Turn with me now to Psalm 87. Psalm 87. Just seven verses. And we'll read all seven verses here. Psalm 87. Psalm 87. This was a song that was given to the sons of Korah, those who led in the music and the singing and kept the doors and opened the doors of the church house.

Verse one, his foundation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me. Behold, Philistia, Tyre, with Ethiopia, this man was born there. And of Zion, it shall be said, this and that man was born in her. And the highest himself shall establish her. The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people that this man was born there. as well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there. All my springs are in thee.

If you haven't read that in a while and you don't really understand what it's saying, I hope you will when this is over. I hope you'll rejoice. I have, all week long, had a long time to prepare this. It was a great blessing to me and I hope the Lord will give it to you.

We sang that hymn, I love thy kingdom, Lord, the church, of thine abode where God dwells. The Lord loves his church. He loves his people. He gave himself for the church. This is why Christ came, for the love he had for his church, for his people. Now that's you if you are in Christ. That's you if you are a believer. He's talking about the church.

Zion and Jerusalem is a picture of the church, God's people, you and I, God's people. All whom God loves, they love the Lord. And those who love the Lord, they love his people. John wrote of that, didn't he? He said, you can't love God whom you haven't seen and not love your brother whom you do see. You can't do it. You love him, you love her, the church. You love his people. That's who Christ came for. That's who Christ loved. You're blessed if you do. You're blessed if you love his people, if you love his kingdom.

We sang that hymn. You could sing that from the heart. Oh, I love a prize or heavenly way. My highest joy. If you can really say that from the heart, you're so blessed. You must be in the kingdom. You must be in his church to be a part of his kingdom, his church. Now I'm talking about his family, his people, his elect people. The scriptures calls it a high calling.

A high calling, a holy calling. Holy means dedicated, consecrated, sanctified, set apart for God, for his union. It's a holy calling. And you don't call yourself in this kingdom, he calls you. Blessed is the man whom thou chooses and causes to approach unto thee. Let me dwell in thy courts. You're blessed. It's a high calling. How high? Heavenly calling. It's going to not only take you all the way to heaven, but put you in a little place like this. That's a little bit of heaven on earth, isn't it?

You steam, Ephesians 2 says, he's made us sit together in heavenly places. Do you consider this a heavenly place? A little taste of glory divine is what the Psalm said. It really is. Sit together in heavenly places, tabernacles. Psalm 84, how amiable, how lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord. The church is one, the church is not a building. Someone said you don't go to church, you are the church. And yet you do go to meet with the church in God's house in a particular place. The church is one, it's all the people of God make up the church, but there are little tabernacles here and there, aren't there? And I love them, don't you? I love how amiable are thy tabernacles. There's a little tabernacle in Madisonville, and a tabernacle in Kingsport, and a tabernacle in Fairmont, and a tabernacle in Houston, and a tabernacle here, and a tabernacle in Pikeville, Kentucky. Dingus, West Virginia, somebody says, where is that? God knows, and his people know, don't they? Oh, how amiable, how lovely are thy tabernacles. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, would you?

I was telling Brother Ron that it took three plowings to get all this snow off the parking lot, and it wasn't cheap. What's it worth to you? What is this worth? Unsearchable riches of Christ. That's why God made money. That's why God made everything for his kingdom, for his people, to bring in his people into his kingdom.

So to love our Lord is to love her, the church. To speak of him, you can't speak of him without speaking of her. Because Christ came for her, the church, his people. He came for her. It's like a husband and wife. And some of you have been married so long that your names, you know, go together. Like, you can't say one without the other. You can't. Stephen Merritt. Sound like one word. Stephen Merritt. Paul Merritt. John and Eileen. John and Eileen. Doesn't it? It just sounds that way. Kelly Robinson. Well, Christ and his church. They even sound similar, don't they? Because they're one. You can't have one without the other. You know that? You can't have one without the other. That's where you'll find him. That's where you'll find them. Meeting together around Christ, their Lord.

