Born in Zion

Sermon transcript

As we continue our consideration of various psalms this evening, we’re going to consider a very brief, yet a very packed psalm. A psalm that is packed full of gospel truth, biblical truth, as all the scriptures are. But there’s so much packed into this brief psalm. Psalm 87. Let us hear God’s holy word. Psalm 87. Entitled, A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A song. His foundation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God, Sila. I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know me. Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia. This one was born there. But of Zion, it shall be said, this one and that one were born in her. and the Most High Himself will establish her.

The Lord will count when He registers the peoples. This one was born there, Selah. Then those who sing as well as those who play the flutes shall say, all my springs of joy are in you.” The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of our God endures forever. Let’s ask the Lord to bless the proclamation of His Word this evening. Our gracious Lord and Father in Heaven, we once again thank you for your word, your God-breathed, inerrant, infallible, authoritative word. It is a lamp unto our feet, a light unto our path. It is a guide to our way, and it leads us unto Jesus. We pray, Heavenly Father, that by the power of Your Spirit, You would open our minds and our hearts this evening to behold wondrous things from Your Word. And we pray that through this portion of Holy Scripture, You would once again lead us to Jesus and fill and strengthen our souls in communion with Him.

We pray these things, Heavenly Father, through Christ our Lord and all of God’s people said, Amen. You may be seated. Title of my sermon this evening is Born in Zion. And if you’re following along with the sermon outline, especially the children, there’s a number of words you can listen for. But I especially encourage you to listen for the words Zion, Church, Salvation, and Mother. Well, dear ones, Saint Cyprian, the early church father, famously wrote these words. He wrote, he cannot have God for his father who has not the church for his mother. Now, lest we imagine that this high and lofty view of the church is only a Roman Catholic view. The great Protestant reformer, John Calvin, expressed a similar sentiment. In chapter one, section one of book four of his Institutes of the Christian Religion, where he wrote the following, and I quote Calvin, he says, I shall start then with the church into whose bosom God is pleased to gather his sons, not only that they may be nourished by her help and ministry as long as they are infants and children, but also that they may be guided by her motherly care until they mature and at last reach the goal of faith.

And then he quotes from Mark 10 verse 9, for what God has joined together, it is not lawful to put asunder. So that for those to whom he is father, the church may also be mother. And this was not only so under the law, but also after Christ’s coming, as Paul testifies when he teaches that we are children of the new and heavenly Jerusalem. And he refers there to Galatians four, verse 26, from which is part of the passage that I read from Galatians earlier in the service. Likewise, friends, the theologians who authored our beloved Westminster Confession of Faith, declared that the visible church is, quote, the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation. Now, of course, it’s very important that we not misunderstand these sentiments, these words, these high, these these these words that express such a high and lofty view of the church.

Of course, all of this does not mean that the church saves. The church doesn’t have the power to save us. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can save us. And he does so by God’s sovereign grace alone, through God given faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, apart from works of the law. Such sentiments do not mean that we somehow are saved by the good works of church attendance or affiliating with the church in responsible membership, though it is important to do those things. To suggest such a thing would be to turn the church into an idol and to replace Christ as the only Savior with the church as Savior. But friends, what great theologians of the church like St. Cyprian, St. Augustine, John Calvin, and the Westminster Divines were highlighting by those lofty statements that they wrote about the church as the mother of the faithful.

What they were highlighting and stressing is that God, our Heavenly Father, is ordinarily pleased to birth His chosen ones into a living faith and to nurture them in that faith through the maternal ministrations of Christ’s church. In other words, God ordinarily brings his elect to saving faith in Christ and spiritually nurtures them in that faith through the ministry of the visible church, especially through the ordinary means of grace, namely the word of God, especially as that word is proclaimed or preached, as well as the administration of the sacraments and prayer. Scripture tells us in Romans 10, verse 17, so faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ. And it’s in that passage that Paul asks the question, how can they preach unless they are sent? He’s talking about hearing the preached Word of Christ, the Gospel proclaimed.

