The King's City (1 Chronicles 11:4-9)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.639 --> 00:00:05.879 Well, if you are able, please remain standing and let's give our attention 2 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:12.429 to first chronicles, chapter eleven. First Chronicles Eleven, verses four through nine. 3 00:00:29.379 --> 00:00:33.020 This is God's word. Please give your attention to the reading of it. 4 00:00:35.579 --> 00:00:40.409 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is Jeebas, where 5 00:00:40.450 --> 00:00:45.689 the jebucides were, the inhabitants of the land. The inhabitants of Jebas said 6 00:00:45.729 --> 00:00:51.840 to David, you will not come in here. Nevertheless, David took the 7 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:57.640 stronghold of Zion, that is the city of David. David said, whoever 8 00:00:57.799 --> 00:01:03.039 strikes the jebucides first shall be chief and commander. And JOAB, the son 9 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:07.870 of Jeruiah, went up first. So he became chief and David lived in 10 00:01:07.950 --> 00:01:12.549 the stronghold. Therefore it was called the city of David and he built the 11 00:01:12.670 --> 00:01:19.099 city all around from the Melo in complete circuit, and joab repaired the rest 12 00:01:19.099 --> 00:01:25.620 of the city and David became greater and greater, for Jehovah of Hosts was 13 00:01:25.700 --> 00:01:41.170 with him. Ay God bless his word to us. Please be seated when 14 00:01:41.209 --> 00:01:45.250 we consider the provision of the Lord, as we did in the hymn we 15 00:01:45.450 --> 00:01:51.359 just sung. It's very helpful to remember the specific ways in which he has 16 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:55.640 provided. Of course, reflecting on your own life is a great place to 17 00:01:55.719 --> 00:02:00.920 start. You can consider the past day, the past week, years so 18 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:05.909 on from there. Another way to consider the provision of the Lord is to 19 00:02:06.030 --> 00:02:12.430 look at the scriptures on the way that he reveals himself there as a provider 20 00:02:12.629 --> 00:02:16.939 in these specific events in the history of the world. We read of that 21 00:02:17.060 --> 00:02:25.020 kind of provision here in First Chronicles, Chapter Eleven, as God establishes his 22 00:02:25.219 --> 00:02:30.490 people in the land of Canaan, this country which he had promised them, 23 00:02:30.530 --> 00:02:36.210 establishing them with King, King David, and now, in these verses, 24 00:02:36.810 --> 00:02:40.770 establishing them in a city in particular, and not just any city, but 25 00:02:40.810 --> 00:02:46.680 a very strong and powerful city, a city that would become the capital of 26 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:52.759 the people, the city of David, the place where David dwelled, a 27 00:02:52.960 --> 00:03:00.069 lived, a city, Jerusalem, Zion, that would become and would receive 28 00:03:00.710 --> 00:03:07.150 an importance, not just politically in this moment in time, but would carry 29 00:03:07.310 --> 00:03:15.460 forward and carry in it many, many great things and promises of God. 30 00:03:15.740 --> 00:03:20.699 In all this and all of these actions and seeing David established on the throne 31 00:03:21.139 --> 00:03:25.500 and seeing him take hold of this city, we see God's provision. I'm 32 00:03:25.740 --> 00:03:32.090 God as the one in control. Next time will begin to consider some of 33 00:03:32.330 --> 00:03:40.560 David's mighty men and the warrior aspect of his kingship. There's a great transition 34 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:46.680 between that next section coming up in this one that we just read. David 35 00:03:46.759 --> 00:03:52.680 became greater and greater, for Jehovah of Hosts, was with him. Jehovah 36 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:59.069 has his mighty armies. Jehovah is Powerful. Jehovah is the one who is 37 00:03:59.229 --> 00:04:06.629 establishing this man. David did not take this city without God, without God 38 00:04:08.349 --> 00:04:13.780 on his side. And so here I'm we are, I'm given this reminder 39 00:04:13.900 --> 00:04:18.860 that God is our king, even as he is given David as a king 40 00:04:18.980 --> 00:04:27.490 to his people. You remember the way in which the people who first heard 41 00:04:27.610 --> 00:04:32.209 this book are hearing this this history. They're people. These are not things 42 00:04:32.329 --> 00:04:35.490 to look forward to, but this is a history of things that have happened 43 00:04:35.569 --> 00:04:41.560 in the past. The people that hear and receive chronicles in the first place 44 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:46.240 are people that