This is a marriage. Christ left the father to cleave unto his bride, didn't he? This is a mystery, as the Lord said, concerning marriage, but it's concerning Christ and His church. What do we do? What's required of us? Same thing. We leave father and mother, husband and wife, son or daughter, if they don't know the Lord, and we go to be with His people, our true family, doesn't we? What a privilege, what a high calling, what a heavenly calling, what a blessing.

Oh my, what the Lord says of Zion. Now, before we get into the very verses, I want you to look at some of the mentions of Zion, okay? Chapter 48, Psalm 48. Many, many mentions of Zion, Zion. And the word means a pillar, a rock, a mountain, a pillar, a way mark is what it means. Look at Psalm 48, just browse through the Psalms a few places. Verse one, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness. Oh, beautiful for situation. Y'all are in a good situation. The joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion. Mount Zion, sides of the north, the city of the great king. God is known in her palaces for refuge. Look at verse 11. Let Mount Zion rejoice. Let the daughters of Judah be glad because of thy judgments, thy dealings with us. Walk about Zion. Just take a walk, just take a walk around. Go around about her, tell the towers thereof, mark the bulwark, look how she's hedged about. Look how she's protected. Salvation, the walls of salvation round about.

Look at Psalm 50, across the page, verse one. The mighty God, even the Lord, has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof out of Zion. the perfection of beauty God hath shined. That's in his church. Where are you gonna see the glory of God? In the face of Christ. Where are you gonna see the light? Where are you gonna see, hear the gospel? Zion, the church. Look at 84, Psalm 84, which I quoted part of it. Oh, how I love this Psalm. Psalm 84, verse four. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, They will be still, praising the Lord. They're gonna be there still when it's all over. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, whose heart are the ways of them, them, them. worshipers, who passing through this valley of Baal, this valley of tears, this dry and thirsty land, make it a well, found a well. And the rain filleth the pools.

Look at verse seven, they go from strength to strength. Every one of them in Zion appeareth for God. Where do you get strength to go on? Where do you get meat for the rest of the week? Do you not get a double portion here?

Psalm 125, look at that. This is, we come and feed on Christ who is our strength, our bread of life, the water of life in the midst of the church. What a blessing. Psalm 125, verse one. They that trust in the Lord, shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed and abided forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even forever.

You wanna see a few more? Yeah, I do. 128, turn down to 128, verse five. Look at this. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion, this church, is it not so people? Do you not get your greatest blessing when you're among God's people and hearing his word? He's promised to be there where two or three are gathered together. He's true to his promise.

133, 133, one more. And the scriptures are full of it, Zion. Verse three, Psalm 133, three, as a do of Herman, One of the highest mountains over there in Israel. As the dew of Hermon, as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, there the Lord commanded the blessing. What was it, what is it? Life forevermore. What a blessing, what a blessing.

Now go back to our text, Psalm 87. That's the introduction, Zion. Mount Zion, the church of the living God. All right, look at verse one. Psalm 87, verse one. His foundation is in the holy mountains. His, who? Who's this talking about? His foundation. Well, we know, don't we? She knows who he is. It's all about him, isn't it?

His, in Psalm 29 it says, in His temple doth everyone speak of His glory. This is all about Him. The church is one foundation. We speak in His temple, we speak of His greatness. We speak of His power, we speak of His glory, we speak of His beauty, we speak of His honor, we speak of His love, we speak of His mercy, we speak of His grace, we speak of His salvation, don't we?

His, who's this talking about? You know who this is. The church knows. His, this is all about Him. You remember the message, He, Him, and His? This is all about Him. The church is all about him, that's why he came. His foundation is in the holy mountain. His foundation, singular, is in the holy mountains. One foundation upon which the church is built, which is what? Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Other foundation can no man lay than that which is lay. Who laid it? God laid it. He said, I've set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. One foundation, Jesus Christ the Lord, the chief cornerstone, the rock of ages, Christ the solid rock. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is what? Sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. He is the foundation. In the holy mountains, it said. His foundation, Christ the Lord is the foundation in the holy mountains.

