Psalm 48. Psalm 48 is our study
this evening. And I'm taking the title for
the message from verse 8. I could have very well titled
it from verse 14. This God is our God. That'd be
a good title, wouldn't it? This God is our God. But I'm
going to use verse 8 for the title for the message. Look at
verse 8 again. As we have heard, so have we
seen. As we have heard, so have we
seen. We've heard God speak in his
word, and we've found out that everything he said is so. It's
so. That is how the Lord is pleased
to teach us. We hear of him through the word
of the Lord, and that word is quick and powerful and sharper
than any two-edged sword. We know that faith comes by hearing. hearing by the word of the Lord. We hear of his person and his
work, and he grants us faith. We see him for who he is as he
reveals himself in the word. We see him for who he is, his
person, his work, and for what he has accomplished for us as
he has taught us in the word. The Lord Jesus Christ actually
by himself, with himself, actually purchased our soul with his own
blood. He bought us with his own blood. He redeemed us with his own blood. As we have heard, so have we
seen. As we've heard of him, that's
what we've seen. We've seen him in his word, and
we do so hid these things from the wise and prudent, and he's
revealed them unto us. by according as it seemed good
in his sight. Our Lord said to his disciples,
you remember that parable of the sower, Matthew 13, blessed
are your eyes for they see, and your ears, they hear. They hear. Now what a blessing
to hear a word from the Lord. As that song we often sing, in
thy book revealed, what do we see? We see the Lord, don't we?
We see the Lord. What every believer has been
privileged to hear in the way of the gospel, we've also experienced
it to be so in our heart. What we've heard and what we've
received and what we believe, we also have experienced that
in our heart. One wise preacher of the past
said, we don't really believe anything until we experience
it in our heart. That salvation is of the Lord,
we have heard. We've heard that, haven't we?
So have we seen it, and so have we experienced it in our heart.
It's God who saved us and called us with a holy calling. We've
heard it, we've seen it, we've believed it, and we've experienced
it in our heart, haven't we? Someone said, well, salvation
is not an experience. An experience is not salvation,
but salvation is something we certainly experience, don't we?
Christ in you, the hope of glory, that's an experience. Salvation
is for sinners. We've heard that. And we have
seen that. He saved this sinner. If he could
save me, he could save any sinner. There's no sin or sinner past
God's reaching hand of mercy. God delights to show mercy. We've
heard that. And we've seen that. And we've
experienced that in our heart. We are mercy beggars, aren't
we? God has been pleased to show mercy unto such as we are. Notice
something else in this psalm. We see here the church of the
Lord Jesus Christ called by several different terms. In verse 1,
he calls it the city of our God, the mountain of His holiness. You know, Jerusalem You often
read in the scripture where they went up to Jerusalem. Jerusalem
was on a mount. They say it's 2,500 feet above
sea level. So you go up to Jerusalem. So
it's a city of our God, it's a mountain of holiness, and that's
a picture of Christ exalted. It's called in verse two, Mount
Zion. Mount Zion, some people call
it. I call it Mount Zion. Mount Zion,
it's Mount Zion. It's called there the city, the
city of the great king. I wanna be a citizen in that
city, don't you? And then in verse eight, it's
called down here in verse eight, the city of the Lord of hosts. He's the God of a host of people,
sinners saved by the grace of God. The city of the Lord, the
Lord of hosts, the city of our God, God will establish it as
long as you hold out. That's what most people think.
No, God will establish it forever and ever and ever. Whatsoever
the Lord does, it's forever. It's forever and ever. Look back
one page here, Psalm 46 talks about this city of God. Psalm
46, look at verse 4. There is a river, the streams
whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place, the tabernacles
of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she
shall not be moved. God shall help her and that right
soon. that right soon. Abraham looked
for that city, remember? Abraham looked for that city
whose builder and maker is God. This is not an earthly city.