have come out of exile. Jerusalem and David in many ways 45 00:04:46.279 --> 00:04:51.120 were a long, long time ago. It's talking about the great establishments of 46 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:56.949 the country, of the King of the capital, but also recognizing, as 47 00:04:57.029 --> 00:05:00.470 they hear this, that the city lay in ruins, that the great king 48 00:05:00.550 --> 00:05:06.259 and his sons are no more, that the temple itself that Solomon would later 49 00:05:06.300 --> 00:05:15.620 establish there on in Jerusalem, I lay in ruin desolation. How do you 50 00:05:15.819 --> 00:05:20.449 hear a story about the founding of this great city as you look at it 51 00:05:20.610 --> 00:05:27.370 and see it in ruins? Well, in some ways it of course, 52 00:05:27.449 --> 00:05:31.730 it's very sorrowful. It highlights the loss, it reminds them of their sin, 53 00:05:33.250 --> 00:05:39.360 but it also reminds this reminds them of their God, of our God, 54 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:44.279 that the way that they began it was a good way, and the 55 00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:48.759 same God who began the way it began things in this way have now brought 56 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:54.790 them back. They didn't just wander back, they didn't just happen upon this 57 00:05:54.990 --> 00:06:00.790 great city of old nowadays and ruins. No, God has brought them back 58 00:06:00.949 --> 00:06:05.139 here, and God is reminding them of these beginnings of this history for this 59 00:06:05.379 --> 00:06:13.220 purpose of teaching them about their sin, but also about his provision as their 60 00:06:13.259 --> 00:06:20.129 king is ruling over them. So what do we see here in this beginning 61 00:06:20.329 --> 00:06:26.970 story? Well, first we see that David comes to a city that is 62 00:06:27.009 --> 00:06:30.529 already existing. David doesn't come and look out and say, well, this 63 00:06:30.610 --> 00:06:34.560 is a really Nice Mountain, I think we should build a fortress here. 64 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:41.079 It's got great views, I think it's very powerful, a good strategic position. 65 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:45.680 Let's use this. And then they built a city from there. Now 66 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:48.110 they came to a city that was already established, indeed, in a city 67 00:06:48.189 --> 00:06:55.430 that they had already attacked. I'm back in judges chapter one, as Israel 68 00:06:55.949 --> 00:07:01.579 comes into the land and as continuing their establishing there, the tribe of Judah 69 00:07:01.860 --> 00:07:06.899 goes and attacks this city. They defeat the city, even they take Jerusalem, 70 00:07:08.060 --> 00:07:12.139 they burn it, judges one eight says, but you read a little 71 00:07:12.180 --> 00:07:15.329 bit on in the chapter and Judges One hundred and twenty one says that they 72 00:07:15.370 --> 00:07:21.329 allowed the inhabitants to remain there. Well, you can kind of fill in 73 00:07:21.490 --> 00:07:28.089 the rest of the story by reading this passage. They didn't remain in control 74 00:07:28.250 --> 00:07:30.680 of the city, did they? Indeed, it was so strong that we 75 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:35.439 read in a parallel passage as this that when David went to the sake the 76 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:41.240 city, that JEB asides were so confident that David would not be able to 77 00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:44.199 do this that they said, you know what, David, we're going to 78 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:48.550 send our blind and our lame to defeat. You is, of course, 79 00:07:48.670 --> 00:07:53.389 you know, a way of mocking him, of threatening him, of showing 80 00:07:53.509 --> 00:07:58.699 their power. But they were very confident. It was a very strong city, 81 00:07:59.100 --> 00:08:01.379 a city that had been taken once but regained, and they were not 82 00:08:01.459 --> 00:08:09.740 a concerned about this David. But nevertheless, David takes it from the jebusides. 