WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.419 A reading from Psalm 22, verses 1-2 and 14-19, which is a promise that was fulfilled at the cross of Jesus Christ. 00:00:11.419 --> 00:00:14.199 These words were spoken from the mouth of Jesus. 00:00:15.660 --> 00:00:16.559 And the text reads, 00:00:41.420 --> 00:01:11.420 00:01:11.420 --> 00:01:20.780 A reading from Psalm 130 for those who are crying out from the pit. 00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:22.519 And the text says, 00:01:22.519 --> 00:01:30.680 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy. 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:39.000 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness that you may be feared. 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:47.120 So I wait for the Lord. My soul waits. And in His word I hope. My soul waits for the Lord. 00:01:47.579 --> 00:01:51.500 More than watchman for the morning. More than watchman for the morning. 00:01:52.859 --> 00:01:56.819 O Israel, hope in the Lord. For with the Lord there is steadfast love. 00:01:57.620 --> 00:02:03.560 And with Him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all His iniquities. 00:02:03.879 --> 00:02:05.939 And we'll read the Bible one more time together. 00:02:05.939 --> 00:02:11.259 From Psalm 46. And we'll read the first seven verses. 00:02:14.219 --> 00:02:16.099 And the writer writes this. 00:02:16.099 --> 00:02:20.120 God is our strength and God is our refuge, excuse me, and strength. 00:02:20.379 --> 00:02:21.699 A very present help in trouble. 00:02:21.699 --> 00:02:27.799 Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 00:02:27.979 --> 00:02:32.500 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. 00:02:33.699 --> 00:02:40.879 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 00:02:42.239 --> 00:02:44.379 God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. 00:02:44.379 --> 00:02:47.479 God will help her when morning dawns. 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:49.060 The nations rage. 00:02:49.740 --> 00:02:50.680 The kingdoms totter. 00:02:51.139 --> 00:02:53.599 He utters His voice and the earth melts. 00:02:54.359 --> 00:02:56.539 The Lord of hosts is with us. 00:02:56.919 --> 00:02:59.400 The God of Jacob is our fortress. 00:02:59.939 --> 00:03:01.620 This is God's holy word. 00:03:01.620 --> 00:03:10.400 Now, if I had any power around here at all, I would make the harmony group sing the psalms every single Sunday. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:13.259 But I don't have that power. 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:15.539 So we'll pray for it. 00:03:15.659 --> 00:03:18.500 And we'll ask them, plead with them to come back next Sunday. 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:22.719 Let me just point out four things about the psalm. 00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:24.640 This is a psalm about facing trouble. 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:27.079 So let me just point out four things very briefly about it. 00:03:27.819 --> 00:03:30.919 First, what's the trouble that's being talked about here in this psalm? 00:03:31.500 --> 00:03:35.159 So at the very beginning, verse 1, there's a mention of trouble. 00:03:35.719 --> 00:03:39.859 And then in verse 2, the text does not open gently at all. 00:03:40.059 --> 00:03:43.339 It says that though the earth gives way, 00:03:43.679 --> 00:03:47.339 though the mountains fall and be moved into the heart of the sea, 00:03:47.699 --> 00:03:49.339 though the waters of the sea roar and foam. 00:03:49.419 --> 00:03:52.659 So there's this image here of a reversal of creation. 00:03:52.659 --> 00:03:56.819 The idea is almost that everything God established in Genesis 1, 00:03:56.919 --> 00:03:59.180 the order is being turned upside down. 00:03:59.379 --> 00:04:02.359 And the mountains, instead of being established, they're falling into the sea. 00:04:02.639 --> 00:04:07.460 So it has this picture of a great tsunami and earthquake and things literally falling apart. 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:11.300 What is this event that the psalm writer is talking about 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:15.759 that makes the world feel like the mountains are falling into the sea? 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:18.839 And if you look down at verse 4, you'll see that right after that, 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:20.699 the city is mentioned, the city of God there. 00:04:20.699 --> 00:04:24.639 And if you were to just cast your eyes across the rest of the psalm, 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:27.899 the nations are raging, the kingdoms are tottering, 00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:30.959 the Lord of hosts is defending His people. 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:36.079 It says in verse 9, we didn't read that far, but God makes wars to cease. 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:40.019 And so it's very, very probable here that the trouble, 00:04:40.139 --> 00:04:42.300 the trouble that's mentioned in verse 1, 00:04:42.779 --> 00:04:46.519 is that the city of Jerusalem is being besieged. 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:50.599 So this idea of the mountains falling into the sea and the earth trembling 00:04:50.599 --> 00:04:54.680 is metaphorical language for somebody's world being flipped upside down. 00:04:55.639 --> 00:04:57.279 The writer, whatever they're going through, 00:04:57.620 --> 00:05:00.339 it literally feels like decreation is happening. 00:05:01.019 --> 00:05:05.279 So if you are an ancient person living in the ancient Near East, 00:05:05.819 --> 00:05:07.240 and you live in a city, 00:05:07.359 --> 00:05:11.159 you probably live in a city that has walls all the way around it. 