This is a spiritual city. The blessedness, there is a blessedness
to enjoy the blessings of that city, to be a citizen in that
city, that heavenly city, that new Jerusalem, and talking about
the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. that gospel Zion. We were strangers and foreigners,
but he's made us citizens of that heavenly country. John writes
about it in Revelation 21. He said, I, John, saw the holy
city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven as a bride
adorned for her husband. Talking about the redeemed, the
elect of God. So this city here is made up
of a heavenly company of sinners saved by the grace of God. Now, look at verse one. I love
how it starts. Great. Great. Everything about the gospel is
great. Everything about the Lord Jesus
Christ is great. Everything about salvation. How shall we escape if we neglect
so? Great salvation, remember Hebrews
chapter, what is it, chapter two? Great is the Lord and because
he is the great Jehovah, the everlasting eternal God, great
is the Lord and he's greatly to be praised. In the city of
our God, he is praised. And in the mountain of his holiness,
we do worship the true and living God, don't we? Great is the Lord. We have heard it to be so, and
we have seen it to be so, and we have experienced it to be
so. The idolaters in the city of
Ephesus, when Paul came there, they cried, great is Diana of
the Ephesians, remember? Great is Diana of the Ephesians. A mere idol, they thought that
was great. But every believer does cry out and praise the Lord,
for he is called our great God and Savior. He is called the great shepherd
of the sheep. We read that a moment ago in
Hebrews 13, 20, the God of peace that brought again from the dead
that Lord Jesus Christ, he's the great shepherd of the sheep. And he makes us perfect in himself,
in Christ. We're justified. In him, he is
the great shepherd, great shepherd of the sheep, who gave his life,
he laid down his life for his people. The Lord is my shepherd. David said, I shall not want.
He's my shepherd and I shall not want. He's called the great
high priest. Everything about his person is
great, isn't it? Everything about his salvation
is great. He saved sinners with so great, great salvation. And
he has done great things for us. It says there in Psalm 145,
verse three, of his greatness, it's unsearchable. Oh, the depth
of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable
are his judgment and his ways, path finding out. I think that's
Hebrews. No, that's Romans 11, isn't it?
Romans 11, we are redeemed with that great blood sacrifice the
Lord Jesus Christ made for us. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law and he brought in for us everlasting righteousness. These are the great things of
the gospel, the essential things. Therefore, our God is to be greatly
praised and greatly worshiped. Oh, for spirit of worship to
really, really in our heart before God. He seeketh such to worship
Him in spirit and in truth. We worship God around the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It says there, in the city of
our God, in the city of our God, He's the owner of it. He established
it upon the foundations of the gospel in the city of our God. He's our God. We own Him. We
confess Him. He's our God. I like what Thomas
said. You remember? Thomas fell at
the Lord's feet, the risen Lord Jesus Christ. You remember what
Thomas said to his disciples? I don't believe you guys. Peter,
John, I don't believe what you're saying. I won't believe till
I see myself. And the Lord appeared to him.
You remember what Thomas said? I won't believe till I see those
nail prints. Ribbon side, the Lord said, see
right here. Remember what Thomas said, my
Lord and my God. My Lord and he's my God. In the city of our God in the
mountain, mountain of holiness. God says in Psalm 2, I've set
my king upon my holy hill of Zion. The church of the Lord
Jesus Christ is bought and justified with his blood and all believers,
they own him and bow to him and worship him as our great God
and our savior. We worship him for who he is.
We worship him for what he's done. We worship him for what
he's given unto us. Thanks be unto God. We say with
the Apostle Paul, I am what I am by his grace. Everything I know,
he taught me. Everything I have, he gave me.
Everything I ever will be, he's made me so as an object of his
great mercy wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in
sin. Look at verse two. This is a
beautiful situation, isn't it? This is a beautiful situation
to worship a true living God, to be found in the Lord Jesus
Christ, to be found in Him who is salvation. That's a beautiful
situation. It's a lovely situation. And
it's the joy of the whole earth. We are the true Israel which
worship God in His Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no
confidence in the flesh. It's a beautiful situation. We
have joy. We have joy in the Lord Jesus
Christ. The joy of the whole earth is
Mount Zion. Wherever the believer is found
in this earth, whether it be in Africa, China, there are believers
in China. Oh yeah, out of every kindred,
tribe, nation, tongue under heaven. At one point when we were on
in the early days in sermon audio, you know, they were doing downloads
in China, 1,000 sermons a day. And that went on for months,
1,000 sermons a day going down to China. Somebody heard something. That's the joy, wherever the
gospel is preached, wherever God calls his people out of darkness
into his marvelous light, they show forth the praises of him
who saved them. That's the joy of the whole earth.
