Studies in the Psalm - Psalm 87

We live in a diverse and divided world. Americans have yet to break completely free from the segregation of its people that predates the Civil War and this very day, we are still reaping the sad effects of that division amongst our people. Psalm 87 reminds us that one day, when Christ returns, heaven will unite us all, as God brings His plan to fruition.

Psalm 87:1-7

On the holy mount stands the city he founded;  the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.  Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God. Selah  Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush— “This one was born there,” they say.  And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”; for the Most High himself will establish her.  The LORD records as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah  Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.”

Psalm 87 is a short psalm. It speaks of God’s love for the city, Jerusalem, a city rich in the history of Israel and of God. But the most interesting thing about this psalm, is that it speaks not only of the Jews being born into God’s family, it also speaks of their enemies being born in Him. In Christ, all peoples and nations can and will be part of God’s family.

Revelation 5:9-10
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,  and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Salvation is of the Jews, but not only for the Jews. The good news for today is that despite the separation we see in the world today, one day we shall live in a place where we all will unite, to bring God His due glory. But you must be born again. You must be born into Christ.

Revelation 5:13
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

Take hope in the future when Jesus returns. But to be a part of this great eternity, you must put your faith in Jesus. I leave you with a great reminder of the hope we can have.

Revelation 21:1-4
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Come soon Lord Jesus. Come soon.

Where’s the Peace?

There has been a lot made of the protests last weekend by the women and in general since Donald Trump took office, America appears to be in a decline of unity. As I have been mulling this over lately and praying about it the Holy Spirit brought a specific scripture to mind.

Matthew 10:34-36
 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.”

At this point one might find Jesus to be a little confused here. Has He forgot why He came? What happened to “peace on earth, good will to men”? Had He been late to His Sunday School class that covered Isaiah 9:6 saying “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”?

The answer is, of course, no. Jesus knows exactly why He came and He followed God’s will in completing the work His Father sent Him to do. The peace that Jesus came to bring was the peace we read of in Romans 5:1 which tells us who are His that “…since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The peace Jesus brought was accomplished on the cross. It is the peace that comes to those who have been saved through faith in His finished work on the cross. Without Christ as our savior, we remain at war with God. And it is a war that we will lose if we choose to continue in our sinful rebellion against God’s righteous commands.

Look at what Jesus says in the verses following Matthew 10:36.

Matthew 10:37-39
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

What Jesus was instructing us here was that we must be willing to take a stand and the entire teaching of the Bible is that we must stand for truth. He is saying we must set ourselves in opposition to the ways of the world. The sword? It is the Word of God.

The truth of this past election and the subsequent reaction of many is a display of fear. And what are they afraid of? They are afraid America might become a place where their sins will no longer be acceptable. Clearly the moral decline of our culture has not only allowed people to be free to live out these sins, but these sins have become celebrated. They are afraid that they might be faced with the truth. The truth that what man calls choice is what God calls sin. They are afraid that the lies they have convinced themselves of; abortion is a choice and it’s my body, sex has no boundaries, gender is up to us, will be exposed to their own wicked hearts. They are afraid because deep in their hearts they know these things are wrong. They are afraid of the sword true Christians carry. They are afraid of this verse because it cuts and it reveals the intentions of their hearts. They are afraid of being reminded that God sees and He will hold them accountable.

Hebrews 4:12-13
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Sadly, even the church has allowed the leaven to creep in. Many Christians live in the “I wouldn’t do it, but I have no right to judge what others do.” So, they sit back and remain quiet. Other Christians dive right into the world and look nothing like the Bible’s command to be holy and separate. The Bible address this.

Romans 1:32
Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Read all of Romans 1 if you don’t understand what things God’s righteous decree forbids.

Preach these words and you will not find peace in the world. But we are not called to say what people want to hear; we are called to speak the truth in love. If these things cause people to deserve to die for practicing them, can you honestly say it’s loving to not warn people? This is eternity we are speaking of here. And there are only two options; heaven or hell.

So yes, there is division in our country. There will be until Jesus returns. Jesus knew they would hate us if we stand by God’s righteous decrees. He calls us to be salt and light. Salt will burn when put into an open wound and light will expose many things. But in order to receive healing one must recognize the disease and then apply the necessary medicine. No one enjoys medicine. No one wants others to know their weaknesses and their sins. So yes, there will be opposition.

Jesus is coming soon. The first time? He came to offer salvation. The second time? Judgment. Read His word.

Christians stand firm. Don’t expect peace. Not from the world. You will only find it in Christ. Know that you must put on the full armor of God. Know that the sword you carry brings a great responsibility.

Those people marching? They are marching towards eternity. We must not let them march to the wrong eternity even if it means no earthly peace. This is our mission. As they said in that movie, we are on a mission, a mission from God. And we are at war.

God bless those who carry the Sword of God.