SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). God and Their City (vs 1-3)
(2). God and Their Enemies (vs 4-7)
(3). God and Their Worship (vs 8-11)
(4). God and Their Future (vs 12-14)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• It's like the real estate agents' mantra: ‘location, location, location’.
• It's the number one rule in real estate.
• After all you can buy the right home but in the wrong location.
• And although you can change the structure by totally remodelling your home;
• Both inside and out - ordinarily, you cannot move it
• So remember before you shell out your hard earned cash;
• On a particular property,
• Remember the number one rule in real estate; ‘location, location, location’.
• When it comes to real estate people really do care where they live,
• The more striking the setting, the happier they are
• TRANSITION: In describing the city of God, Jerusalem.
• The psalmist asserts that its setting is absolutely perfect.
• This psalm sets out all the qualities of the city;
• A city where God has chosen to make his presence felt in a special way.
• Note: The emphasis in the psalm is on the Lord and Mount Zion.
• There are other psalms about Zion – they are 76; 84; 87; 122; and 132.
Question: What is meant by the name “Zion”?
Answer:
• “Zion” is a place name often used as a synonym, a substitute for Jerusalem.
• The word “Zion” is first found in your Bibles in 2nd Samuel chapter 5 verse 7.
• Where we read:
• “Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion--which is the City of David”
• “Zion,” was originally the name of an ancient Jebusite fortress in the city of Jerusalem.
• Zion was the hill on which the higher and more ancient part of the city was built,
• This fortress had been built on the highest point – the north east corner of the city.
• Over the years “Zion” came to stand not only for the fortress;
• But also for the surrounding city of Jerusalem in which the fortress stood.
You probably know that Jerusalem is a city built on four hills:
• “Zion” was the highest of the four hills;
• And in the Bible, Mount Zion is synonymous with Mount Moriah,
• The site of the binding of Isaac by Abraham.
• When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem,
• “Zion” expanded in meaning to include the temple and the area surrounding it.
• And at the time of Jesus, it was occupied by Herod’s enormous temple.
• As time went by;
• The name “Zion” was eventually used not just as a name for the city of Jerusalem,
• It was used to refer the land of Judah,
• And it was also used to refer to the people of Israel as a whole!
• (Isaiah 40:9; Jeremiah 31:12; Zechariah 9:13).
Note:
• In parts of the Old Testament (i.e. Isaiah 60:14).
• The name “Zion” was used figuratively used of Israel as the people of God
• That meaning of the term “Zion” is continued over in the New Testament,
• Where Christians are also called the people of God.
• i.e. Peter refers to Christ as the Cornerstone of Zion (1 Peter chapter 2 verse 6).
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame”
• IN SUMMARY:
• In the Psalms (and the Old Testament):
• “Zion” primarily refers to the City of Jerusalem. The city where God dwells.
• We should note that Jesus himself (Matthew chapter 5 verse 35).
• Referred to Jerusalem as, “The city of the Great King"."
• In the New Testament is refers to God's spiritual kingdom;
• That is in all true Christians God is king,
• God is dwelling by his Holy Spirit in all of his people.
This psalm deal with four important topics.
(1). God and Their City (vs 1-3).
“Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
2 Beautiful in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion,
the city of the Great King.
3 God is in her citadels;
he has shown himself to be her fortress.”
• The Jewish peoples glory in Jerusalem;
• Was something more than merely patriotic feelings.
• i.e. it was altogether a different thing from say the Roman's pride in Rome.
• For the devout Jew, there was one thing, and one thing only, that made Zion glorious;
• This city was God abode.
• There may well have been other cities bigger in size;
• More secure against enemy attack,
• Wealthier and more glorious architecturally.
• But no other city could claim to be the dwelling place on earth of Almighty God.
Note: the language used:
• Verse 1b: “the city of OUR God”,
• Verse 1c: “ HIS holy mountain”.
• Verse2b: “the city OF the Great King”.
• Verse 3a: “God IS IN HER citadels”
• Verse 3b: “he has shown HIMSELF TO BE HER fortress.”
• Verse 8b: “in THE CITY OF THE LORD ALMIGHTY,”
• Verse 8c: “in the CITY OF OUR GOD:”
• Verse 9: “Within YOUR TEMPLE, O God,”
Jerusalem therefore became "the city of our God" and the "city of the great King".
• These poetic expressions are not intended to identify the place where God is praised,
• But they are emphasising to us the place where God resides.
• That is why this city is above every other city in its lofty position;
• Other places when measured in metres may be higher;
• But spiritually this city is always the loftiest.
Note:
• This psalm is fourteen verses long;
• But notice that God is praised directly in two of those verses.
• He is praised in verse 1 and verse 14 – the first and the last verses of the psalm.
• This sandwich approach is a specific type of poetry;
• Scholars call it ‘inclusio’;
• A single idea that opens and closes a poem.
Ill:
• A clearer example and a much better known inclusion poem is psalm 8;
• Where verse 1 & 9 top and tail the poem.
