then he creates this special garden where he can be with us, 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:43.960 where he can dwell with us, where we can enjoy the presence of God, we can enjoy the safety 00:07:43.960 --> 00:07:48.080 and comforts and security of God. 00:07:48.080 --> 00:07:50.120 But it didn't last long. 00:07:50.120 --> 00:07:53.360 And we chose sin, we chose our way instead of God's way. 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:59.160 We chose to be our own security and comfort instead of take comfort and refuge in him. 00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:05.800 And so fellowship with God, nearness to God became impossible. 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:11.840 We broke that fellowship, and we were expelled from the presence of God. 00:08:11.840 --> 00:08:17.079 Fast forward hundreds of years, and God's people are so far from the felt presence and 00:08:17.079 --> 00:08:23.000 security and safety of the presence of God that they're in Egypt as slaves, serving Pharaoh 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:25.159 who thought of himself as a God. 00:08:25.159 --> 00:08:29.719 But God wasn't going to abandon them there, and he went in and he redeemed these people. 00:08:29.719 --> 00:08:34.679 He purchased them out of their slavery as a people for himself. 00:08:34.679 --> 00:08:37.879 And when he took them into the wilderness, what did he do? 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:44.000 He met them on a mountain, and he gave Moses instructions to build a tabernacle, basically 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:50.000 a tent, like a mobile mountain where God could meet with his people. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:53.080 And he gave them sacrificial laws. 00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:58.600 These sacrifices provided a way for God's people to once again come into fellowship 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:03.080 with God and enjoy the presence of God. 00:09:03.080 --> 00:09:08.039 Fast forward a few hundred more years, and you have King David and King Solomon, and 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:13.039 King David sets out to build a temple, and Solomon actually builds this temple for God 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:15.439 in Jerusalem on Mount Zion. 00:09:15.439 --> 00:09:21.279 And in that temple, this beautiful, glorious structure is where God, his presence, dwells 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:25.279 thickly among his people. 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:33.480 Now all the way to the New Testament in John's Gospel, it says, Jesus tabernacled among us. 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:36.279 It says, Jesus dwelt among us. 00:09:36.279 --> 00:09:41.799 That word is very literally tabernacled, because John is trying to tell us something so important. 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:47.120 The very presence and nearness of God that we've always been longing for, it's our deepest 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:51.359 desire, is fulfilled in Christ himself. 00:09:51.359 --> 00:09:53.559 God made a way. 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:59.479 And Jesus, who was God himself, he died for our specific sins, and he conquered death, 00:09:59.479 --> 00:10:04.199 and he rose from the grave, and he ascended to heaven so that he could send God the Holy 00:10:04.199 --> 00:10:07.319 Spirit to dwell in us. 00:10:07.319 --> 00:10:11.679 So the entire storyline of the Bible is about a God who yearns to dwell with his people 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:16.079 and is absolutely determined to make that happen. 00:10:16.079 --> 00:10:21.719 And in fact, I love this, in Acts chapter one, when Jesus, I think it's chapter one, 00:10:21.719 --> 00:10:27.120 when Jesus ascends to heaven, you know, he floats up, and so the disciples naturally 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:31.079 are standing there looking up after him as he goes. 00:10:31.079 --> 00:10:36.599 And then two angels appear, and they say, why are you looking up? 00:10:36.599 --> 00:10:40.319 And they're like, well, Jesus just floated that way. 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:44.080 But I think the point is this, they said, why are you looking up? 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:50.720 Because through the Holy Spirit, Jesus was more with them then than he ever was. 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:56.640 Because we are a dwelt with the Holy Spirit, Jesus is more profoundly near and with us 00:10:56.640 --> 00:11:01.600 today than when his feet were on Galilean soil. 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:05.560 That is a remarkable truth. 00:11:05.560 --> 00:11:07.840 But that's not the end. 00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:12.200 So question number two is how do we respond? 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:15.759 But I want to take a minute and zoom over to Revelation 21, because that's the end of 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:17.160 the story. 00:11:17.160 --> 00:11:22.360 And remember how I said the psalmist is looking at the city in light of its future? 00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:23.560 Revelation 21 is its future. 00:11:23.560 --> 00:11:34.560 So turn with me, if you will, to the last book of the Bible, Revelation 21. 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:46.239 We're going to read verses one through four. 00:11:46.239 --> 00:11:49.079 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. 00:11:49.079 --> 00:11:52.679 For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. 00:11:52.679 --> 00:11:58.719 And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a 00:11:58.719 --> 00:12:01.639 bride adorned for her husband. 00:12:01.639 --> 00:12:08.039 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with 00:12:08.039 --> 00:12:09.639 man. 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:12.399 He will dwell with them and they will be his people. 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:18.319 And God himself will be with them as their God. 00:12:18.319 --> 00:12:23.120 So what will it be like when God is with us as our God in that way? 