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:14.680 And when an invading army comes to besiege you, 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:16.460 they typically surround you, 00:05:16.980 --> 00:05:19.439 and they might cut off your food supply, 00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:20.840 they cut off your water supply, 00:05:21.100 --> 00:05:22.580 they starve you out, 00:05:22.700 --> 00:05:23.440 they attack you. 00:05:23.940 --> 00:05:26.520 And I can't even imagine what it must be like 00:05:26.520 --> 00:05:28.480 to be an ancient person living in a city 00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:29.840 that is under siege. 00:05:29.839 --> 00:05:32.659 And, you know, you had a peaceful existence, 00:05:32.819 --> 00:05:35.279 and all of a sudden your world is absolutely being torn apart. 00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:37.859 And so if you are a victim of that in the ancient world, 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:39.659 you are undoubtedly going to die, 00:05:40.159 --> 00:05:42.899 or you're going to see part of your family be killed, 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:44.459 or you're going to be taken into slavery, 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:46.579 and all sorts of unspeakable horrors 00:05:46.579 --> 00:05:47.779 are probably going to happen to you. 00:05:47.779 --> 00:05:49.219 And that's the trouble 00:05:49.219 --> 00:05:51.839 that's being talked about metaphorically probably, 00:05:51.959 --> 00:05:53.719 very probably, in the psalm. 00:05:55.019 --> 00:05:56.759 Two applications, two lessons, 00:05:57.299 --> 00:05:58.599 let me mention here. 00:05:58.600 --> 00:06:01.540 The Bible does not run past 00:06:01.540 --> 00:06:03.520 the hardest realities of human life. 00:06:03.960 --> 00:06:06.340 So sometimes people come and say 00:06:06.340 --> 00:06:08.740 about Christianity or about religion in general, 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:10.180 I can't believe in God 00:06:10.180 --> 00:06:12.640 because of how hard life is 00:06:12.640 --> 00:06:13.900 and how much suffering there is, 00:06:13.939 --> 00:06:14.600 how much evil, 00:06:15.020 --> 00:06:17.000 and how much pain and trouble there is in this world. 00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:18.160 But I just want you to notice 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:21.400 that the Bible never glosses over 00:06:21.400 --> 00:06:24.620 the depth of trouble that this life brings. 00:06:25.240 --> 00:06:27.300 Instead, the Bible talks about it very openly 00:06:27.300 --> 00:06:28.140 and very honestly, 00:06:28.139 --> 00:06:30.959 and even provides language to name it 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:32.819 and to experience it, 00:06:33.039 --> 00:06:34.659 provides a way of experiencing it, 00:06:34.719 --> 00:06:37.300 songs to sing while you're experiencing it. 00:06:37.879 --> 00:06:39.240 And in fact, in the midst of that, 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:40.879 that language that the Bible provides, 00:06:41.779 --> 00:06:43.719 Christianity gives a real gift, 00:06:43.779 --> 00:06:45.919 and that's explanatory power 00:06:45.919 --> 00:06:47.459 to why we suffer so much. 00:06:47.539 --> 00:06:48.639 And so every religion, 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:49.500 every philosophy, 00:06:49.719 --> 00:06:51.759 every worldview has to face this question, 00:06:52.099 --> 00:06:53.519 what is the source of suffering 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:55.099 and evil in this world? 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:57.259 And all the different religions 00:06:57.259 --> 00:06:58.479 give different answers to that, 00:06:58.539 --> 00:07:00.180 and secular humanism or naturalism 00:07:00.180 --> 00:07:01.539 gives a different answer to that. 00:07:01.599 --> 00:07:03.120 But Christianity comes and says 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:05.219 that the troubles you are experiencing 00:07:05.219 --> 00:07:06.539 really are troubles. 00:07:07.479 --> 00:07:09.219 They're not a mirage of neurons 00:07:09.219 --> 00:07:10.259 firing in your head. 00:07:10.339 --> 00:07:11.000 It's not an illusion. 00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:13.599 Evil is not an illusion like Buddhism says. 00:07:14.299 --> 00:07:15.459 And evil is not an illusion 00:07:15.459 --> 00:07:17.019 like secular naturalism says. 00:07:17.939 --> 00:07:20.039 And instead, trouble really is trouble. 00:07:20.219 --> 00:07:21.259 And you see, the problem with trouble, 00:07:21.379 --> 00:07:22.419 if you don't believe in God, 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:24.740 is that for trouble to be trouble, 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:26.399 you have to call it evil. 00:07:26.539 --> 00:07:27.240 And to be evil, 00:07:27.379 --> 00:07:29.120 you have to believe 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:30.379 that there is such a thing as the good. 00:07:30.859 --> 00:07:34.199 You see, evil is parasitic upon the good. 00:07:34.299 --> 00:07:36.060 And without the good, 00:07:36.139 --> 00:07:37.319 without a transcendent good, 00:07:37.399 --> 00:07:39.240 you cannot even talk about evil, you see. 00:07:40.099 --> 00:07:41.740 And so Christianity provides 00:07:41.740 --> 00:07:43.079 this real explanatory power 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:44.819 to be able to actually say, 00:07:44.819 --> 00:07:47.360 trouble really is trouble. 00:07:48.159 --> 00:07:49.279 It never glosses over it. 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:49.980 It names it. 00:07:50.139 --> 00:07:51.360 It calls it out. 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:53.019 Suffering is a human problem 00:07:53.019 --> 00:07:54.620 that every single one of us face. 00:07:54.699 --> 00:07:55.540 The second application, 00:07:56.339 --> 00:07:57.139 and I'll move on, 00:07:57.620 --> 00:07:58.879 is that not only does the Bible 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:00.500 not gloss over real trouble, 00:08:01.180 --> 00:08:03.740 but I think this psalm exists 00:08:03.740 --> 00:08:06.120 to simply point out the fact 00:08:06.120 --> 00:08:08.899 that most of us know something 00:08:08.899 --> 00:08:10.159 of what's being talked about here. 