Now, Zion itself over there, literally. was a collection of mountains, all right? I think it was seven or so, mountain. But it was all called Mount Zion, okay? Several mountains, but all made up this one map, which was Mount Zion, all right? It says, we read in Psalm 125, round the churches like Mount Zion, that round about the mountains, round about Jerusalem. Okay, like the, you remember in the Old Testament, all the people of God would tabernacle around the tabernacle. Remember that? If you look at the makeup of the temple, the tent, the tabernacle, all the tribes pitched their tents, and in the center was that temple. It was their life. It was their all, it was everything. and they all gathered around about it, and they couldn't wait for the day when they watched that high priest go into the Holy of Holies and offer up that blood, and they'd hear that bell ring, and they'd all lay down to shout, and they said, let's eat. Let's have a feast.

So, like the mountains, it's all one, the church is one, yet many tabernacles, courts, gates, we'll see here in just a minute. All these mountains, all these tabernacles make up Mount Zion, the church, all built on Christ the solid rock. If it's his church, they're built on Christ the rock, aren't they?

Mountains. Mountains are high places, aren't they? Aren't they? High and lofty places. It is said in scripture that they went up to Mount Zion or when Queen of Sheba saw Solomon's ascent up to the throne, he went up, went up to go to Mount Zion. The temple was set on a hill, the city, the church is a city built on a hill. You go up, when you come to worship God, he's taking you out of the muck and the mire and the slime pits of Egypt, isn't he? Out of the pit, he brings you up to sit in a high and a holy and a heavenly and a lofty place. And aren't you glad? Aren't you glad? That's what he said in Exodus 3, didn't he? I have come down to deliver you out, to bring you up and into the promised land.

So it's a mountain. Mountain. What else about mountains? Well, the view from a mountain. The view is unlike any other place. You see things on a mountain you can't see from the valley of it. You can't see the forest for the trees. But you go up on a mountain and that's what Psalm 48 said, how beautiful for situation. But what all we see, the church is like Mount Pisgah.

And there's a song we sing from Mount Pisgah's lofty heights, I view my home and take my flight. Mount Pisgah was where the Lord took Moses up right before he was gonna take Moses to glory. Moses can't lead the people in the promised land, he's the law and the law can't bring you to glory, Joshua. So the Lord took Moses up on the mountain to show him the promised land. And that's the church. We get a view. We get a view of the promised land.

Oh my. The glory of the Lord is not seen. There are many high and lofty places on earth right now. Mount Olympia in Sutton, Washington. Mount Everest that people are dying to scale, to climb, literally doing that. You can't see the glory of God up there, can you? But you can on Mount Zion. How beautiful. Oh, from Mount Pisgah's lofty heights. Oh, from Mount Zion. The things, the glory of the Lord that we see, when we hear the gospel preached. Are you with me?

Oh, it's nearer the sun, isn't it, to mountains. It's up where the air is fresh and clean, like Mount Hermon, the dew. Oh, man. I thought about these false churches have all the best lots, all the best building lots. That Catholic place over there, I wish it burned down so we could have that lot. But actually, that's not the view we need. What did you think? I wonder what people think when Notre Dame burned down. I cheered, I was happy about it. They'll build it again like they did Jericho. But what I'm saying is, these false churches, you know, they have the best lots and the biggest buildings. Well, you can't see anything from there. You can't see His glory. No, you can't.

But you come into the church of the living God, and it's not much to look at, and all the people pass by like they did that little brown tent in the wilderness. There's nothing down there. What do those people see in that little building there? What do they see in there? Come on inside. You'll see the glory of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. You'll see Shekinah glory. It's not outward. It's inward. It's where the gospel is prayed.

Oh, my, Mount Zion. The Lord, verse two, the Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Go to Proverbs 8 with me, Proverbs chapter 8, go over there. The gates, the Lord loveth the gates of Zion. If you read the article by Spurgeon, I hope you did, He says the Lord is with his people wherever they are, the families of God that meet. If it's just one, one of the Lord's, he's always with them, isn't he? He is, in their home, in your home, when you're by yourself, you belong to him. He said, I'll never leave you. But he's with his people in a special sin. When they all meet together for his glory and his honor in the name of his son, That's where he delights to be. That's what it says. And don't you, don't you get more out of, don't you love what we're doing right now above all else, above all else.

