The Glorious City of God
Notes
Transcript
When I was in college, I was in a Bible study with a group of friends. Many of us had gone on a short term mission trip and we wanted to maintain a study after returning from our trip. However, this was probably one of the most dysfunctional and unhealthy Bible studies that I have ever been in. At one point we were having a discussion concerning what we wanted to study next - and I sort of half-serious and half-joking said “Revelation!” And the response of the person who posed the question was “Why?” To which my response was “Because it is in the Bible, and it can be a confusing book.” And her response was “Well it doesn’t really matter. We’ll understand it when it all happens.” And then this person continued to stay that it wasn’t important for us to study Revelation. This attitude was rooted what I would describe as a significant misunderstanding of the book of Revelation. The main theme of the book of Revelation is NOT the return of Christ, or the rapture, or the tribulation, or the millenium.
In fact 6 verse in Revelation 20 are all that is said in the Bible about the 1000 year reign - and yet we speak of the Revelation as if that’s the entirety of the book.
However, on the positive of all of this is that i have quoted and referenced the book of Revelation significantly more in my ministry (both here and else) than I would have expected on the day that I had that conversation. One of the key themes of the book of Revelation is not the end of the world - but rather it is more about the Kingdom of God, God’s dwelling with his people, and about the true and appropriate worship of God.
Now let me explain how that connects to our text for today. Augustine the 3rd century bishop of Hippo Regius… not hippopotamus - wrote that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.
The book of Revelation helps us to understand this Psalm today. Most specifically Revelation 21.
This Psalm is a little odd in the way that it reads.
It speaks of Zion, the Glorious city that God has established, and that he loves - it’s the city of God. And when we see reference to Zion and the City of God in the Psalm we should understand it to refer to two things. First, the original reader would have understand that this is referring to the historical city of Jerusalem at the time when God dwelled there in the temple. However, part of this Psalm also leaves us desiring something much greater than the early city of Jerusalem ever was.
This Psalm is quite similar to Psalm 84 that we looked at a few weeks ago, we read of the Psalmist celebrating the city of God.
Even with that being the case - the longing for and the looking forward to the coming kingdom was, is and should be a part of the worship of God’s people.
Even the song that we just sang “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken” finds it title and inspiration in this text. And frankly serves as a better commentary on this text than many of the books I read this week.
This text is about the Glorious City of God. However, in this text we will see why the city is glorious.
First off, we know that the City of God - the place where God resides is glorious because he is there.
However, the Psalmist gives three other specific reasons for why the city is glorious.
God has:
Established (V1), Esteems (verse 2), and Exalts (verse 3) (I will admit that I am borrowing those sections from a commentary - but I will also say that guessed that the 3rd E before I got to that section… not that it counts anything.
Established
Established
1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
This is the city that God has founded, a city that belongs to him.
The actual identity of the city, Zion, is revealed to us in verse 3. And while David was actively involved in the choosing of the location of the temple - it was not David who established the city. If we look back to the Deuteronomy 12, the Lord repeats language of the place of worship being the place that God has chosen - and the context of this text makes it clear that it is referring to the temple and to Jerusalem.
So this is a city that God has chosen and that God has established.
And this language that God has established this city the Psalmist returns to in verse 5. The Most High himself will establish the city.
Esteems
Esteems
2 the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
The Lord Loves the gates of Zion. What a curious phrase.
Gates are generally defensive - we have a gate to prevent people from coming in. However, as we look to Rev 21:25 we learn that the gates are never shut. Which speaks to the uniqueness of the city - a city with no sun or moon, as the glory of God illuminates it - but also no temple as man will dwell with God.
The gates are the only way into the city. They are the front door of the city - but they also in this text refer to city as a whole.
God loves the city as he has established it, and he has made this the places where he chooses to dwell. God loves the place where he dwells.
Exalts
Exalts
3 Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God. Selah
God exalts this city because it is where he dwells. The most significant part about the city is not the climate, or the geography, or the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates but that God dwelt there. Following the statement that glorious things are spoken of this city - it is called the city of God.
So God has exalted this city because it is the city that he has chosen for his people to worship him there, but also because it is the place where he dwells.
However, history and the Bible shows us that this city is no longer the dwelling place of God. Ezekiel shows a clear teaching of the glory of God leaving the temple in his book. But as Christians we rejoice that God has made his dwelling with people by placing his Holy Spirit in them.
And now I am going to add a bonus E word on as we look at the last few verse. We have already seen how God has chosen the city where he dwells. He has established and chosen this city.
So God has elected the city…
Elects
Elects
But he also elect the city’s inhabitants.