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:12.180 So the writer says, 00:08:12.539 --> 00:08:13.539 the mountains are literally 00:08:13.539 --> 00:08:14.560 falling into the sea. 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:15.879 Metaphorically falling into the sea 00:08:15.879 --> 00:08:17.180 because their world 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:18.240 is being turned upside down. 00:08:18.300 --> 00:08:18.939 And I would imagine 00:08:18.939 --> 00:08:21.879 that there are many of you here tonight 00:08:21.879 --> 00:08:24.699 that have had an event like this 00:08:24.699 --> 00:08:26.540 where you can say something like this, 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:28.600 where you have had the earth 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:29.920 move beneath your feet, 00:08:30.379 --> 00:08:31.340 a tectonic shift, 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:33.419 the mountains feel to be falling into the sea 00:08:33.419 --> 00:08:35.639 because of something that's happened to you, 00:08:36.200 --> 00:08:38.200 because of that 2 a.m. phone call 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:40.159 that you never expected in your life, 00:08:40.820 --> 00:08:43.120 because of that person that you lost, 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:44.899 that you never thought 00:08:44.899 --> 00:08:46.240 you'd have to say goodbye to this early, 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:48.259 because even of the simple reality 00:08:48.259 --> 00:08:49.779 of losing that job 00:08:49.779 --> 00:08:52.560 or that thing that you had so pursued 00:08:52.560 --> 00:08:53.080 that you thought, 00:08:53.220 --> 00:08:54.740 this is going to make sense of my life, 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:55.720 this is going to give me my identity, 00:08:55.860 --> 00:08:57.039 but then it was taken from you. 00:08:57.480 --> 00:08:58.740 And it was like the mountains 00:08:58.740 --> 00:08:59.580 falling into the sea. 00:08:59.659 --> 00:09:01.240 It was like your city, 00:09:01.419 --> 00:09:02.580 the city you have built, 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:03.759 has been besieged. 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:06.259 And so I just want to say first 00:09:06.259 --> 00:09:08.939 that the Bible never glosses over this reality, 00:09:09.620 --> 00:09:09.960 trouble. 00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:13.779 Secondly, what does the God of the Bible say 00:09:13.779 --> 00:09:15.620 to us in the midst of trouble, 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:16.279 in the midst of suffering? 00:09:16.659 --> 00:09:17.779 And the text is really clear. 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:20.000 It says God is our refuge. 00:09:20.500 --> 00:09:21.319 So God is our refuge. 00:09:21.460 --> 00:09:22.439 God is our strength. 00:09:23.019 --> 00:09:23.600 And then thirdly, 00:09:23.659 --> 00:09:25.600 God is our very present help in trouble. 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:29.659 Notice that as this writer 00:09:29.659 --> 00:09:31.379 is under siege, 00:09:31.379 --> 00:09:34.759 his life changing before his eyes, 00:09:35.059 --> 00:09:39.240 he doesn't say God will fortify the refuge. 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:41.960 God will keep these walls intact. 00:09:42.299 --> 00:09:45.059 He doesn't say God will make me strong enough 00:09:45.059 --> 00:09:46.399 to be able to defeat my enemies. 00:09:47.419 --> 00:09:50.759 Instead, he says God is my refuge. 00:09:51.179 --> 00:09:52.320 I hide in him. 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:54.580 God is my strength, 00:09:54.899 --> 00:09:56.080 even when I have none. 00:09:57.080 --> 00:09:58.440 And so what the Bible does, 00:09:58.820 --> 00:09:59.559 it says that God, 00:10:00.100 --> 00:10:00.759 the God of the Bible, 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:02.120 who made the world, 00:10:02.220 --> 00:10:04.460 who is present at all times in this world 00:10:04.460 --> 00:10:05.700 by the Holy Spirit, 00:10:06.439 --> 00:10:08.019 that God is very near, 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:09.500 very close to those 00:10:09.500 --> 00:10:11.000 who are walking through deep pain 00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:12.559 and deep trouble and deep suffering. 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:13.679 And so the Bible doesn't say 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:16.480 that God will prevent every disaster. 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:18.899 He has a rescue plan 00:10:18.899 --> 00:10:20.980 and it will come one day. 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:22.279 But what the Bible says is 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:24.059 God will give you company 00:10:24.059 --> 00:10:25.419 in every disaster. 00:10:25.419 --> 00:10:26.480 He will be with you. 00:10:26.620 --> 00:10:28.600 He will be a very present help to you, 00:10:28.659 --> 00:10:30.059 very near to you in trouble. 00:10:30.059 --> 00:10:31.659 There's so much mystery 00:10:31.659 --> 00:10:33.319 about suffering and evil 00:10:33.319 --> 00:10:35.419 and the pain that we all experience. 00:10:35.679 --> 00:10:37.919 And the Bible does not answer every question 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:39.399 about the mystery of death 00:10:39.399 --> 00:10:40.239 and the mystery of suffering 00:10:40.239 --> 00:10:41.099 and the mystery of evil. 00:10:41.439 --> 00:10:42.759 But the riddles of God, 00:10:43.459 --> 00:10:44.859 the riddles of God 00:10:44.859 --> 00:10:46.519 are far more satisfying 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:47.699 than the solutions of men. 00:10:48.439 --> 00:10:50.459 And here we're being told 00:10:50.459 --> 00:10:52.059 that God will be near you 00:10:52.059 --> 00:10:52.759 when you suffer. 00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:54.619 It's very simple and very true. 00:10:55.119 --> 00:10:56.679 Imagine, I've got five children, 00:10:56.679 --> 00:10:59.120 so I don't have to imagine this, 00:10:59.500 --> 00:11:00.699 but many of you know 00:11:00.699 --> 00:11:01.599 what I'm talking about 00:11:01.599 --> 00:11:04.259 where it's the middle of the night. 