Christ is the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion. God said, I've set my king on
my holy hill of Zion, Psalm 2. A mountain of His holiness is
Mount Zion. The mountain of, now watch it
there, it's a mountain of whose holiness? It's His holiness. We don't have
any, except as we are blessed in Him, except for what He gives
us by His grace. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord imputes righteousness without works. It's a mountain of His
holiness. It's a beautiful situation. It's
the joy of the whole earth. This is Mount Zion on the sides
of the north. The city of the great king. This
is the city of the great king and everything about our God
is great. Whatever you talk about You talk about redemption, well,
it's great redemption. We talk about righteousness,
it's great righteousness. We talk about being reconciled,
well, that's a great reconciliation. God was in Christ reconciling
us unto himself. You talk about resurrection,
well, that's great, isn't it? The resurrection of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He said, because I live, you
shall live also. That's great, everything about
the gospel is great. And he's greatly to be praised.
In the city of the great king, look at verse three. God is known. We don't worship
some unknown God. God is known because how is he
known? He's revealed himself unto us.
God is known in the palaces of his city for refuge. For refuge. Now remember Psalm
62. God is our refuge and strength
of every present help in trouble. Turn back one page. Psalm 46
again. We may look at this in a few
weeks. Psalm 46. Look at verse one, Psalm 46. God is our refuge
and strength a very present help in trouble. He's our refuge.
Now, sadly, most people have a refuge, but Isaiah calls them
a refuge of lies. The refuge we have is a refuge
that he provided for us, and it's Christ himself. He's the
city of refuge. Remember those six cities that
the manslayer would run into, those cities of refuge that were
established around in Judea, Christ is that city of refuge
that the guilty sinner runs into and is safe. God's law and justice has no
claim on that sinner in Christ. He's safe. God is known in her
palaces for refuge. We worship no one known God. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. I'm persuaded he's able to keep
that which I've committed unto him against that day. He has
given us an understanding that we may know him. By nature, we
don't. It's only by the revelation of
God that we know him. I know whom I have believed.
John writes about it this way, we know the Son of God has come
and He's given us an understanding that we may know Him that is
true, that we're in Him that is true, even in our Lord. This is the only true God, our
Lord Jesus Christ. God is known. God is known. His people know Him. The foundation
of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them
that are His. He says, I know my sheep, and
you know what? The sheep know him. He's known. He's known for refuge, for righteousness,
for reconciliation. Now look at verse four down through
verse seven. It talks about the enemies that
might attack this city of God. Now it wouldn't be a wise thing
to attack the city of God, would it? That's what Luther was writing
about in that Psalm. For lo, their doom is sure, The
accuser of the brethren shall be cast out. For lo, the kings
were assembled, and the kings of the earth, they passed by
together. The Lord went forth conquering and to conquer. They
saw it, and so they marveled. They were troubled, and they
hasted away. They hasted away. God troubled
them and drove them away. Look at verse six. Fear took
hold upon them, Fear took hold upon them. And pain, fear and pain. Now I don't know much about this
last statement, as the woman in travail. Pain, travail, bringing
forth children. Although I was with my beloved
wife in the labor room, and I saw what was going on, but I didn't
feel any pain. She did. But often the scripture
uses that as an analogy for pain. Fear took hold upon them. Talking
about the enemies of the Lord. And pain took hold upon them. It says there in verse 7, the Lord
breaketh the ships of Tarshish as an east wind. I was looking
at a scripture here just a moment ago. over here, don't turn let
me get it for you, over here in Isaiah 54, remember he said
to Peter, he said, I build my church and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it. He break the enemies of the Lord. I was looking at this earlier
in Isaiah 54, 17. No weapon that is formed against
thee shall prosper. Every tongue that shall rise
against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage
of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me. Those who come against the Lord's
church to destroy it, they're not going to win. For lo, their
doom is sure. Fear took hold upon them, pain
took hold upon them, and he broke their, he broke them. Think of another scripture here.