83 00:08:11.180 --> 00:08:16.009 They say you will not come in here and in almost a sort of 84 00:08:16.649 --> 00:08:22.850 wave of the hand, scripture says nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion. 85 00:08:22.930 --> 00:08:28.240 Even it's named the City of David, the city of David. Jerusalem 86 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:35.320 seems to have this particular place within it, this stronghold called Zion, and 87 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:41.710 it is renamed here in in just a passing moment, almost as if it 88 00:08:41.789 --> 00:08:46.110 had always been that way. David Takes The stronghold of Zion, that is 89 00:08:46.509 --> 00:08:52.629 the city of David. And then David says whoever strikes the JEBYSIDE shall be 90 00:08:52.750 --> 00:08:56.500 first in chief, a commander, and that man is Joe AB. They 91 00:08:56.580 --> 00:09:00.860 take it, they call the city of David and then they begin to rebuild 92 00:09:00.860 --> 00:09:07.899 it. After they're taking of the city, they begin to establish the city 93 00:09:07.059 --> 00:09:13.529 is a capital. What we have here is the beginning of a very powerful 94 00:09:13.570 --> 00:09:18.529 city, the rule of a king under which God, under which God, 95 00:09:18.769 --> 00:09:22.769 is ruling over them. And all this, of course, is right in 96 00:09:22.850 --> 00:09:28.240 a line with what we considered last time. God's Covenant Promises With David. 97 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:33.360 God promised to David, you shall be a shepherd of my people. This 98 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:37.799 is verse two. You shall be a shepherd of my people, Israel, 99 00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:43.230 and you shall be prince over my people. You remember that Saul, this 100 00:09:43.429 --> 00:09:46.669 great failure, is that he was not able to defeat the enemies in the 101 00:09:46.669 --> 00:09:52.470 land. But David, this one who has been established by God, who 102 00:09:52.509 --> 00:09:56.740 is replacing Saul, goes forward. He does so with confidence and in victory, 103 00:09:58.580 --> 00:10:03.139 as I mentioned. For those who are hearing this, there is some 104 00:10:03.340 --> 00:10:09.250 sour sorrow in this as they consider how far they have come Um but most 105 00:10:09.289 --> 00:10:13.809 importantly, there is this very hopeful note that is struck. Though Israel and 106 00:10:13.889 --> 00:10:20.289 our kings had failed, had failed to remain in the city, to protect 107 00:10:20.330 --> 00:10:24.960 it, to a rule over it in righteousness, and as a result, 108 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:31.039 God brought his wrath, coming down from Babylon and destroyed the city. Though 109 00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:35.470 Israel and its kings had failed, God had not, and God was bringing 110 00:10:35.509 --> 00:10:41.750 them back here and God was establishing them here, and even as he did 111 00:10:41.909 --> 00:10:46.389 of old, he would again, God would establish a king, a temple, 112 00:10:48.269 --> 00:10:50.860 a people out of the rubble. And he does that. If you 113 00:10:50.940 --> 00:10:56.259 remember, on the city is rebuilt, there are work projects that are done, 114 00:10:56.299 --> 00:11:01.460 there are walls that are built up and even one day the temple would 115 00:11:01.500 --> 00:11:07.970 be built again. And as wonderful as that was and as exciting as that 116 00:11:09.250 --> 00:11:13.049 was to see those things happen, the Bible tells us that these things were, 117 00:11:13.409 --> 00:11:20.000 even in themselves, yet a prelude to a greater work. That greater 118 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:24.120 work, of course, is the work of Jesus Christ. You See, 119 00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:28.679 this city of Zion, this city or this Mount Zion, city of Jerusalem, 120 00:11:28.840 --> 00:11:33.190 City of David, was pointing forward to something that would be not just 121 00:11:33.590 --> 00:11:41.070 temporal but eternal, something that could not be destroyed. Listen, for example, 122 00:11:41.190 --> 00:11:46.950 to the words of the Prophet Isaiah and Isaiah Chapter two, versus two 123 00:11:46.070 --> 00:11:54.460 through four, Isaiah, to versus two through four. Here, Oh heavens 124 00:11:54.580 --> 00:12:00.139 and give ear o Earth, for Jehovah Has Spoken. I'm sorry, I 125 00:12:00.259 --> 00:12:03.129 was chapter one, verse two of Chapter Two. It shall come to pass 126 00:12:03.210 --> 00:12:07.970 in the latter days that the mountain of the House of Jehovah shall be established 127 00:12:09.009 --> 00:12:11.970 as the highest of the mountains that shall be lifted up above the hills, 128 00:12:13.289 --> 00:12:16.519 and all the nations shall flow to it, and many people shall come and 129 00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:20.759 say, come, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to 130 00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:26.279 the House of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, 131 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:30.750 that we may walk in his paths, for out of Zion shall go 132 00:12:30.950 --> 00:12:35.909 the law and the word of Jehovah, from Jerusalem. If you have ever 133 00:12:37.350 --> 00:12:41.110 taken a bucket, sort