00:11:04.339 --> 00:11:06.059 We keep two monitors running 00:11:06.059 --> 00:11:06.539 in our house, 00:11:06.620 --> 00:11:07.919 baby monitors at all times 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:09.459 because we live downstairs 00:11:09.459 --> 00:11:10.699 and our kids live upstairs. 00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:12.479 And so we have to put monitors 00:11:12.479 --> 00:11:13.399 in different places 00:11:13.399 --> 00:11:14.219 to figure out 00:11:14.219 --> 00:11:16.019 who is crying where 00:11:16.019 --> 00:11:16.759 in the house 00:11:16.759 --> 00:11:17.500 in the middle of the night. 00:11:18.620 --> 00:11:20.359 And they both feed 00:11:20.359 --> 00:11:20.959 into our bedroom 00:11:20.959 --> 00:11:21.839 on different sides 00:11:21.839 --> 00:11:22.559 while we sleep. 00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:25.599 When a child cries out 00:11:25.599 --> 00:11:26.299 in the middle of the night 00:11:26.299 --> 00:11:27.239 and they say, 00:11:27.379 --> 00:11:28.039 I'm afraid, 00:11:28.199 --> 00:11:29.000 I'm so afraid. 00:11:29.819 --> 00:11:31.000 When a child cries out 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:31.379 and says, 00:11:31.459 --> 00:11:32.000 I'm hurt, 00:11:32.119 --> 00:11:32.619 I'm hurt, 00:11:32.779 --> 00:11:33.819 something's wrong with me. 00:11:34.619 --> 00:11:36.859 They do not want a lecture 00:11:36.859 --> 00:11:38.239 on the nature of darkness. 00:11:39.319 --> 00:11:40.299 They don't want to be told, 00:11:41.219 --> 00:11:41.519 you know, 00:11:41.599 --> 00:11:42.659 if you really understood 00:11:42.659 --> 00:11:43.439 what darkness is, 00:11:43.479 --> 00:11:44.219 you wouldn't be afraid of it. 00:11:44.239 --> 00:11:45.439 It's simply an absence of light 00:11:45.439 --> 00:11:47.159 and you don't have to be afraid. 00:11:47.459 --> 00:11:48.500 They don't want to be told, 00:11:48.759 --> 00:11:49.859 hey, this pain is temporary, 00:11:49.959 --> 00:11:50.639 it's going to go away. 00:11:50.719 --> 00:11:51.219 What do they want? 00:11:51.299 --> 00:11:51.859 What do they want 00:11:51.860 --> 00:11:52.519 when they cry out? 00:11:52.580 --> 00:11:53.919 What does the sufferer, 00:11:54.139 --> 00:11:55.100 the little child want 00:11:55.100 --> 00:11:55.460 in the darkness? 00:11:55.600 --> 00:11:56.700 They want their dad 00:11:56.700 --> 00:11:58.120 to come and be with them. 00:11:58.779 --> 00:11:59.700 They want their mom 00:11:59.700 --> 00:12:01.320 to stay and give them a hug. 00:12:01.940 --> 00:12:02.899 They want presence. 00:12:03.100 --> 00:12:03.980 And we want the same thing. 00:12:04.019 --> 00:12:04.720 We want presence. 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:06.580 God the Father says 00:12:06.580 --> 00:12:09.460 that He will be near to you 00:12:09.460 --> 00:12:10.200 in the midst of your trouble. 00:12:10.279 --> 00:12:11.360 That's what Christianity offers. 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:12.480 Thirdly, 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:13.740 that's vague. 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:14.279 You say, 00:12:14.500 --> 00:12:15.220 maybe. 00:12:15.560 --> 00:12:16.080 That's vague. 00:12:16.220 --> 00:12:17.379 That needs to be more specific 00:12:17.379 --> 00:12:18.159 and I think so too. 00:12:18.940 --> 00:12:19.320 And so, 00:12:19.539 --> 00:12:21.139 there's a more specific answer 00:12:21.139 --> 00:12:21.819 in this passage 00:12:21.819 --> 00:12:22.740 and it's in verse 4. 00:12:23.159 --> 00:12:23.559 It says, 00:12:23.659 --> 00:12:24.360 there is a river 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:25.379 whose streams 00:12:25.379 --> 00:12:26.639 make glad 00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:27.679 the city of God. 00:12:29.419 --> 00:12:29.779 So, 00:12:29.980 --> 00:12:30.679 in siege warfare 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:31.620 in the ancient Near East, 00:12:31.699 --> 00:12:33.039 if you were going to besiege a city 00:12:33.039 --> 00:12:33.759 like Jerusalem, 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:34.899 you would surround it 00:12:34.899 --> 00:12:35.840 and you would cut off 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:36.539 the food supply 00:12:36.539 --> 00:12:37.199 and you would cut off 00:12:37.199 --> 00:12:37.960 the water supply 00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:40.379 and it would not take very long, 00:12:40.439 --> 00:12:41.460 especially if there was 00:12:41.460 --> 00:12:42.340 no water supply 00:12:42.340 --> 00:12:44.580 to make the inhabitants surrender. 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:47.340 If there is a river 00:12:47.340 --> 00:12:48.940 running through the city 00:12:48.940 --> 00:12:50.120 that is being besieged, 00:12:50.280 --> 00:12:51.879 it is almost impossible 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:52.759 to make that work. 00:12:53.400 --> 00:12:54.740 If there is a water supply 00:12:54.740 --> 00:12:56.040 running through the heart 00:12:56.040 --> 00:12:56.500 of the city, 00:12:57.160 --> 00:12:58.840 a great army can surround it 00:12:58.840 --> 00:13:00.220 but it's very hard 00:13:00.220 --> 00:13:01.180 to get the people to surrender 00:13:01.180 --> 00:13:03.620 because they have a source of life. 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:04.620 It can sustain them. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:05.860 It can keep them. 00:13:06.580 --> 00:13:06.800 And so, 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:07.780 in the midst of trouble, 00:13:07.900 --> 00:13:09.020 we're being told here, 00:13:09.100 --> 00:13:10.879 how is God very near to you? 00:13:10.920 --> 00:13:11.879 And then we read about 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:12.820 this great city. 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:13.900 There is a city. 