Proverbs 8, and this is amazing. Caleb Pound, text to me this morning. And I just happened to look at my phone. I was reading Proverbs 8, and he texted me, dinged. I meant to turn it off, but I'm glad I didn't. I looked up and read the text, and he said, I was just reading Proverbs 8, and he was wanting to tell me what he read. I said, Caleb, I was too. Look at Proverbs 8. Proverbs 8, it says in verse 1, death not wisdom cry. Who's that speaking of? Christ. Christ, the wisdom of God, the power of God. And understanding, he said, I am understanding. To know him is to have an understanding of God, eternal life. Put forth her voice, and I've told you this many times. That why wisdom is called a she throughout the Proverbs and other places is because Christ speaks through his church where the gospel is proclaimed. Like Proverbs 31, a virtuous woman, her husband is known in the gates. What does the bride do? Her one thing, her great joy is to make her husband known. Like a woman talks about her husband whom she loves, that's what the church does. She doesn't talk about herself, she talks about him.

Look at verse two. She stands in the top of high places. See that? Cried. By the way, in the places of the past. She cries at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. Where the gospel is, unto you, O men, I call. My voice is to the sons of men, you simpletons. Come in here and hear wisdom. Look down at verse 32. Verse 32. Now therefore, hearken unto me, O you children. Blessed are they that keep my way. Hear instruction, be wise, refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me. Christ, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my door. How blessed, oh my. Praise waiteth for thee in Zion, Psalm 65 says. Remember Cornelius, he had his whole house together. He's waiting. The Lord sent a preacher named Peter, Simon Peter. I've got the same message. He was waiting. He said, we're here. We're all here to hear what things the Lord has said to you. Got for that. Praise waited for the watching. Blessed is the man, the woman who waits at his gates, watching at the post of his door, waiting on a blessing from the Lord, waiting for wisdom to speak.

The Lord loves Zion. Go back to the text. He loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob, more than all the dwelling. You love your home, and you do. You probably shouldn't use that term. I love my house, I love my cat. I'm very fond of it, I'm thankful for it. But the Lord knows our frame when we say that. But you love your home, you love your family, and you do, okay? You love your little refuge, don't you?

This is better. This is the truth. house of God and the family of God and the people of God. Our Lord one time was preaching to his people and his mother, Mary, supposed mother, and his brethren, he had brothers and sisters, Mary had other children, and they came and they said, your mother and your brethren want to see you. Why weren't they inside with him? Well, he rebuked them, didn't he? That's where they should have been. That's where the blessing is, where Christ is, where you know he's found among his people where he's preaching the word. That's where he's blessing. And he said, who is my mother? Who are my brethren? He said, behold, my mother and my brethren.

You know, Galatians 4 says Jerusalem that's above is the mother of us all. And we're gonna see that. This man was born there. That man, this and that one was born there. Born again there, all right? Oh, he says, verse three, glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. See, let me stop and think about that. How in the world, why would God speak glorious things about us? Why would he have anything to do with us? Throughout the scriptures, though, there are glorious things spoken of Zion, the city of God. Glorious thing, and I don't have time. I wish I did. We could go to Psalm 60. We could go to Psalm 66. There's psalm after psalm after psalm. Isaiah, I mean. Isaiah 60, Isaiah 66. Revelation, the whole Revelation. They said, come, I'll show you the church of God. Look at her, adorned as a bride, coming down to meet her. Look, look, look. Her glory is not her own. Her glory, she didn't have anything to do with it. But he, her beauty, her comeliness is because of him. This is what he has done. And that's what he's going to show her off like Hosea did Gomer, that wretched, forlorn woman that the Lord sent him to marry, which represents Christ and his church.

Glorious things he had done and spoken of the city of God, the city of God, all through the scripture in his church. Let me just read you one, okay? Let me read it to you. I'll turn quickly. Arise, shine, for thy light has come. The glory of the Lord has risen upon them. He's talking about the church. This whole chapter is the church, Isaiah 60. Behold, the darkness shall cover the whole earth, gross darkness of people, but the Lord shall rise upon thee. His glory shall be upon thee. Oh, we're so blessed. Oh. Beautiful situation you're in. Glorious things, and that's just one of many, many, many, many. Read them for yourself.