• “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
• In psalm 8 the poem is emphasising the fact that the created order;
• Comes from and therefore should praise God.
• TRANSITION: In psalm 48 the emphases of the psalm is not the city of Jerusalem;
• But rather the God who inhabits the city.
“Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain”.
“For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.”
Note:
• Before we move on its worth noting the expression in verse 2:
• "the joy of the whole earth".
• Quote: Commentator Adam Clarke wrote;
• "There is no sense in which literal Jerusalem was ever the joy of the whole earth."
• Well if you take that verse literally;
• That might be true historically speaking.
• Yet this is a poem, not a historic record;
• And spiritually speaking, the city has brought joy to all the earth;
• But not because of its architecture or geographical location.
• But rather outside those city walls Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
• Was crucified for the sin of the world,
• And from this city Jerusalem;
• The message of the gospel first sounded out to a lost world.
• That they too could experience God’s salvation.
• They too could know the joy of sins forgiven.
• They too could experience the presence of this God.
• The fulfilment of this in its fullest sense;
• Is found only in the joy of Christians worshipping all over the world,
• Continually for nearly two thousand years.
Quote: Spurgeon stated it,
"Jerusalem was the world's star; whatever light there is upon this earth, it comes from the oracles of the Word of God preserved by Israel."
(2). God and Their Enemies (vs 4-7).
“When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.
6 Trembling seized them there,
pain like that of a woman in labour.
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish
shattered by an east wind.”
• The psalm describes with wonderful power and force;
• The process of how God delivered his people from their enemies.
Question: Who were the enemies mentioned?
Answer:
• Well, no-one can be a 100% sure but most commentators would say:
• Sennacherib and his armies.
• This psalm, along with Psalms 46 and Psalms 47, forms a trilogy.
• All three seem to reflect the euphoria of Israel;
• Following the miraculous deliverance from their enemies.
• Bible commentators disagree as to who the enemies mentioned hear are;
• And from my studies I have no real insight.
• The important thing that the psalm is celebrating;
• The thing we do know is God gave his people victory!
• This psalm describes with wonderful power and force;
• The process of how God delivered his people from their enemies.
• Don’t miss the dramatic vigour of language:
• First in verse 4 the psalmists describes for us the rallying of the armies.
• “The kings joined forces”.
• This is one intimidating and powerful enemy;
• The collective armies are advancing together against this hilly, this rocky fortress:
• But the psalmist tells us that "They saw her (Jerusalem) and they were astounded"
• Maybe they marvelled at its beauty,
• Or maybe they were disheartened when they saw her impregnability.
• Jerusalem towers above its girdling valleys,
• It is 700-800M (aprox 2,300 to 2,600 ft) above sea level.
• Verse 5-6 tells us:
• “they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror. Trembling seized them there”
Don’t miss the abruptness of the language in this powerful description,
• We probably all know the well quotation;
• Even if we are unaware where it comes from.
• It is taken from a letter Julius Caesar wrote to the Roman Senate and the saying goes:
• “I came, I saw, I conquered,"
• Only in the psalm the opposite is true,
• The emphasis in verse 5 has to do with swift defeat; “I came, I saw, I gave up!"
• Verse 5b says: “They fled in terror”.
Notice:
• Only one image is used in this psalm to explain the whole process of the deliverance:
• Verse 7: “You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind.”
• Destroyed like a ship caught up in a tempest.
Ill:
• In 1588, the Spanish Empire was the largest the world had ever seen up to that time.
• It included ALL of the New World and a major part of Western Europe.
• King Philip II was the sole ruler of this vast domain.
• On May 28th 1588, Phillip planned an invasion of England.
• He would send his Spanish Armada of 131 ships and 17,000 men to France.
• Here his armada would collect a further 16,000 Spanish soldiers;
• Who had been fighting in Holland.
• The fleet was then to cross the English channel,
• And defeat the armies of Queen Elizabeth's England.
The English though had seen the Armada coming and employed some brilliant tactical plans:
• Fearing the destruction of their fleet at the hands of the English guns;
• The Spanish fleet set sail into the North sea.
• They could regroup later and attack elsewhere.
• But…they hadn’t bargained for the British weather!
• The weather conditions worsened and tremendous storms hit the Spanish boats.
• Many of the boats were swept against the rocks of the Scottish and Irish coasts.
• Less than 10,000 of Phillips men returned home.
• The Armada had been defeated by a combination of excellent tactics and atrocious weather.
• Now on the medal that commemorated the destruction of the Spanish Armada;
• There were written the words of Scripture:
• "God blew upon them and they were scattered."
• TRANSITION:
• What was literally true for the Spanish Amada,
• Is here in this psalm figuratively true.
• Our history books might put down the victory to naval tactics;
• But the people of the day put the victory down to Almighty God!
(3). God and Their Worship (vs 8-11).
“As we have heard,
so we have seen
in the city of the LORD Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
forever.
9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate on your unfailing love.
10 Like your name, O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.”
Notice:
(a).
• The words in verse 8:
• It takes this psalm of the past and moves it forward to their present.