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:26.319 Well, it doesn't leave us to wonder. 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:32.360 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:37.760 Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore for the former things have 00:12:37.760 --> 00:12:43.840 passed away. 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:45.600 That's our future. 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:47.480 That's the future of the city of God. 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:50.480 It is a sure future. 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:56.680 So in light of that future, there are two responses and we see those, let me turn back 00:12:56.680 --> 00:13:04.879 to Psalm 48, we see those in these two chunks below, verses four through eight is the first 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:08.519 response and it's fear. 00:13:08.519 --> 00:13:09.519 Let's read it. 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:12.039 For behold, the kings assembled, they came on together. 00:13:12.039 --> 00:13:16.080 As soon as they saw it, the city, they were astounded. 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:17.080 They were in panic. 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:18.080 They took the flight. 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:23.320 The trembling took hold of them there, anguished as of a woman in labor. 00:13:23.320 --> 00:13:26.520 By the east wind, you shattered the ships of Tarshish. 00:13:26.520 --> 00:13:33.320 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:36.960 which God will establish forever. 00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:50.000 Astonishment, panic, trembling, childbirth-like anguish, when God's city is revealed on that 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:59.720 last day with God in her midst, the inevitable responses for those outside its walls, for 00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:06.600 the enemies of the city and for the enemies of God is that kind of fear. 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:08.120 It's not a pretty picture. 00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:10.639 But let's look at the second response. 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:15.320 It's in verses nine to eleven. 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:19.639 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. 00:14:19.639 --> 00:14:24.120 As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth and your right hand 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:25.720 is filled with righteousness. 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:27.960 Let Mount Zion be glad. 00:14:27.960 --> 00:14:31.920 Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments. 00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:37.079 So while chaos is ensuing outside the city and there's fear and panic and fleeing inside 00:14:37.079 --> 00:14:44.319 the city, there's a calm, peaceful, worshipful contemplation of the steadfast love of the 00:14:44.319 --> 00:14:51.919 Lord in the temple, in the very center of God's presence, if you will, that reflecting 00:14:51.919 --> 00:15:01.919 on his undying, unshakable, steadfast commitment to the well-being of his people. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:04.000 So there's one city and two responses. 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:05.240 Why the two responses? 00:15:05.240 --> 00:15:08.519 Why is there comfort on the one hand and fear on the other hand? 00:15:08.519 --> 00:15:12.599 Well, verse 10 and 11 gives us the answer. 00:15:12.599 --> 00:15:17.240 Your right hand is filled with righteousness and let the daughters of Judah rejoice because 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:19.360 of your judgments. 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:25.560 Justice and judgments are the cause of either fear or comfort. 00:15:25.560 --> 00:15:30.600 But we know this because if we think about a really good judge, a seasoned judge who 00:15:30.600 --> 00:15:36.080 sits on the bench, you know, 40 years he's been doing this and he's excellent and he's 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:43.519 just and he has a firm hand, that great judge will be in absolute comfort to the innocent 00:15:43.519 --> 00:15:45.019 and the humble. 00:15:45.019 --> 00:15:50.159 But to the guilty and the proud, that same judge will be a terror because they know they're 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:54.000 going to have no quarter with him. 00:15:54.000 --> 00:16:00.240 So God's just wrath was poured out for his people on Jesus at the cross, which means 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:06.279 that when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead, all who have put their trust 00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:14.360 in him will be safe, will have deep comfort, comfort that we can have today. 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:16.120 He reminds me of a forest fire. 00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:20.680 You know, the safest place to be in a forest fire is in the part of the forest that's already 00:16:20.680 --> 00:16:23.639 been burned up. 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:27.200 If you believe on Christ, that's where you stand. 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:33.800 You stand where the fire has already fallen and you have nothing to fear. 00:16:33.800 --> 00:16:40.680 So his righteousness and his judgments bring us comfort. 00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:48.359 So the third question is for the last chunk of the Psalm, verse 12 through 14. 00:16:48.359 --> 00:16:53.919 And the question is, will you explore the city? 00:16:53.919 --> 00:17:00.399 Verse 12, walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:05.639 go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:13.960 God forever and ever, he will guide us forever. 00:17:13.960 --> 00:17:16.600 This is not just a future reality. 00:17:16.600 --> 00:17:20.240 This isn't just a one day everything will be okay reality. 