Sermon Notes + 11.10.2024
SERMON NOTES
City of God
Psalm 87
Dr. Tony Chute, Lead Pastor
Overview: The Eighty-Seventh Psalm, written by the sons of Korah, is a national hymn celebrating the glory of Jerusalem as a symbol of God’s larger kingdom. The first three verses capture the essence of this city of God—it is founded by God and loved by God, and as such, has earned the praise of all who understand its place in the world. It is such a remarkable city that even those who were once enemies of the city and its inhabitants are drawn to it. Moreover, they will be welcomed into the city to receive citizen status by none other than the Lord Himself. Such a city not only brings cause for celebration, complete with singers and dancers, but also points its inhabitants to an even greater city, whose builder and maker is God, whose composition includes people from all nations, and whose glories will be praised in a world without end.
01. It is entirely appropriate for believers to love their country and celebrate its heritage as a temporal gift from God, who governs all the nations.
02. It is especially appropriate for believers to love the kingdom and exult in the church as an eternal gift from God, who redeems people from all nations.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & DISCOVERY
1. Where do the nations of the world come from (see Genesis 10-11)? What was the purpose of God’s dispersion of the nations throughout the earth? How does God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 indicate a plan to redeem the nations of the earth through the blessings of the gospel? How do Acts 2 and Romans 5 point to a fulfillment of God’s plan for the nations?
2. According to the text, what makes Jerusalem special? How was it founded (see 2 Samuel 5)? Why was this city loved by God? What glorious things were spoken of it? (To answer this question, consider what the Bible says about Jerusalem and Mount Zion). Why were nations drawn to it? What rights do the incoming inhabitants receive?
3. Without equating Jerusalem or Israel with the church, in what ways does this text point to and/or anticipate the church? How was the church founded? What glorious things are spoken of the church? Why are nations drawn to it? What rights do those who come into the church/family of God receive?
4. How is it that nations who were once opposed to the city of God are brought into it as full citizens? What does this text suggest about the spread of the gospel to all nations? What does it suggest about our adoption into the family of God? How does the closing verse remind us of the importance of celebrating not only our entrance into the church but also the international makeup of the church and the walls which are broken down because of the church?
5. This text celebrates Jerusalem as the city of God, but it also promotes an appropriate level of national pride for citizens of other countries. Consider the history of Israel as told in the Bible. What events would have been celebrated and passed down from generation to generation? What events would have been remembered that brought shame on the nation? How can we have an appropriate level of pride in our own nation without overlooking national sins or forgetting that we have an eternal city that triumphs any and all countries?
For Further Reading: Augustine, City of God (Penguin Classics, 2004)