Friends, Christ has entrusted His ordinary means of grace, especially the preaching of His Gospel Word to His visible, organized church. not to parachurch ministries as valuable and as wonderful as some of those ministries are, but to the visible organized church. And this visible church points us to the ultimate Zion of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, our true spiritual mother. As Paul writes in Galatians 4, 26, but the Jerusalem above is free. She is our mother. Our brief passage for this Lord’s Day evening, Psalm 87, uses, of course, Old Covenant language to point us to these ultimate spiritual saving eschatological realities. These realities that are ultimately fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Church of Christ. This psalm reminds us that whoever we are and wherever we come from, if we belong to God’s people, We have been born in Zion, the spiritual mother of the faithful.

Now, what is the historical setting that God used to lead this psalmist to pen this beautiful poem of faith? Well, it’s difficult to pin down the original life setting. We’re given very little information in the psalm itself. And so scholars debate whether it is pre-exilic, exilic, or post-exilic in its composition. In other words, scholars debate, was this psalm written before the Babylonian exile, during the exile, after the exile? And wherever you come down on that question, it doesn’t really impact the meaning of this passage. As usual, I think Dr. Van Gameron offers some wise words. He says it may well have been associated, the psalm may well have been associated with any of the three pilgrimage festivals when Israel, together with proselytes, together with converts from outside of Israel, joined together in the worship of God at the temple.

What is the major theme of this psalm, our psalm for this evening? Well, the quote from one Bible commentator, this is a psalm celebrating Zion as the chosen city of God. It looks forward to people of all nations, even nations that have been enemies to Israel becoming citizens of this city. Another commentator says this brief psalm is essentially prophetic. It contains prophecy pointing forward to the New Covenant era. It says, the commentator says, the vision of Zion as the metropolis of the worldwide kingdom of God is not to be interpreted geographically, but spiritually. And he refers to Hebrews 11, verse 10. The dominant thought is that of a universal and glad acceptance of God as Lord and King, in which allegiance, all sources of international friction are removed. And of course, that will ultimately be fulfilled in its consummate realities when Jesus returns in glory.

So as we consider this brief psalm, I would first of all have us to consider the first three verses. Consider, first of all, the glory of Zion. This is a psalm of Zion. And the theme, the opening theme is that we read of in the opening verses of this psalm is the glory of Zion. That is my first main point for this evening. The psalmist opens This divinely inspired poem by saying his foundation is in the holy mountains, the holy mountains. What is he referring to? He’s referring to Zion, the temple mount, the place where God’s special covenantal presence dwelt in the midst of his wholly set apart people. And yet it is, as it is translated here in the New American Standard Version, in the Hebrew it is in the plural. Why is that?

Why is it in the plural? It literally could be translated as hills of holiness. Well, this could be perhaps because Jerusalem covers a number of hills. Perhaps that is in the psalmist’s mind. Or perhaps, as I think more likely, the psalmist is using a plural of majesty, emphasizing the majesty of Mount Zion. And what makes it majestic? What makes it majestic is that God has chosen Mount Zion as the place where he would come to meet with his people, where His people would gather in his presence, rejoicing in his redemptive covenantal mercies and offer their sacrifices of praise and adoration to him. As it says in verse two, the Lord, notice it’s in all capital letters, meaning Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, the Lord Yahweh loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.

The gates of Zion, Mount Zion is unique among all of the places in the Holy Land. Mount Zion was unique. The Lord is said to love the gates of Zion. What is this imagery of the gates of Zion? What is the significance of this reference to the gates of Zion? Well, apparently gates is being used here poetically. Perhaps the gates of Zion are being used by the psalmist to represent the whole city. Or perhaps, as I think more likely, the gates of Zion represent the temple in particular, God’s dwelling place among his people. And the place again, as I mentioned, the place where the people communed with their God in holy, joyful worship and received from God his redeeming, forgiving mercy through the sacrificial system. And then it goes on to say in verse three, glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.