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:25.560 This is a right now reality, even though it doesn't feel like it. 00:17:25.560 --> 00:17:26.840 God is with us. 00:17:26.840 --> 00:17:30.640 And our future is incredibly bright. 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:37.000 I want to take a moment and look at Psalm 46 just briefly, verses one through five. 00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:39.640 As I mentioned before, Psalm 46 is kind of a sister Psalm. 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:45.440 These are the two kind of Psalms of Zion that invite us to experience the comfort of being 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:46.680 in the city of God. 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:54.240 So turn there if you like, or just listen, Psalm 46, one through five. 00:17:54.240 --> 00:18:02.359 God is present tense, our refuge and strength, a very present help and trouble. 00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:07.160 Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into 00:18:07.160 --> 00:18:11.359 the heart of the sea, though its waters of roar and foam, though the mountains tremble 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:13.859 at its swelling. 00:18:13.859 --> 00:18:18.319 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the most 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:19.319 high. 00:18:19.319 --> 00:18:22.019 God is in the midst of her. 00:18:22.019 --> 00:18:24.319 She shall not be moved. 00:18:24.319 --> 00:18:28.519 God will help her when morning dawns. 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:35.119 That present tense at the beginning of the Psalm will change everything for us, because 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:39.599 it's not just that one day God will be with us, it's that we have a taste of that right 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:40.599 now. 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:44.559 God is really with us right now. 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:48.000 The resurrection of Christ, the ascension of Christ, it's like Thomas preached this 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:49.000 morning. 00:18:49.000 --> 00:18:54.440 We're reaching through the future into the resurrection eternal life in the future and 00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:57.519 bringing a little bit of that back right now. 00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:01.519 It's real for us today. 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:04.759 So today God is giving us all an invitation. 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:08.359 Will you explore this city? 00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:15.319 A couple weeks ago I took the kids to Craig Miller Castle and we were there early in the 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:20.039 morning and it was absolutely frigid cold, so we were the only ones there. 00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:24.279 And the kids had a wonderful time running about and I just couldn't help but just putting 00:19:24.279 --> 00:19:31.919 my hands on the stones and thinking, if these stones could talk, if these walls could just 00:19:31.919 --> 00:19:38.799 tell stories, the things that the political intrigue and the great dinners and Mary, Stuart 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:44.439 dining there and incredible stories, if only these walls could talk. 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:48.920 Well the Bible is 66 books of talking walls. 00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:52.000 That's precisely what we have here. 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:53.640 Explore it. 00:19:53.640 --> 00:19:56.960 Run your hands over it. 00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:59.279 Hear the stories that it tells. 00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:06.680 And if you haven't yet put your trust in Jesus, here's an invitation to you. 00:20:06.680 --> 00:20:08.600 Explore the Bible. 00:20:08.600 --> 00:20:14.200 Explore the church and ask yourself, could Jesus save me? 00:20:14.200 --> 00:20:19.120 Could that future be mine? 00:20:19.120 --> 00:20:23.120 Because I'll tell you what, he's an expert. 00:20:23.120 --> 00:20:30.039 The city of God is full, packed full of sinners saved by grace. 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:40.200 And if you do believe on Jesus, the story of the city of God is your story. 00:20:40.200 --> 00:20:42.360 So what is that story? 00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:44.879 I mentioned Mount Zion at the beginning. 00:20:44.879 --> 00:20:47.759 The psalmist mentions it quite a few times. 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:48.759 Zion is a fascinating word. 00:20:48.759 --> 00:20:53.599 He could have said the temple, he could have said Jerusalem, he could have named the city, 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:55.559 you know he could have said the capital of Judah or whatever. 00:20:55.559 --> 00:20:57.240 But he chose to use the word Zion. 00:20:57.240 --> 00:21:03.079 Now the first time we see the word Zion is when a young king David is marching up to 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:08.959 a Jebusite, Canaanite, pagan fortress full of the enemies of God and the enemies of God's 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:13.799 people and pagan practices and horrible sacrifices and you name it, the worst of the worst, a 00:21:13.799 --> 00:21:17.160 dark, dirty, foul place. 00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:20.360 And King David marches up and conquers it and God says, I'm going to put my name in 00:21:20.360 --> 00:21:23.840 my city right there. 00:21:23.840 --> 00:21:30.840 David didn't found Jerusalem, he didn't start a new city, he captured an old, unclean pagan 00:21:30.840 --> 00:21:32.759 city. 00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:35.519 That's the city of God. 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:38.400 And that's our story. 00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:42.840 We didn't come into this squeaky clean. 00:21:42.840 --> 00:21:48.200 Paul says that we were dead in our trespasses and sins which we once walked. 