Turn back one page, Psalm 45. I think this is the reference
I want. Psalm 45, verse 5. Thine arrows are sharp in the
heart of the king's enemies, whereby the people fall under
thee." He shoots the enemy of the gospel in the heart, and
he breaks them. He breaks them. Now, we have
no other Savior but the Lord Jesus Christ, no other hope of
salvation but in Christ. The ungodly kings of the earth
shall soon pass away. Here's a good reference. Let's
turn and read this. Psalm 2, turn back over there
to Psalm 2. Why do the heathen rage? Verse
1. Why do the heathen rage? And the people imagine vain things. The kings of the earth set themselves
together, and the rulers take counsel against the Lord and
against His anointed, saying, Ah, let us break their bands
asunder and cast away their cords from us. You reckon God's upset? He that sitteth in the heaven
shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them
in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet I've
set my king, I've set my king upon my holy hill's eye. He's
the winner. Thanks be unto God who has given
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Where are the kings? that came against the Lord of
the past. Pharaoh, what happened to him?
He drowned in the Red Sea. Herod, Pontius Pilate, Nebuchadnezzar,
think of all the kings of the earth that have been, where are
they now? And yet he sits upon his holy throne ruling and reigning
over all things. The enemies of the Lord shall
be broken and easily tossed about by his sovereign will. Now, verse
8, as we have heard, we are blessed to hear the gospel. We are blessed
to have the gospel and to hear it. As we have heard, so have
we seen in the city of the Lord. in the gospel-redeemed church
of the Lord, the Lord of hosts. He's the Lord of a people. In
the city of our God, God will establish, God will, God will
establish it forever. You reckon he's good on his word?
He will establish it forever. God has established his church
forever. Whatsoever God doeth, it shall
be forever. No man can put anything to it
or take anything from it. The cities that men build last
a short time. That which God builds will never
be dismantled. It's an eternal city. The Lord
hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in
it. The Lord hath founded Zion. He
established Zion. Remember Isaiah 28, 16, Behold,
I lay in Zion for foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious
cornerstone. Those that rest in him will never
be forced out, never be ashamed, never be confused as they rest
and reside in that city of our God. He has established it forever. Now when the Lord saves His people,
does He save them with some kind of temporary amnesty program? He said, I give my sheep eternal
life and they shall never perish. He said in Isaiah 45, He saves
His people with an everlasting salvation. He will establish
it forever. He has promised and he makes
good on his promise. I'm persuaded like Abraham, but
all that God has promised, he's able to perform. Isaiah or Psalm
57 says, he's performed all things for us. As we have heard, verse
eight, so have we seen in the city of our God, the Lord of
hosts, God will establish it forever. And that word there,
selah, My new rendering of that word is amen. Amen. It means to pause and think about
it, but isn't that what amen means? God will establish it
forever, amen. Amen. All that God had promised,
he's able to perform. Like what Joshua said when they
came into the promised land, After having lived there and
conquered all things, when Joshua was dying, he said all that God
had promised, not one word has failed. That's right. He's made a lot
of promises, not one promise has failed. Look at verse 9,
Psalm 48 verse 9. We have thought, we have thought
of thy loving kindness, O God, in the midst of the temple. God's
in our midst. Did you know that? He said, where
two or three are gathered together in my name, I'm in your midst. The Lord Jesus Christ is right
now with us. He's in our midst right now.