Notice that this holy mountain, the gates of Zion and the city of God, these are all referring to the same thing in slightly different ways. God has spoken glorious things about Mount Zion. And why has he spoken glorious things about Mount Zion? Because Mount Zion is the place where glorious spiritual realities are at work, where God’s people experience his forgiving covenant mercies and grace, where God’s people again gather to offer joyful praise and adoration to their covenant-making, covenant-keeping God who has redeemed them from slavery and brought them to be his people and to come and dwell in their midst. We see one example of God speaking glorious things about Mount Zion in the prophecy recorded by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 2, verses 2 through 4. And I’d invite you to turn there to that passage briefly.

Isaiah chapter 2, verses 2 through 4. The Holy Spirit through Isaiah says the following. Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills and all the nations will stream to it. This anticipates the new covenant era when the Gentiles too will hear the glad tidings of great joy. Verse 3, And many peoples will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us concerning his ways and that we may walk in his paths. For the law will go forth from Zion. And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, and he will judge between the nations and will render decisions for many peoples.

And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation and never again will they learn war. And ultimately, of course, is fulfilled, consummately fulfilled when Christ returns in glory. Beloved Old Testament Zion, is fulfilled in Christ, first and foremost, and in His church. Christ is the ultimate living temple of God. He is the word made flesh who came to dwell amongst us, to tabernacle in our midst. And as the scriptures teach, we are living stones in union with Jesus Christ, the living temple. And we are being built up together by the spirit into a living temple in the Lord, as the apostle Paul expresses it, I believe, in Ephesians chapter two. The church is a glorious thing. The church is weak. The church is sinful.

The church has often fallen into grave error and grave, even near apostasy. And yet, God continues to use his church to proclaim the glad tidings of great joy, to proclaim the good news of Jesus, and to call the nations into fellowship with the Savior. God glories in Zion. He speaks glorious things of the city of God. His people speak glorious things of the city of God. To you, dear listener, glory in Zion, in Christ, and in His body, the church. In the second part of this psalm, which covers verses four through six, we next see Zion presented as the mother of the faithful. That’s my second main point. Zion here is presented as the mother of the faithful. And we come to verse four, which has some translational and interpretive issues connected to it, but I’ll just read it as it is presented here once again in the New American Standard Version.

It says, I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know me. Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia. This one was born there. Now, those of you who who have read the Bible, those of you who know the scriptures, do you recognize these various nations that are mentioned here in this verse? Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and so forth. What were these nations to Israel in Old Testament times? Well, these were nations that were Israel’s archenemies, that often stood in opposition to the people of God. And yet here we see that those from among these nations will be counted among those who were born in Zion. At least that is the traditional understanding. Now some suggest that this passage is better understood as a reference to the Jews who were dispersed among these nations. It could be translated, for example, in the vocative, O Rahab, O Babylon, and so forth.

And if that’s the case, perhaps the Holy Spirit is saying through the psalmist, look, you nations, Doesn’t matter that my people are scattered in your midst. They are still regarded by me as born in Zion, even though they are among the dispersion. And that’s one possible way to understand this passage. But brothers and sisters, I think the traditional understanding which sees this verse as a prophecy predicting a future time when even Gentiles will become part of God’s people. I think that is the more likely and correct view. of this passage. And indeed, there are many other passages in the Old Testament that anticipate this New Covenant era when the gospel will break out from its national boundaries and become international, when the nations will hear the glad tidings of great joy. I believe this passage anticipates the ingathering of the Gentiles, the Great Commission, and the New Covenant era.

I believe that’s what makes most sense, given the context of this passage. Now again, one commentator explains these nations as follows. He says, the list is composed of Gentile nations, Rahab, that’s a nickname for Egypt, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, which was a Phoenician city, culturally Canaanite, and Cush, or Nubia, the region south of Egypt. That’s translated in the New American Standard Version as Ethiopia. all of which had been at one time or another enemies of God’s people and the city of Jerusalem. And yet the Most High Himself will establish Zion in order to allow the peoples, even these enemy peoples, to be treated as born in her. The people who once despised the true and living God and persecuted God’s people would come, people from amongst those nations would one day come to faith in the God of Israel, the true and living God, and would be regarded as being born in her, because they are born again by the Spirit.