In verses 4-6, the Psalmist repeats “this one was born there” or a similar phrase in each verse. So three times we see this statement referring to one who considered are a “natural born citizen” of Zion. And there is where the Psalm really starts to depart from a view of it being historical Jerusalem - and our focus begins to shift to the New Jerusalem of Rev 21. The first example that we see of this is who the Psalmist refers to in verse 4.
4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush— “This one was born there,” they say.
Rahab which sometimes refers to a woman in Joshua, sometimes refers to a dragon, and other times - likely here - refers to Egypt. So this verse stacks various foreign nations, including enemies and those who are demonstrated to be wicked. And these people find themselves included in the people of the City of God - this one was born there they say of these people. It’s a sort of jarring inclusivism for those who read the Old Testament and see that it is generally very exclusive. This is a picture of what the complete people of God will look like.
Those who were once enemies will be brought together in the kingdom of heaven, those who once hated God and were at enmity with him - will be brought together in the kingdom of Heaven. Because Jesus made peace by the blood of his cross.
And verse 5, further demonstrates that those in Zion, and those listed above will be stated as those born in Zion.
There are no second class citizens in the Kingdom of heaven - there is no distinction between those who were born in Zion and those who were born in Babylon.
Those who place their faith in Jesus are true citizens of the kingdom of God. Being born again by faith in Jesus brings us into the city of God.
And this serves as a reminder to proclaim the gospel to all nations - and that every tribe tongue and nation will confess that Jesus is Lord. The gospel is for everyone - and we should not be ashamed to proclaim the good news to people.
And those who repent and believe gospel - that Jesus Christ died to save sinners, and that all who call upon the Lord are saved - are viewed as those who are just like natural born citizens.
Verse 6 is where I get this idea for elects that I’m using as the final heading for today. We read in this verse:
6 The Lord records as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah
The Lord records and registers his people.
v. 6 - a written legal document - similar to when someone becomes a citizens of a new country they are issued a new passport - but this new passport is as if they never lived anywhere else. There is a legal statement here with this record and registration.
During our sermon series through Galatians, I spoke much of justification. Justification is that legal statement by God that Christians are forgiven in Christ - alongside the legal statement of your justification - that your sins, past and future, are forgiven in Christ there is a legal statement of your citizenship - you belong in the Kingdom of God
However, the ideas of this Psalm are very much filled out by Revelation 21. In Revelation 21, a passage that I have quoted many times over the past few months, John is given this vision of the new heavens and the new earth, as the old heavens and the old earth have passed away. He sees the New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven.
Following this a loud voice from the throne proclaims that the dwelling place of God is with man.
It’s in this passage, in verse 5, where we read Jesus speaking telling John that he is making all things new.
And John describes the New Jerusalem in detail following this. And after he has described the gates and walls the city and it’s measurements - then John speaks and declares that there is no temple - for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are the temple. There is no sun or moon for the glory of God is enough to illuminate the city.
In Rev 21:24
24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,
The nations will walk by the light of the Glory of God. This draws us back to Ps 87:4.
But there is still an appropriate caveat to be made in this text. The nations and kings of the earth is not all inclusive.
27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
And the next chapter of Revelation 22:15 describes those who are outside of the gates:
Revelation 22:15 “15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”
Only those who are written in the lambs book of life… only those who The Lord records and he registers… Those who are written to be born there…
Those who are BORN again in Christ.
And this is exactly what Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3:5
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
No one climbs over the gates, no one comes in by surprise, there are no spies, or illegal immigrants in the eternal city - but those who are there will not all be made up of one ethnic or political identity but rather they will be there because they are defined by the confession that Christ Jesus is Lord.
Verse 7:
And then the Psalm ends with a party.
7 Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.”
Singing and dancing… yes, there will be
There may not have been dancing at mine and Vanessa’s wedding in a good ol’ baptist church - but there will certainly be dancing in the New Jerusalem.
This will be a party of those from every tribe tongue and nation - white, black, apache, hispanic, Palestinian, Israeli, Russian, Ukranian, Chinese, Ugandan, etc.
Though the party will be inclusive of those from every tribe tongue and nation - the party will not be a celebration of diversity - but rather a celebration of God’s mercy and grace, that he is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
And this should drive us to pray for the persecuted church - and for the advancement of the gospel to all ends of the earth - and it should drive us to support missions and missionaries who are doing that.
All my springs are in your… Springs are often noted as a metaphor for eternal life…
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
There is eternal life in that city - but it can only be accessed through Christ Jesus.
(consider time:
Jesus uses the same metaphor for water and eternal life with the woman at the well in John 4, as well as once again in Revelation 21:6 “6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.”
Repent and believe the gospel.
Believers in Jesus have a glorious eternity awaiting them.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Benediction:
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