And we've thought, what thoughts do we have of our God? What do we think of when we think
of our God as He revealed Himself in the Scripture? We think of
His loving kindness. You know what his loving kindness
is? Mercy. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed because his love fails not. We think about his, to meditate
upon his loving kindness. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called sons
of God. We have thought of thy lovingkindness,
O God, in the midst of thy temple." We think of Him. We think of
Him. Remember, we studied, I think
it's 1st or 2nd Timothy, where Paul says, give yourself wholly
to these things, totally to these things, and meditate upon these
things. Think about all the blessings
we have in our blessed Savior. We have thought of thy lovingkindness
His loving kindness is an everlasting love. He loved us with everlasting
love. We think about his loving sacrifice, here in his love,
not that we love God, he loved us and laid down his life for
us. We think of his, how about his lovely person. He's altogether
lovely. To you who believe, he is precious. He's our precious savior. Look at verse 10. According to
thy name, O God, God has given the Lord Jesus
Christ a name which is above every name. At that name, every
knee will bow, every tongue will confess that he's Lord. According
to thy name, his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the
Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, according
to thy name. There's salvation in no other
name but our Lord Jesus Christ. According to thy name, O God,
so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth. Thy right hand
is full. The right hand of the Lord. No
one can stay His hand or say to Him, what doest thou, God
Almighty? The right hand of the Lord is
full of righteousness. Now whenever you know the word
righteousness, what that means? That means Christ is our righteousness.
That means He's made unto us righteousness. Christ is all
of our righteousness. The right hand of the Lord is
full. Full. His hand is full of power. No
one can say His hand. His hand is full of grace, of
His fullness. Have we all received grace for
grace? His hand is full of righteousness.
He supplies our every need according to His riches in glory through
the Lord Jesus Christ. He is called Jehovah Jireh. What
does that mean? That means the Lord will provide.
He's called Jehovah Sidcanu. That is the Lord our righteousness.
Thinking about that one, you know, those seven names of Jehovah,
I've been thinking particularly about one of them, Jehovah, I
think it's Rapha. He's our healer. I need healing. I've been healed in my soul,
but my body needs a little help right now. I'm looking to the
Lord for healing, for healing, however he's pleased to do it.
If he's pleased, That'd be fine. If he's not pleased, that'd be
fine too. Thy right hand is full, full,
full, full, full of righteousness. Verse 11, let Mount Zion rejoice. And that's talking about the
church. We do rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let Mount
Zion rejoice. Let the daughters of Judah, sons
of Jacob, daughters of Judah, redeemed and adopted by the blood
atonement of Christ. Let Zion, the church, rejoice.
Let the daughters of Judah be glad because of thy judgments. Oh, how can you be glad about
the judgments of God? Shall not the judge of all the
earth do right? Aren't you glad he was pleased
to take our sin to himself and he bear the judgment of God,
the wrath of God against our sin in his own body on the tree? We rejoice that the Lord took
our sin and took our judgment. Therefore, in Christ, there's
no condemnation to those who are in him. Look at verse 12. Let Mount Zion rejoice. Let the
daughters of Judah be glad because of the judgments of the God in
Christ Jesus. Walk about Zion. Go around about
her. and tell the towers thereof.
I think that word tell can be rendered count. Count the towers
thereof. Walk around Zion, just walk about
Zion and behold the beauties of the Lord. And count all the
towers, the towers of His grace, the towers of His love, the towers
of His mercy, all the towers of the gospel. And mark ye well
the bulwarks That's a fortification. That's a strong fortification.
Mark them. Mark them out. And consider her
palaces, that ye may tell it to the generation following.
What do we tell? Salvations of the Lord. Salvations
of the Lord. Verse 14. For God, for this God,
now not another God now, this God, the God of Scripture. This God, this sovereign God,
this holy God, this eternal God, this God, this God is our God. I like that statement, don't
you? This God is our God. Many of you read Arthur Pink's
book on the attributes of God or the sovereignty of God. One
statement I remember, that he said, talking about the sovereignty
of God, simply means God is God. He says that many times in Isaiah,
I am God, beside me there is no other. The only, the only
just God and Savior. This God is our God, well, forever
and ever. This is our God and our Savior
forever and ever. And he will be our guide. He
will be our guide. You see, he's the good shepherd.
He's the good shepherd who leads his sheep into green pastures
and we shall not want. He will be our guide even unto
death. Even unto death. This God is
our God throughout all our life. And to our dying bed, He will
graciously conduct us, and even after death, He will lead us
unto the fountains of living water, and we look to Him for
resurrection and eternal life. He will be our guide. He will
be our shepherd. He will be our Savior forever
and ever. and hereafter. Grace now and
all glory forever and ever and ever.