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:14.120 See, 00:13:14.260 --> 00:13:15.600 if you're living in Jerusalem 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:17.220 as this psalmist probably was 00:13:17.220 --> 00:13:19.480 and your city is being besieged, 00:13:19.540 --> 00:13:20.220 there is no river 00:13:20.220 --> 00:13:20.940 running through the middle 00:13:20.940 --> 00:13:21.360 of Jerusalem. 00:13:21.520 --> 00:13:21.940 There wasn't 00:13:21.940 --> 00:13:22.840 in the ancient Near East. 00:13:23.100 --> 00:13:24.460 There was a Hezekiah's tunnel 00:13:24.460 --> 00:13:25.760 eventually that did have water 00:13:25.760 --> 00:13:26.560 underneath it 00:13:26.560 --> 00:13:27.140 but in general, 00:13:27.220 --> 00:13:27.820 there's no river 00:13:27.820 --> 00:13:29.460 and there's no river 00:13:29.460 --> 00:13:30.100 running through the city 00:13:30.100 --> 00:13:30.820 of Jerusalem today 00:13:30.820 --> 00:13:31.400 and that means 00:13:31.400 --> 00:13:33.460 that what's happening here 00:13:33.460 --> 00:13:35.140 is a great sufferer 00:13:35.140 --> 00:13:36.280 is writing a song 00:13:36.280 --> 00:13:36.780 saying, 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:39.360 I imagine a city 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:41.700 where there is a river 00:13:41.700 --> 00:13:42.680 running through it. 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:44.400 And that city 00:13:44.400 --> 00:13:45.600 is the city of God 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:47.580 and God is there 00:13:47.580 --> 00:13:48.960 and that river 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:50.400 will give me what I need 00:13:50.400 --> 00:13:51.900 for all my days. 00:13:52.580 --> 00:13:52.800 So, 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:54.080 what this psalm does 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:54.500 is says, 00:13:54.640 --> 00:13:55.720 the Christian has the ability 00:13:55.720 --> 00:13:56.860 to use your imagination 00:13:56.860 --> 00:13:58.460 in the midst of suffering 00:13:58.460 --> 00:14:00.120 and plead the promises 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:00.620 of God 00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:01.100 and say, 00:14:01.460 --> 00:14:04.000 my city is being besieged 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:04.920 and there is no river 00:14:04.920 --> 00:14:06.180 giving me a water supply 00:14:06.180 --> 00:14:06.580 at the moment 00:14:06.580 --> 00:14:07.580 but I know 00:14:07.580 --> 00:14:09.180 that God says 00:14:09.180 --> 00:14:11.040 there is a city 00:14:11.040 --> 00:14:12.700 that is to come 00:14:12.700 --> 00:14:14.560 that has an eternal river 00:14:14.560 --> 00:14:16.960 that will quench the thirst 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:18.400 of all who suffer. 00:14:19.420 --> 00:14:20.060 And when we come 00:14:20.060 --> 00:14:20.720 to the New Testament, 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:22.100 we read about 00:14:22.100 --> 00:14:23.240 two different kinds of cities. 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:24.259 There's an earthly city 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:25.340 like Edinburgh, 00:14:25.520 --> 00:14:26.060 like Jerusalem, 00:14:26.259 --> 00:14:27.360 like any of the earthly cities 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:28.400 and every single one 00:14:28.400 --> 00:14:29.240 of the earthly cities 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:31.180 is eventually going to rot. 00:14:31.280 --> 00:14:32.120 Every one of the earthly cities 00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:32.660 is temporary, 00:14:32.659 --> 00:14:33.339 it's earthly 00:14:33.339 --> 00:14:35.500 but there's citizenship 00:14:35.500 --> 00:14:36.659 in another city 00:14:36.659 --> 00:14:37.719 and that's the city of God 00:14:37.719 --> 00:14:39.059 and that's the city 00:14:39.059 --> 00:14:39.860 that's being talked about 00:14:39.860 --> 00:14:40.279 right here 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:41.419 and there's a river 00:14:41.419 --> 00:14:43.059 in the heart of that city 00:14:43.059 --> 00:14:45.100 that can satisfy you 00:14:45.100 --> 00:14:45.879 for all of your days 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:47.600 and the New Testament says 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:48.379 this is how God 00:14:48.379 --> 00:14:49.439 is very present, 00:14:49.559 --> 00:14:50.539 very near to you 00:14:50.539 --> 00:14:52.179 that Jesus Christ 00:14:52.179 --> 00:14:53.199 is that river. 00:14:54.439 --> 00:14:55.639 Jesus Christ is the river. 00:14:55.740 --> 00:14:56.519 He says to us 00:14:56.519 --> 00:14:58.039 in John chapter 7, 00:14:58.220 --> 00:14:59.379 if anybody thirst, 00:14:59.959 --> 00:15:00.720 come to me 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:01.699 and drink. 00:15:01.700 --> 00:15:02.640 Even now, 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:03.320 even now, 00:15:03.460 --> 00:15:04.360 the text John 7 says 00:15:04.360 --> 00:15:05.160 in the midst of trouble 00:15:05.160 --> 00:15:06.740 whoever believes in me 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:07.740 out of his heart 00:15:07.740 --> 00:15:08.800 will flow a river 00:15:08.800 --> 00:15:09.860 of living water 00:15:09.860 --> 00:15:10.820 that you even now 00:15:10.820 --> 00:15:11.520 in the midst of trouble 00:15:11.520 --> 00:15:12.540 can have a river 00:15:12.540 --> 00:15:13.600 flowing from your heart, 00:15:14.100 --> 00:15:14.720 a Christ, 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:15.400 the Christ 00:15:15.400 --> 00:15:16.360 who will never leave you 00:15:16.360 --> 00:15:17.080 or forsake you. 00:15:17.800 --> 00:15:18.259 He didn't, 00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:19.780 Jesus Christ, 00:15:19.900 --> 00:15:20.700 he didn't stay away 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:21.220 from trouble. 