Look at verse four in our text. See, that's why there's a seal. Let's stop and think about that. And boy, when we get to glory, we're gonna look at each other. And it doth not right now appear what we shall be. But when we are with him, we'll see him as he is, and you know what? We're gonna be as he is. Now that's something.

I remember in, I think it was Pilgrim's Progress, the second part, where Christiana and her friend, they both made it over, the Lord brought them over the river of death and they were in there and they both were changed in a moment in a twinkling of an eye. And both of them looked at each other and one said, you're so beautiful. And the other one said, no, you're beautiful. They both were changed into the glorious image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Glorious things. We see glory right now, don't we? But we preach in part. We know in part. It hath not entered in the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him, but God hath revealed them unto us. How much? Here a little, there a little. And it sure is glorious, the things that he's spoken. that he's done concerning his people in the glory of the old city of God.

I'll make mention, verse four, this is good. I'll make mention of Rahab, Babylon, to them that know me, Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia. This man was born there. I'll make mention. Let me make mention. Let me make mention of something to you, okay?

Rahab. Now you're thinking of Rahab the harlot. She applies, but Rahab represents Egypt. Throughout the scriptures, Rahab, Egypt is represented with the name Rahab. Do you know the Lord brings all of his people out of Egypt? All of Israel were in Egypt. They were in bondage, weren't they? They were under a cruel taskmaster, and that was us, under the God of this world, in bondage, even as others. But God brought us out, is bringing us out, and shall bring us out of Egypt.

Rahab, Egypt, he brought his people out. They were in the world. Who was in Egypt? Moses. Moses was in Egypt, wasn't he? What was he doing when God found him? Heading up the corporate ladder. He's gonna be the next Pharaoh. But God chose him. Who else? All of God's people were there. That's why we talk of Rahab, we talk of Egypt. And the Lord brought Moses out, brought them all out, like Rahab.

I have to think the Lord uses the name Rahab because Rahab was an adulteress, a harlot, and so were all of God's people when he found them. in bondage to the flesh, living in pleasure, even as others, like Moses, said when he came to Jerusalem, when he was born again at the burning bush, which is Christ crucified, he said, I'm not Pharaoh's son. Those are my people. Those ones down there in chains and bondage, that's my people. Their God's my God, like Ruth. And I wanna go out of this place. The pleasures of Egypt are not my pleasure, but the reproaches of Christ is what I want.

Did I mention Egypt? We talk about it all the time, how the Lord brings his people.

Babylon. Did I make mention, let me make mention of Babylon, okay. Babylon is the world, all through the scriptures. Babylon is the great whore, false religion. And such were some of you in false religion, right? But God brought you out. So that's for some of you.

Who was in Babylon? Who was in Babylon? Daniel, he was there. Ezekiel, he was there. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mashiach, they were there. Who was there? Jeremiah, he was there. Who was there? Me. You, in Babylon. My, my. Captivity, born there. This or that man was born there, it said. Born there, but born again in Zion. Born again.

Let me make mention of Philistia. Look at verse four. Philistia, what's that? That's the Philistines. That's where the Philistines are. Who were the Philistines? They were the arch enemy of God's people. They were constantly against God's people. David fought the Philistines all his life, didn't he? They were the enemies of God, arch enemies of God, of Israel.

Who was there? Who was in Philistia? Listen, Abraham, Abimelech, he went there. Isaac ended up there. Yes, he did. Samson was there. David ended up there. Remember, gath, that's Philistia. Did I make mention of that? We just looked at that. 1 Samuel 22. And that's the enemies of God.

And scriptures reminds us in the epistles how that you, now remember where you came from, he said. You were enemies in your own mind by your own wicked works. Children of wrath, even as others. And I can't preach the gospel without these two words. But God, rich in mercy, brought you out, made you a child of his, no longer an enemy, but a friend, a member of his church.

Let me make mention of Tyre. Verse four, Tyre and Sidon. Tyre and Sidon, where was Tyre? That was at the farthest most point of Israel. Look on your map. Tyre's all the way up there, just on the border of nowhere, Tyre and Sidon. It was the uttermost parts of Israel. Do you remember the story in the scripture where our Lord went all the way up, walked all the way up to Tyre and Sidon to save one woman and her daughter? He's able to save to the uttermost.