of spun it and you see how the water sort 134 00:12:41.149 --> 00:12:46.820 of sticks to the sides as you spin it around and around, the opposite 135 00:12:46.899 --> 00:12:50.419 is happening here. It's as if the whole world is spinning inward, as 136 00:12:50.460 --> 00:12:56.580 if the center is Jerusalem, the city of God. The Nation's pouring in, 137 00:12:58.019 --> 00:13:01.850 gravitating in, the word of the Lord goes out and the people come 138 00:13:01.929 --> 00:13:07.450 in to live, to worship, to be known and be under the rule 139 00:13:07.529 --> 00:13:13.440 of the king. These pictures, these heightened pictures, never actually happen here, 140 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:18.759 in this particular piece of land, with these particular stones. Indeed, 141 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:26.240 the temple would be destroyed again and even today is is no longer remains. 142 00:13:26.830 --> 00:13:33.629 But when Jesus comes, he comes to establish something greater in this life, 143 00:13:33.710 --> 00:13:39.470 in line with the story of David and all that David is foreshadowing day Jesus 144 00:13:39.590 --> 00:13:45.500 comes and establishes something greater. You remember what he says about his own body 145 00:13:45.940 --> 00:13:48.899 and about the temple. He says this temple will be a destroyed, but 146 00:13:48.980 --> 00:13:56.330 in three days I will cause it to be raised again. People were angry. 147 00:13:56.529 --> 00:13:58.970 The leaders were upset that he would say such a thing, of as 148 00:14:00.169 --> 00:14:05.409 of that as the temple. But consider what happened when Jesus died and rose 149 00:14:05.490 --> 00:14:09.970 again. He took with him to the grave all of the the sins that 150 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:13.639 Israel had committed in causing the temple to fall apart in the first place, 151 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:18.360 to break down in the kingship, to flight fail. In light of all 152 00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:22.960 of our sin and the context of all the ruin and destruction, God enters 153 00:14:24.039 --> 00:14:31.429 into the world and declares himself as king and establishes something that cannot fail. 154 00:14:33.789 --> 00:14:39.340 Consider revelation twenty one. We consider the glory of the Temple of old. 155 00:14:41.019 --> 00:14:48.899 Consider what Jesus does in raising up a temple for himself. We read in 156 00:14:50.059 --> 00:14:56.490 revelation twenty one, verse nine. Come I will show you the bride, 157 00:14:56.529 --> 00:15:03.850 the wife of the lamb see here, what you see here, what one 158 00:15:03.889 --> 00:15:07.200 of these seven angels comes and says to John, says, I am going 159 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:13.679 to show you the bride of Christ, the people of God. He is 160 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:20.399 going to show John You, he's going to describe you, he's going to 161 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:26.309 show you who you are. Now listen to the description of the bride, 162 00:15:26.389 --> 00:15:30.350 the wife of the lamb, in verse ten. And he carried me away 163 00:15:30.350 --> 00:15:35.269 in the spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city 164 00:15:35.389 --> 00:15:41.820 Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, 165 00:15:43.820 --> 00:15:48.500 it's radiance like a most rare jewel, like Jasper, clear as crystel. 166 00:15:50.009 --> 00:15:54.090 Let me pause for a moment. You remember, back in Psalm Forty 167 00:15:54.169 --> 00:15:56.690 Eight, which we can ordered earlier, there was this call to go and 168 00:15:56.929 --> 00:16:02.690 look at Zion, to consider the city of our God and what he has 169 00:16:02.769 --> 00:16:07.720 done right, to go around Zion, consider its citadels, consider its fortress, 170 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:14.080 it's power, consider the God who has established this. Let's do that 171 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:18.470 now again in revelation twenty one, as the angel takes us to look at 172 00:16:18.470 --> 00:16:23.870 the bride of Christ, the city of God. It had a great high 173 00:16:23.990 --> 00:16:29.789 wall with twelve gates, and the gates of twelve angels, and on the 174 00:16:29.870 --> 00:16:33.139 gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed. 175 00:16:34.059 --> 00:16:40.139 On the East three gates and the North three gates, on the south three 176 00:16:40.299 --> 00:16:44.500 gates, and on the West three gates, and the wall of city. 177 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:48.730 The Wall of the city had twelve foundations. On them were the twelve names 178 00:16:48.850 --> 00:16:53.210 of the twelve apostles of the lamb I'm the one who spoke with me had 179 00:16:53.250 --> 00:16:59.330 a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and its walls. 