00:15:22.259 --> 00:15:22.920 Every worldview, 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:24.080 every religion, 00:15:24.540 --> 00:15:25.180 every philosophy 00:15:25.180 --> 00:15:26.640 needs to say something 00:15:26.640 --> 00:15:27.500 about the nature 00:15:27.500 --> 00:15:28.060 of suffering, 00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:29.120 the nature of evil 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:30.180 and a solution 00:15:30.180 --> 00:15:31.280 to this great dilemma 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:32.679 and while the Bible 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:33.679 does not answer 00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:34.720 every single question 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:35.939 there is of the great mystery 00:15:35.939 --> 00:15:36.779 of suffering and death, 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:37.819 what it tells us 00:15:37.819 --> 00:15:39.000 is that God himself 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:40.179 did not stay away 00:15:40.179 --> 00:15:40.740 from trouble. 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:42.299 He entered into it. 00:15:43.579 --> 00:15:44.519 The Son of God came 00:15:44.519 --> 00:15:45.439 and he faced trouble 00:15:45.439 --> 00:15:46.339 head on. 00:15:46.439 --> 00:15:47.639 He experienced trouble 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:48.919 beyond our imagination 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:49.559 at the cross 00:15:49.559 --> 00:15:51.779 so that we might drink 00:15:51.779 --> 00:15:52.759 from the river 00:15:52.759 --> 00:15:53.699 of the city of God. 00:15:53.799 --> 00:15:54.559 That's the promise. 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:56.000 That's how God says 00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:57.360 he will be very near to you. 00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:58.299 Revelation 22 00:15:58.299 --> 00:15:59.879 is this great vision 00:15:59.879 --> 00:16:00.740 of the new heavens 00:16:00.740 --> 00:16:01.479 and the new earth 00:16:01.479 --> 00:16:02.979 where heaven has come down. 00:16:03.099 --> 00:16:04.399 Christ has brought heaven 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:05.359 down to earth 00:16:05.359 --> 00:16:06.199 and there's a river 00:16:06.199 --> 00:16:07.779 running through the middle of it 00:16:07.779 --> 00:16:08.059 and it says 00:16:08.059 --> 00:16:09.899 that river makes the people 00:16:09.899 --> 00:16:10.819 of the city glad. 00:16:10.959 --> 00:16:12.120 It gives life to everything 00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:13.019 and that river 00:16:13.019 --> 00:16:14.279 is Jesus Christ himself. 00:16:14.659 --> 00:16:15.199 He promises 00:16:15.199 --> 00:16:16.319 that when you believe in him 00:16:16.319 --> 00:16:17.859 he really will be present 00:16:17.859 --> 00:16:19.199 with you even in this life 00:16:19.199 --> 00:16:20.620 by the Holy Spirit 00:16:20.620 --> 00:16:21.559 and especially 00:16:21.559 --> 00:16:22.620 in the times 00:16:22.620 --> 00:16:23.579 of your greatest trouble. 00:16:24.199 --> 00:16:24.699 So lastly, 00:16:25.459 --> 00:16:25.979 what do you do 00:16:25.980 --> 00:16:26.580 with your suffering 00:16:26.580 --> 00:16:27.759 even tonight? 00:16:27.899 --> 00:16:28.399 Let me ask you, 00:16:28.460 --> 00:16:29.259 are you a citizen 00:16:29.259 --> 00:16:30.820 of the eternal city? 00:16:32.700 --> 00:16:33.560 By faith, 00:16:33.620 --> 00:16:34.440 you can be a citizen 00:16:34.440 --> 00:16:35.539 of the eternal city 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:36.639 and have a hope 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:37.019 in the midst 00:16:37.019 --> 00:16:37.639 of your suffering. 00:16:38.659 --> 00:16:39.379 Jonathan Edwards 00:16:39.379 --> 00:16:41.060 was a pretty well-known 00:16:41.060 --> 00:16:42.120 famous theologian 00:16:42.120 --> 00:16:43.539 and president 00:16:43.539 --> 00:16:44.240 of Princeton 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:46.420 in the United States 00:16:46.420 --> 00:16:47.300 in the 18th century 00:16:47.300 --> 00:16:48.360 and he wrote 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:49.639 a famous sermon 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:50.620 that has been used 00:16:50.620 --> 00:16:51.879 many, many times. 00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:52.879 There's a good chance 00:16:52.879 --> 00:16:53.759 many of you in here 00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:55.300 if you're around church much 00:16:55.299 --> 00:16:56.219 have heard this before 00:16:56.219 --> 00:16:58.059 but he talked about 00:16:58.059 --> 00:16:58.579 in this sermon 00:16:58.579 --> 00:16:59.819 the practical benefits 00:16:59.819 --> 00:17:00.959 of following Jesus 00:17:00.959 --> 00:17:02.099 when facing suffering 00:17:02.099 --> 00:17:03.759 and so they are very practical. 00:17:03.899 --> 00:17:04.659 Let me just list them 00:17:04.659 --> 00:17:05.599 for you as we finish. 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:07.039 Jonathan Edwards said 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:08.299 and this is more modern language 00:17:08.299 --> 00:17:08.960 than he gave, 00:17:09.720 --> 00:17:10.879 your bad things 00:17:10.879 --> 00:17:12.139 will be turned to good, 00:17:13.339 --> 00:17:14.200 your bad things 00:17:14.200 --> 00:17:15.000 will be turned to good 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:16.899 and your best things 00:17:16.899 --> 00:17:17.779 are still ahead of you. 00:17:18.700 --> 00:17:19.440 So when you have Jesus 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:19.960 in your life 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:20.680 in the midst of suffering 00:17:20.680 --> 00:17:21.559 your bad things 00:17:21.559 --> 00:17:22.599 will be turned into good 00:17:22.599 --> 00:17:24.579 and your best 00:17:24.579 --> 00:17:26.179 is still ahead of you 00:17:26.179 --> 00:17:27.419 and he's thinking there 00:17:27.419 --> 00:17:28.419 of Romans 8, 28 00:17:28.419 --> 00:17:30.240 all things work together 00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:30.919 for the good 00:17:30.919 --> 00:17:32.619 of those who love God 00:17:32.619 --> 00:17:33.539 and are called 00:17:33.539 --> 00:17:34.539 according to his purpose 00:17:34.539 --> 00:17:36.019 and this is not cheap comfort, 00:17:36.399 --> 00:17:37.459 it's not dismissal 00:17:37.459 --> 00:17:38.019 of injustice, 00:17:39.019 --> 00:17:39.919 it's not dismissal 00:17:39.919 --> 00:17:40.839 of all the grievances 00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:41.539 that have occurred 00:17:41.539 --> 00:17:42.199 and the suffering 00:17:42.199 --> 00:17:43.439 that has taken place. 