• “As we have heard, so we have seen”
Ill:
• The Bible is meant to be more than just a history or an educational book;
• The God we read about at work in supernatural ways;
• Leading, guiding, protecting and working in and through his people;
• Is the same God you and I can experience today.
• And we can experience him not just through history or even through a book;
• But by his Holy Spirit we can experience God at work in our lives today!
(b).
• Then the psalmist moves it on even further by referring to the future:
• Verse 8b: “God makes her secure FOREVER”.
• Once again the emphasis is our security rests not in weapons or fortresses;
• But in our relationship with the living God.
Notice:
• That their seems to be a number of speakers in this section;
• They appear to be a group of pilgrims going up to Jerusalem after the great victory.
• They had heard about Assyria's defeat,
• But now they could see with their own eyes;
• The great things that the Lord had done for His people.
• The response of these pilgrims;
• Is to go immediately to the temple to worship the Lord,
• To meditate on His faithfulness, and to joyfully praise Him.
• Worship is the proper human response to divine mercies.
Note: how the fame of the Lord spread:
• Verse 11a: From the city itself:
• Verse 11b: To the towns of Judah that Sennacherib had plundered.
• Verse 10: And then to the ends of the earth.
(4). God and Their Future (vs 12-14).
“Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,
13 consider well her ramparts,
view her citadels,
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.”
• After the worship was completed,
• Perhaps one of the sons of Korah (see title at top of the psalm);
• Became the "tour guide" for the pilgrims and led them around the city.
• The tour guide showed them the towers and the outer walls (ramparts),
• But he was careful to remind them;
• That the city's protection was the Lord Jehovah and not stone and mortar.
• The Assyrian officers had counted the towers (Isaiah chapter 33 verse18);
• They had calculated how to capture the city,
• But…this psalm reminds us they forgot;
• Or rather they could not take into consideration the Lord God of Israel!
Ill:
• Many of us here tonight have had the exact same experience;
• We have enjoyed a tour guide who has taken us around the city of Jerusalem.
• We have had pointed out to us the historic sites;
• The Western Wall, The Temple Mount, Hezakiah’s Tunnel,
• The pool of Siloam. The Damascus Gate etc.
• And we have done exactly what verse 12 is talking about;
• We have ‘inspecting the city, counted its many towers.’
• And your tour guide would be doing exactly what verse 13 is talking about;
• Describing these sites to future generations.
Notice:
• Verse 13 assumes these towers will not last.
• The psalmist knew these massive stone structures would fall someday.
• Why would anybody need “to describe them to future generations”?
• And that is exactly what you see in Jerusalem today;
• Ruins of structures that stood long ago.
• I love the fact that this is not a psalm of doom or gloom;
• There is no dismay in this psalm!
• On the contrary!
• The people are to rejoice and be glad because they trust in God,
• Not because they trusted in an earthly fortress.
Conclusion:
• The psalm concludes in verse 14 with the words:
• For this God is our God for ever and ever;
• “He will be our guide even to the end.”
• The Jewish people may be worshiping God;
• In a temple and a city that will one day crumble and be destroyed.
• But they are told to meditate, to focus on the fact that they worship a living God
• Who continually guides us ‘even to the end’.
• He cannot crumble or deteriorate he cannot be defeated;
• Therefore we are to rejoice and to trust and to worship!
Ill:
• Elisabeth Elliot is a Christian author and speaker.
• Her first husband, Jim Elliot, was killed in 1956,
• While attempting to make missionary contact;
• With the Auca (now known as Huaorani) of eastern Ecuador.
• She later spent two years as a missionary to the tribe members who killed her husband.
• Returning to the United States after many years in South America,
• She became widely known as the author of over twenty books;
• And even in her 70’s is an inspirational speaker in constant demand.
• She tells the story of when two adventurers who stopped by to see her,
• They were all loaded with equipment for the rain forest east of the Andes.
• They sought no advice, just a few phrases to converse with the Indians.
• She writes: ’Sometimes we come to God as the two adventurers came to me,
• Confident and, we think, well-informed and well equipped.
• But has it occurred to us that with all our accumulation of stuff, something is missing?"
• She suggests that we often ask God for too little.
• ’We know what we need, a yes or no answer, please, to a simple question.
• Or perhaps a road sign. Something quick and easy to point the way. ’
• What we really ought to have is the Guide himself.
• Maps, road signs, a few useful phrases are things,
• But infinitely better is someone who has been there before and knows the way."
TRANSITION:
• The psalm concludes in verse 14 with the words:
• For this God is our God for ever and ever; “He will be our guide even to the end.”
• The Jewish people may be worshiping God;
• In an impressive fortress, a temple and a city that is glorious.
• But they are told to meditate, to focus on the fact that they worship a living God;
• Who is far ‘greater’ and ‘loftier’ and ‘holier;’
• Who continually guides us ‘even to the end’.
sermon audio:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=Bynq2kYivH6HSFfGyd06XZNFJxoSZySf&forceSave=Psalm_48_-_sermon_by_Gordon_Curley.mp3