00:21:48.200 --> 00:21:51.960 We were dead men, dead women. 00:21:51.960 --> 00:21:54.680 But God saved us and he redeemed us. 00:21:54.680 --> 00:22:02.240 The city is a redeemed city and we are a redeemed people and that's a crucial part of our story. 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:05.480 But secondly, the city is kept. 00:22:05.480 --> 00:22:12.759 This again, all the defensive structures, towers, ramparts, citadels, a fortress, those 00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:16.920 are for keeping and guarding the city. 00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:21.440 And it's within her citadels in the defensive structures it says in verse three that God 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:24.360 has made himself known as a fortress. 00:22:24.360 --> 00:22:28.839 So God will keep his city, God will keep his people. 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:35.160 To switch metaphors, Jesus the good shepherd will not lose a single sheep. 00:22:35.160 --> 00:22:36.759 You have nothing to fear. 00:22:36.759 --> 00:22:42.200 You cannot send your way out of this. 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:48.600 And thirdly, this city's story is that it will be a glorified city. 00:22:48.600 --> 00:22:53.440 That's again what Thomas was preaching on this morning was when we're glorified, we 00:22:53.440 --> 00:23:01.680 get that eternal weight of glory that makes our small dot of life look absolutely minuscule. 00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:06.400 That beautiful city of revelation is our future. 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:11.160 You notice in fact it says in Revelation 21 what we read that the city was dressed as 00:23:11.160 --> 00:23:13.480 a bride. 00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:17.160 If you try to picture that too hard, your mind will break. 00:23:17.160 --> 00:23:21.240 Cities don't dress as brides because it's talking about us. 00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:28.680 It's using all sorts of rich biblical imagery, Psalm-like imagery to say that we, the bride 00:23:28.680 --> 00:23:38.759 of Christ, will be presented to Christ, perfect and glorified, finally, rid of all this filth, 00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:45.320 no longer wretches who are just thrown about by life, but ultimately an eternally stable 00:23:45.320 --> 00:23:51.160 and secure, and every tear will be wiped away, and all of our mourning will be turned to 00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:55.660 dancing. 00:23:55.660 --> 00:23:59.519 We all hate platitudes when life gets really hard. 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:02.720 There's really nothing worse than platitudes. 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:07.600 We need something concrete to turn our hearts to God and turn our mourning into dancing 00:24:07.600 --> 00:24:10.640 and to turn our fears into comforts. 00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:16.519 So just saying, I'm in the city of God, it's going to be okay, that won't cut it. 00:24:16.519 --> 00:24:22.080 Just saying, God loves me, I'll be fine, it won't cut it. 00:24:22.080 --> 00:24:23.800 It's too abstract. 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:28.639 You need something you can put your feet down on. 00:24:28.639 --> 00:24:34.879 The Bible is chock-full of concrete stories of God's love for you, and they're as hardened 00:24:34.879 --> 00:24:38.759 as tangible as stone. 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:43.200 So only running our hands along the stones of this city will give us the sort of deep 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:47.960 comfort and surety in the face of trouble that we really need. 00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:50.240 So will you explore Zion? 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:52.240 Have you? 00:24:52.240 --> 00:24:55.720 Will you take comfort in its story? 00:24:55.720 --> 00:24:57.759 Will it be your story? 00:24:57.759 --> 00:25:00.559 Here is your comfort, Christian. 00:25:00.559 --> 00:25:03.359 God is with you. 00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:08.839 He's made himself known as a fortress full of steadfast love and faithfulness. 00:25:08.839 --> 00:25:13.559 Paul says to Timothy that even when we are faithless, he remains faithful because he 00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:18.400 cannot deny himself, which means that his commitment to you is as unshakable as the 00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:22.680 very nature and character of God himself. 00:25:22.680 --> 00:25:26.200 That's real safety. 00:25:26.200 --> 00:25:27.200 That's real comfort. 00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:32.120 Pray with me, will you? 00:25:32.120 --> 00:25:38.040 Heavenly Father, we are so humbled by your unfailing commitment to us when we so often 00:25:38.040 --> 00:25:39.600 are faithless to you. 00:25:39.600 --> 00:25:45.280 And we praise you that you are the Redeemer God, the Lord of hosts, who redeems and saves 00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:51.000 us with a sure and mighty hand. 00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:55.119 We thank you for keeping us safe and for being our comfort and our security so that no one 00:25:55.119 --> 00:25:56.839 can snatch us from your hand. 00:25:56.839 --> 00:26:02.279 And Lord, we really look forward to that day when your city will be the joy of all the 00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:08.319 earth and your glory and your praise covers the earth like waters. 00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:13.599 Come quickly, Lord Jesus, and give us who trust in you real comfort for our real troubles. 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:19.759 And for those here who do not yet know you, Lord, please reveal yourself to them in a 00:26:19.759 --> 00:26:26.919 mighty and gentle way and bring them into your city and save them. 00:26:26.919 --> 00:26:30.000 And we ask this all in your name, for your glory. 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:31.000 Amen. 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:46.400 Thank you.