This passage anticipates the new covenant era in Christ, the Great Commission, and therefore the ingathering of the Gentiles into the covenant people of God. And this sets our sights to the world. It also is, in that regard, a great missionary psalm, motivating us to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. And then in verse 5, the psalmist goes on and says, But of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High Himself will establish her. This is referring ultimately, I believe, not to not to the earthly temple under the old covenant. That earthly temple was simply a type of picture of ultimate spiritual heavenly realities, this is referring. to the spiritual heavenly Zion. It is that Zion which is the mother city of God’s people.

And this truth is reflected in many passages in Scripture. But let’s just take a look at one passage in the New Testament from Hebrews chapter 11. Let me read Hebrews 11 verses 8 through 10, which speaks of the patriarch Abraham. Hebrews 11 verses 8 through 10, it says, by faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. And he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. Why did he do this? Look at verse 10. for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Abraham was looking for no ordinary earthly city.

He was looking for the city which has foundations. And then skip down in Hebrews 11, and let us consider verses 13-16, where the author of Hebrews writing of these old covenant saints who had died, Verse 13, all these died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed, if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, notice verse 16, as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

A heavenly city. And not only that, That is, verse 6 of our passage tells us, the Lord will count when He registers the people. This one was born there. You know, the Bible contains a lot of genealogies, a lot of census material, and the Scriptures often speak to God’s people being registered in the census of His people. And I believe this ultimately, brothers and sisters, this is referring to Zion’s census, the register of those who have experienced the new birth, those registered in the Lamb’s book of life. This this idea of being registered among the census of God’s people is is reflected in numerous New Testament passages, just to quote from a couple. If you look at Philippians chapter four, verse three, Philippians four, verse three, as as Paul is giving his closing exhortations in that epistle.

He remembers his companions in the faith. He says this, indeed true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers. And he almost says as an aside, whose names are in what? Whose names are in the book of life. Their names have been registered in the book of life. And then if you consider Revelation 20, verse 15. Revelation chapter 20, verse 15. We read these words. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. The Lamb’s book of life. Dear listener, are you registered in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Are you born in Zion? If you’ve been born again by the Holy Spirit, having trusted Christ and Christ alone as your Lord and Savior, wherever you live, whether you are of Jewish or Gentile stock, if you know Christ as your Savior, this psalm is speaking of you.

You have been born in Zion. And God, Yahweh, your Lord and Father in Heaven, He says of you, dear believer, this one was born There Zion again is the mother of the faithful, even as God is our father. And this, what is the conclusion of all of this? The conclusion is the joy of Zion. The psalmist brings this glorious brief psalm to full circle in verse seven, where he expresses the joy of Zion. This is my final point in your outline. Then those who sing as well as those who play the flute shall say, all my springs of joy are in you.” Why? What joy is this speaking of? This is speaking of the joy of salvation. This is speaking of the joy of those who have been registered in the Lamb’s Book of Life, the heavenly Zion.

Those who indeed, who have been born in Zion, because by sovereign grace they have been born again by the Holy Spirit. Springs of salvation. If you know Christ and His forgiving mercy, What is the result? The result is joy. The joy of the Lord. Springs of salvation are found in you, in your heart, and you find all of your joy in the reality of Zion. This is also expressed, we have a similar expression in Psalm 46, verse 4. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. The holy dwelling places of the Most High. And it goes on to say God is in the midst of her. She will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns. God is in our midst by his Holy Spirit. The gospel is here.

Christ is here. The Spirit is here. wherever Christ’s name is confessed, wherever his gospel is believed, wherever he is worshiped in spirit and in truth. May the joy of Zion be your joy and mine as we rejoice before him and commune with him in spirit and in truth. Amen. Let us pray. Our Lord and Father in heaven, we do praise you and thank you for Your grace to us, we thank you that we who know Christ by your grace alone, that we have been registered in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that we have been born in Zion, having been born again by your spirit. We thank you, Lord, that we belong and that we can commune with you in Christ, the living temple, and that you have are building us up together as a living temple in the spirit.

Be with us now, Lord, as we continue to worship you, especially as we celebrate together the Lord’s Supper. We ask these things in Jesus name and all of God’s people said. Amen.

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