180 00:17:00.250 --> 00:17:03.480 The city lies four square, its length the same as its width, 181 00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:08.559 and he measured the city with his rod twelve thousand Stadia. Its length and 182 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:14.440 width and height are equal. He measured its wall hundred and forty four cubits 183 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:18.910 by human measurement, which is also an angels measurement. The wall was built 184 00:17:18.910 --> 00:17:23.710 of Jasper, while the city, the was pure gold, clear as glass. 185 00:17:25.910 --> 00:17:29.069 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of 186 00:17:29.150 --> 00:17:33.859 jewel. The first was Jasper, the second Sapphire, the third agate, 187 00:17:34.539 --> 00:17:41.619 the Fourth Emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth Carnelian, the seventh chrystallite, 188 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:48.369 the eight barrel, the Ninth Topez, the ten Chrysoprice, the eleven 189 00:17:48.849 --> 00:17:56.490 Jacinth, the twelve Amethyst, and the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each 190 00:17:56.609 --> 00:18:00.599 of the gates made of a single Pearl, and the street of the city 191 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:07.119 was pure gold, transparent is glass. And I saw no temple in the 192 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:11.480 city, for it's Temple is the Lord, God, the Almighty and the 193 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:17.150 lamb. And the city has no need of a son or moon to shine 194 00:18:17.190 --> 00:18:22.069 on it, for the glory of God gives its light and its lamp is 195 00:18:22.230 --> 00:18:26.670 the lamb. By its light the nation's walk and the Kings of the earth 196 00:18:26.710 --> 00:18:30.660 will bring their glory into it, and the gates will never be shut by 197 00:18:30.700 --> 00:18:36.339 day and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the 198 00:18:36.500 --> 00:18:41.140 glory and the honor of the nations, but nothing unclean will ever enter it, 199 00:18:41.769 --> 00:18:45.849 nor will anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those 200 00:18:45.930 --> 00:18:53.769 who are written in the lamb's book of life. Where do you start? 201 00:18:56.519 --> 00:19:02.480 Maybe we could start by comparing and contrasting this with the Great City of David. 202 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:08.079 This amazing story in first chronicles of David taking this mighty stronghold all of 203 00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:15.670 a sudden begins to kind of be sort of met when compared with this in 204 00:19:15.829 --> 00:19:21.509 revelation, twenty one David and is mighty warriors taking the city, Joe Ab 205 00:19:21.630 --> 00:19:26.140 becoming this great commander, the Jedbusides, with all of their boasts and might 206 00:19:26.619 --> 00:19:30.180 having to flee, and the city being rebuilt and one day the temple being 207 00:19:30.700 --> 00:19:36.900 built under Solomon, the glory of God descending on the temple that his name 208 00:19:36.980 --> 00:19:42.809 might dwell there. As amazing and wonderful as that is, it's still dirt, 209 00:19:42.970 --> 00:19:48.930 isn't it? It's still the stuff of this world. And here we 210 00:19:48.049 --> 00:19:56.319 have a description of something that is otherworldly, beyond description. The jewels and 211 00:19:56.880 --> 00:20:07.119 gold just piling up beyond imagination. Almost the light bearing down on this city 212 00:20:07.309 --> 00:20:11.869 is the glory of God itself. They don't have to shut up the gates 213 00:20:11.910 --> 00:20:17.750 at night, because what could ever get in? God is protecting him the 214 00:20:17.869 --> 00:20:25.299 protecting this city in a way that this city will never ever fall. But 215 00:20:25.619 --> 00:20:30.460 who is the city? It is the bride, the lamb. There is 216 00:20:30.539 --> 00:20:38.890 this amazing complex of images and ideas and truths coming together here. We are 217 00:20:40.130 --> 00:20:44.809 the temple, we are the bride, we are the city, we are 218 00:20:45.650 --> 00:20:52.720 Zion, God dwelling in us, and all of this is secured through Jesus 219 00:20:52.880 --> 00:21:00.559 on the Cross, isn't it? When Jesus raises up his body and establishes 220 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:06.670 himself as the corner stone of a new temple again, to use more biblical 221 00:21:06.750 --> 00:21:14.069 language, we are described as living stones