Where are they? They're in Tyre and Sidon. What did God do to Tyre and Sidon? He destroyed it. But he rescues, like Sodom, he rescues some, like Lot, out of Tyre and Sidon. Did I make mention of Tyre and Sidon? It's worth mentioning, isn't it? Where he found you. Where'd he go to get you, Irene Davis? Huh? Ironside. What about me? What about you? I'm a tyrant.

Ethiopia, let me make mention of Ethiopia. Okay, what is Ethiopia? It's the land of Ham. Who's Ham? He's cursed. Ain't that what the scripture said? Land of Ham, the land of the curse. And such were some of you. The Lord redeems many from the curse of the law, doesn't he? Ethiopia, who dwells there? Black people. And the color itself, the people themselves are no more under a curse than the white people everywhere that don't know the Lord. We're all under the curse. We're all born under the curse of the law, aren't we? All of us.

But that's who Christ came to say, black people. You know that? Those that know themselves to be black. The Shulamite maiden in the Song of Solomon said, I'm black. And that's who the beloved came to say. You know what he says about her? You're comely. He said in her, I was gonna read to you in Song of Solomon four, he said, there's no spot in you. Why is that? Because he, who was altogether lovely, fair, pristine, white as the snow, came down here and made black, made sin for us. He who knew no sin, that we might be made and wear that perfect white robe of his righteousness.

Did I mention the land of Ethiopia? And let me mention this. You know the story of the Ethiopian eunuch? How far did the Lord go to save that man? What did he do to save one black man? He's not worth it. God says to Philip, you walk a hundred miles or more, and go out there as one of my elect. He's black, but he's comely. He belongs to me. He's got to hear the gospel. He's got to see Christ. He's got to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and confess him in baptism. Go out there in the middle of nowhere where nobody else is, but one of my lost sheep. Leave the 99 and go after that black sinner down there and tell him who I am. Tell him I've come for him in the gospel. Did I mention Ethiopia? You want a real blessing, read Psalm Jeremiah 38 sometime.

There's a story of a man named Ebed Melech. Ebed Melech. When Jeremiah was thrown down in the pit, God's preacher was thrown in the pit. Nobody wanted to hear him. They hated what he was saying, Jeremiah. And they threw him in a pit where no water was, in the muck and the mire. And he buried and sunk in the muck and the mire. And one man, Ebed Melech, a black man from Ethiopia, heard and believed Jeremiah's word and pleaded with the king, don't let this man perish. I believe his message, don't let him go. The king says, go get him. And he rescues him out of the pit.

like Rahab hid the spies. You know what Ebed-Melech mean? You know what it mean? A servant of the king. Read it, Psalm 38, Jeremiah 38.

Verse five, and at Zion it shall be said, this and that man was born in her. This and that man was born again in her. This is where they came from, but. This is where they're born again in Zion. This is where they hear the word, the gospel, being born again, not of corruptible things such as silver and gold, but by Christ's precious blood and righteousness. This is where they're born again, this and that man, this and that. I could make mention, we could preach, Paul preached all night long one time. What did he preach on? Abel, Enoch, Noah, Daniel, they're all born there. Job, Rahab, Mary, Martha, Sally. So she's not in the scripture. Yes, she is. She's in the book of life, I'm telling you. Robin, and on and on it goes. Mindy, that name's not in this book. Yes, it is. Sinner, saint, glory. Saints, this and that man was born there.

Let me tell you where I was born, okay? Let me tell you my story, where I was born and raised and where I was born again. Okay, often I ask people, strangers, where are you from? And they take great pride in telling me where they're from. You know, like you may, if you're from these North Carolinians, and yeah, North Carolina, have you know, Texas is worse. I'm from the great state of Texas. Well, that ain't nothing and a nowhere, is it? Nothing.

Let me tell you where I was born. Let me tell you about my nativity. My birth and my nativity, my father was an Amorite. My mother was a Hittite. As for my nativity, when I was born, my navel was not cut. I was not washed in water, not salted or swaddled at all. No eye pitied me. None had compassion on me. I was cast out into the open field of this world in sin, to the loathing of my person. in the day that I was born.