00:17:43.539 --> 00:17:44.599 The Bible names it 00:17:44.599 --> 00:17:45.740 and says it's great evil, 00:17:46.099 --> 00:17:46.699 it's corruption, 00:17:46.919 --> 00:17:48.419 sin has brought so much pain 00:17:48.419 --> 00:17:48.879 in this world 00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:50.020 but in the mystery of God, 00:17:50.800 --> 00:17:52.100 God tells us 00:17:52.100 --> 00:17:52.680 that somehow, 00:17:52.900 --> 00:17:53.380 some way, 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:55.080 all things will work together 00:17:55.080 --> 00:17:55.520 for the good 00:17:55.520 --> 00:17:56.380 of those who love him 00:17:56.380 --> 00:17:58.160 and so we can look 00:17:58.160 --> 00:17:59.700 and say something like 00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:00.880 just because I can't think 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:01.580 of a good reason 00:18:01.580 --> 00:18:03.320 that God would allow pain 00:18:03.320 --> 00:18:03.740 and suffering 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:04.560 and evil in this life 00:18:04.560 --> 00:18:05.500 doesn't mean there isn't one. 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:06.800 Somehow, 00:18:06.980 --> 00:18:07.260 some way, 00:18:07.360 --> 00:18:08.380 all things will work together 00:18:08.380 --> 00:18:08.900 for the good 00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:10.040 of those who love him. 00:18:10.620 --> 00:18:12.860 In Dostoyevsky's great novel, 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:14.100 The Brothers Karamazov, 00:18:14.660 --> 00:18:16.200 there's two characters, 00:18:16.340 --> 00:18:17.920 Ivan and Alyosha 00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:20.060 and Ivan is regularly 00:18:20.060 --> 00:18:21.000 the chorus line 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:21.620 throughout the book 00:18:21.620 --> 00:18:23.500 of talking about human cruelty 00:18:23.500 --> 00:18:24.900 and suffering and pain 00:18:24.900 --> 00:18:26.460 and it's really a book, 00:18:26.560 --> 00:18:27.539 it's a wonderful novel 00:18:27.539 --> 00:18:29.060 focused on the problem of evil 00:18:29.060 --> 00:18:30.480 and there's one moment 00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:32.380 where Alyosha responds to Ivan 00:18:32.380 --> 00:18:34.220 and Ivan had been talking 00:18:34.220 --> 00:18:35.519 about all the misery 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:37.039 of this human life 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:39.860 and this is what Alyosha writes 00:18:39.860 --> 00:18:42.300 through Dostoyevsky's hand, 00:18:42.860 --> 00:18:44.000 I believe like a child 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:45.519 that suffering will be healed 00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:46.340 and made up for, 00:18:46.700 --> 00:18:47.820 that in the world's finale, 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:49.220 something so precious 00:18:49.220 --> 00:18:50.120 will come to pass 00:18:50.120 --> 00:18:51.440 that it will suffice 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:52.420 for all hearts, 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:53.740 for the comforting 00:18:53.740 --> 00:18:54.900 of all resentments, 00:18:55.400 --> 00:18:56.300 for the atonement 00:18:56.300 --> 00:18:57.460 of all the crimes 00:18:57.460 --> 00:18:58.080 of humanity, 00:18:58.519 --> 00:18:59.480 of all the blood 00:18:59.480 --> 00:19:00.160 they've shed, 00:19:00.560 --> 00:19:01.600 that it will make it 00:19:01.600 --> 00:19:02.480 not only possible 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:03.100 to forgive, 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:05.220 but somehow to justify 00:19:05.220 --> 00:19:06.360 all that has happened. 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:09.100 I believe like a child, 00:19:10.340 --> 00:19:10.600 somehow, 00:19:10.740 --> 00:19:11.480 some way that suffering 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:12.180 will be healed 00:19:12.180 --> 00:19:13.580 and made up for 00:19:13.580 --> 00:19:14.580 in the last day. 00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:16.080 Death is not the end. 00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:17.199 The last thing 00:19:17.199 --> 00:19:18.139 Edwards says is 00:19:18.139 --> 00:19:19.259 your good things, 00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:20.779 if you believe in Jesus today, 00:19:20.839 --> 00:19:21.500 your good things 00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:22.519 cannot be taken away 00:19:22.519 --> 00:19:23.879 from you in this life, 00:19:23.919 --> 00:19:24.500 even in the midst 00:19:24.500 --> 00:19:24.919 of suffering. 00:19:25.099 --> 00:19:25.759 So if you have 00:19:25.759 --> 00:19:27.379 God as a father, 00:19:28.119 --> 00:19:29.039 Jesus Christ 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:29.859 as your savior, 00:19:30.059 --> 00:19:30.399 redeemer, 00:19:30.500 --> 00:19:31.179 and elder brother, 00:19:32.039 --> 00:19:33.099 and the Holy Spirit 00:19:33.099 --> 00:19:34.879 as your daily companion, 00:19:35.639 --> 00:19:36.379 your good things 00:19:36.379 --> 00:19:37.079 cannot be taken away 00:19:37.079 --> 00:19:37.359 from you. 00:19:37.439 --> 00:19:38.079 You have reconciliation 00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:39.339 with God, 00:19:39.460 --> 00:19:40.460 the thing you were made for, 00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:41.139 God himself, 00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:41.859 that will never be 00:19:41.859 --> 00:19:42.579 taken away from you. 00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:43.619 You have an identity 00:19:43.619 --> 00:19:44.839 in him 00:19:44.839 --> 00:19:45.859 that will never leave you 00:19:45.859 --> 00:19:46.720 no matter what you suffer. 