built on that foundation here, described 222 00:21:14.190 --> 00:21:18.180 further as the foundation of the twelve apostles of the lamb, who went forth 223 00:21:18.420 --> 00:21:26.900 and spoke that word of Christ and gave us the word of God. So 224 00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:33.930 this is where we are in the story when we consider these this historical these 225 00:21:34.049 --> 00:21:40.490 historical events in first chronicles eleven, this taking of the city, the establishing 226 00:21:40.569 --> 00:21:45.450 of Jerusalem, the fall calling of Jerusalem, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the 227 00:21:45.609 --> 00:21:53.359 falling again of Jerusalem. We stand as the new Jerusalem, and in this 228 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:59.039 way we don't need to look for another earthly city to be built again. 229 00:21:59.960 --> 00:22:03.829 We don't need to keep our eyes on the Holy Land, as Orthodox Jews 230 00:22:04.029 --> 00:22:11.670 and dispensationalist evangelicals are waiting for some temple to be built. We don't need 231 00:22:11.710 --> 00:22:15.099 to wait, the scripture says, we don't need to hope in an earthly 232 00:22:15.220 --> 00:22:25.700 temple, because that veil has been ripped. You are the temple and God 233 00:22:25.940 --> 00:22:33.849 is establishing something among us that he's eternal and cannot fall, because it's established 234 00:22:33.890 --> 00:22:41.450 by the death of the King and his resurrection. This is where we stand 235 00:22:41.529 --> 00:22:47.839 and this is how we live our lives in the world. The effect of 236 00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:53.960 it is manifold. How do you respond to the fact that you are this 237 00:22:55.200 --> 00:23:00.430 city, you are this bribe described in revelation twenty one? How do you 238 00:23:00.549 --> 00:23:08.750 respond to the fact that David's greater son is our king and that have of 239 00:23:08.869 --> 00:23:17.019 hosts as watching over US and protecting us? I hesitate to even give you 240 00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:22.220 answers that you might stop thinking of them yourself. But you might consider our 241 00:23:22.339 --> 00:23:30.210 security, you might consider our joy to be able to look around at the 242 00:23:30.329 --> 00:23:33.890 things of this world and seeth are not the things of this world but the 243 00:23:34.009 --> 00:23:38.289 things that God is doing in this world, and see them with eyes of 244 00:23:38.450 --> 00:23:45.960 faith, to see a cup of water given in Jesus's name, to hear 245 00:23:45.160 --> 00:23:51.920 the word of God proclaimed, to receive a hug from a Christian friend in 246 00:23:52.039 --> 00:23:56.150 a moment of empathy and sympathy, and to see in that not just a 247 00:23:56.230 --> 00:24:03.230 hug or a cup of water or sermon, but all of the beautiful jewels, 248 00:24:03.990 --> 00:24:12.619 the radiance and glory of God described here, of his people should cause 249 00:24:12.740 --> 00:24:18.539 a sense of amazement in us at even the humble things of this of our 250 00:24:18.660 --> 00:24:26.809 pilgrim lives and the spiritual manifestations of his kingdom in this world. We can 251 00:24:26.849 --> 00:24:33.690 be secure, we can be joyful, we can be filled with praise that, 252 00:24:33.769 --> 00:24:37.759 even though we might worship and dark work, dimly lit places, ultimately 253 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:45.440 one day we will worship by the glory of God, His light shining on 254 00:24:45.559 --> 00:24:52.950 us. We can know that we can worship anywhere in this world, that 255 00:24:52.109 --> 00:25:00.390 he is the one who is binding us together, and we can live in 256 00:25:00.029 --> 00:25:04.750 a way that desires that word to continue to be sent out, that that 257 00:25:04.950 --> 00:25:11.339 temple would be continued to be built, that one day it might be a 258 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:21.690 complete and revealed when Jesus comes again. Let us consider these things and look 259 00:25:21.970 --> 00:25:26.089 on this world and the things that God is doing in this world with eyes 260 00:25:26.130 --> 00:25:33.210 of faith, knowing that Jesus, this great king, has come earlier. 261 00:25:34.289 --> 00:25:40.160 Be Thou my vision was requested. Consider the last words of that him, 262 00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:47.480 High King of Heaven, my victory one may I reach Heaven's joys, Oh 263 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:52.269 Bright Heaven Son, heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be 264 00:25:52.390 --> 00:25:57.230 my vision. A ruler of all. This is who we look to when 265 00:25:57.269 --> 00:26:00.190 we consider our king. Let us pray