Well, what happened to you? Now, here's my new birth. When Christ came by, he said, I passed by and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, and I said unto thee, when you were in your blood, live, yea, I said unto thee. This is how I was, where I was born, a nothing and a nobody from nowhere, Living in sin, but God sent the gospel of Christ and said, live. That's how I was born again. Where'd that happen? Zion. That's where I heard Christ speak to me, in Mount Zion. That's my story. Is that your story?

When I passed by thee and looked upon thee, Behold, it was a time of love. He said, I spread my skirt over thee. You're so blessed if you know what this is saying. That's his righteousness. I covered your nakedness, just like Adam and Eve in the garden with that skin of the lamb. I swear unto thee, I entered a covenant with thee. I said, you're mine. I washed you, the blood from the, I anointed thee with oil, I clothed you with fine linen, I covered you with silk, put ornaments, bracelets on your hand, a chain on your neck, a jewel on our forehead, earrings in our ear, beautiful crown on our head, you were decked with gold and silver, that's all speaking of Christ in it. broadered work, your renown went forth.

I wanted to preach on the mutual faith of God's believers. He said of the Romans, your faith is spoken of everywhere. There's people that know you people, you people from nowhere. There's people everywhere that know you. Why? The faith that God's given you, the precious gift, mutual faith, common faith, brothers and sisters everywhere.

He goes on to say, your beauty, you're perfect through my comeliness that I put on you. See, when we speak of her, we're not speaking of her glory, we're speaking of his. We're glorified by being married to him. He is our beauty, he is our glory.

And back in our text, and I close. It says, the highest himself shall establish her. The highest himself shall establish her. We're established on Christ the rock. Settled, strengthened, built on Christ the solid rock. Who did it? He did it, except the Lord built the house. They labor in vain that build them. And he shall establish you on Christ and keep establishing you by preaching the gospel.

Verse six, the Lord shall count when he writes up the people that this man was born now. When he counts people. You know, God has a people that cannot be numbered by man. An innumerable host, which no man can number, but he has them numbered, doesn't he? Like the stars in the sky, the Lord numbers them. He knows them, he telleth them all by name. We can't know them all, it's impossible. Like the sands of the seashore, he has them numbered. He has their names in a book. What book? The Lamb's Book of Life. He has their names on the palm of his, graven on the palm of his hand, on his shoulder, on his breastplate, in his heart. They're counted, they're counted among his people, counted.

Let me ask you, what do you count your greatest blessing? When you count your blessing, and you should, we should, what do you count your greatest blessing? I hope it's that you're counted among God's people, that you're found in Christ. Do you not say, Lord, when you number your people, when you count your people, count me in, would you please count me in? Oh, man. Greatest blessing of all to be found in Christ and his people.

It says now, it's gonna say, this man was born there and that man was born there, that man was born there, that man was born there, that man. Well, he counts them up. And the road is called up yonder. Well, who's there and what are they doing? Verse seven, they're singing. They're singing, the singers are there. Well, what else is there? They're playing instruments. Now, few of us, few of you know how to play instruments. And maybe you envy those who do play instruments and you can't play them. But I'm telling you, when it's all said and done, we're all gonna play instruments. Listen to this. I heard a voice of many waters, of great thunder, A people which no man can number. They were all harping with their harps, singing unto Him, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive honor and glory and strength and salvation and all that. That's who's there. They're singing of His glory. They start now and they do it with perfection there. And bless God, we're gonna be Harping on harps. Oh, what a sight and a sound that will be.

And the last line says, you may not think this fits, but it sure enough does. All my springs are in thee. What's that mean? Well, spring is what? The source of water, isn't it? You know, scriptures talks about all the, everything watered from the mountains, isn't it? The streams, the springs, and the hills and watered all that. Where do all the blessings of God come from? Where do they all come from? What's the source? What's the fountain? of all blessings in thee. His, him, he, Christ, it all comes from him. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's blood. Come thou fount of every blessing to my heart to sing thy prayer. Do you say that from the heart? Bless God.

Okay, stand with me and I'll dismiss this in prayer.