00:19:47.079 --> 00:19:47.980 No matter how much 00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:48.579 your city, 00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:50.079 your personal city, 00:19:50.179 --> 00:19:51.359 is besieged in this life. 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:52.879 When you are with God, 00:19:52.939 --> 00:19:53.519 you have something 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:54.679 that you can never lose, 00:19:54.779 --> 00:19:55.839 and it's the very best thing, 00:19:56.139 --> 00:19:56.939 and that's relationship 00:19:56.939 --> 00:19:57.379 with him, 00:19:57.419 --> 00:19:58.279 the very thing 00:19:58.279 --> 00:19:58.980 you were made for. 00:20:01.579 --> 00:20:02.799 There's a story, 00:20:02.899 --> 00:20:03.699 I don't know if it's true, 00:20:03.819 --> 00:20:05.139 but by tradition at least, 00:20:05.379 --> 00:20:06.279 about Martin Luther. 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:07.740 He was a great reformer 00:20:07.740 --> 00:20:08.740 in Germany 00:20:08.740 --> 00:20:10.299 in the 1500s, 00:20:10.299 --> 00:20:11.980 and the story says 00:20:11.980 --> 00:20:13.379 that on the threat 00:20:13.379 --> 00:20:14.319 of execution, 00:20:14.579 --> 00:20:15.899 he was walking into a room 00:20:15.899 --> 00:20:16.519 where he thought 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:17.819 he was going to be executed, 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:19.099 and Martin Luther 00:20:19.099 --> 00:20:20.480 reportedly turned 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:21.919 to his sidekick, 00:20:22.019 --> 00:20:22.839 Philip Melanchthon, 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:24.500 and he said, 00:20:24.879 --> 00:20:25.480 come Philip, 00:20:26.220 --> 00:20:28.139 let us sing the 46th. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:31.359 That's Psalm 46. 00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:32.720 Luther knew, 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:35.079 I might be executed 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:35.559 in this room, 00:20:35.619 --> 00:20:36.059 I'm not sure, 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:37.059 but he said, 00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:38.279 let's sing the 46th. 00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:39.079 I know I'm a citizen 00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:39.960 of a better city, 00:20:40.299 --> 00:20:43.019 one where the sufferings 00:20:43.019 --> 00:20:44.099 of this present life 00:20:44.099 --> 00:20:46.059 cannot finally touch me, 00:20:46.119 --> 00:20:47.399 one where the river 00:20:47.399 --> 00:20:48.480 of the living God 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:49.599 will flow forever. 00:20:49.779 --> 00:20:50.599 Are you a citizen 00:20:50.599 --> 00:20:52.539 of the eternal city? 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:56.019 Let me pray for us. 00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:56.980 Father, we ask 00:20:56.980 --> 00:20:58.799 that tonight 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:00.200 we would consider that. 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:01.059 Lord, help us 00:21:01.059 --> 00:21:01.480 in our hearts 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:02.000 to consider 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:04.139 whether or not 00:21:04.139 --> 00:21:04.960 we have faith 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:05.819 in the Christ 00:21:05.819 --> 00:21:07.019 who can give us citizenship 00:21:07.019 --> 00:21:08.359 in the eternal city, 00:21:08.440 --> 00:21:09.639 one whose river 00:21:09.640 --> 00:21:11.000 will never cease 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:11.460 to flow. 00:21:12.140 --> 00:21:12.880 Lord, we feel 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:13.700 the weight of suffering 00:21:13.700 --> 00:21:14.220 in this life, 00:21:14.300 --> 00:21:14.860 the wounds, 00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:15.580 there are wounds 00:21:15.580 --> 00:21:16.400 represented here 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:17.020 in these seats, 00:21:17.820 --> 00:21:18.560 there is pain 00:21:18.560 --> 00:21:19.320 represented here, 00:21:19.420 --> 00:21:20.640 there's great evil 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:21.900 that has been done 00:21:21.900 --> 00:21:22.660 against many, 00:21:23.280 --> 00:21:24.280 and of course, 00:21:24.360 --> 00:21:25.220 we all have committed 00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:26.240 great sins as well, 00:21:26.360 --> 00:21:27.520 and so we come tonight 00:21:27.520 --> 00:21:28.960 as people in need 00:21:28.960 --> 00:21:30.080 of a better city. 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:31.800 And so we thank you, 00:21:31.940 --> 00:21:32.220 oh Lord, 00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:33.220 that you have established 00:21:33.220 --> 00:21:34.000 a better city, 00:21:34.380 --> 00:21:35.900 a city whose foundations 00:21:35.900 --> 00:21:37.600 stretch to the heavens 00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:39.659 and go into eternity, 00:21:39.980 --> 00:21:41.279 a city where Jesus Christ 00:21:41.279 --> 00:21:41.799 is king. 00:21:42.199 --> 00:21:43.259 So I do ask now, 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:43.480 Lord, 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:44.480 as we sing this final hymn, 00:21:44.819 --> 00:21:45.439 that you would help us 00:21:45.439 --> 00:21:46.899 to consider that question, 00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:47.759 are we citizens 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:49.240 of the heavenly city? 00:21:49.980 --> 00:21:50.500 And we pray that 00:21:50.500 --> 00:21:50.980 in Christ's name. 00:21:51.339 --> 00:21:51.599 Amen.