Tawa Baptist

Psalm 87

Video Link: https://youtu.be/EwqMR_FqM8I

Structure:

  • Introduction – Zion is…
  • An international community
  • People who know God
  • Citizens of Zion
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kia ora whanau and good morning everyone.

Where were you born? Wellington? Auckland? Christchurch? Tauranga? South Africa? Ireland? America? Fiji? Australia? China?

In New Zealand culture, one of the first things people will ask you is: where are you from? I quite like that. It speaks of connection and origins and belonging. It says you are not alone. You are part of a community that is longer and older and broader and deeper than you can possibly be as an individual.

Today our message focuses on Psalm 87, one of the psalms of the sons of Korah. Psalm 87 is a celebration of the city of Zion, the place we are born spiritually. From Psalm 87, verse 1 we read…      

1 He has founded his city on the holy mountain. 2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are said of you, city of God: 4 “I will record Rahaband Babylon among those who know me—Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’” 5 Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.” 6 The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.” 7 As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In a nutshell, Psalm 87 is telling us about Zion. From a physical and geographical point of view, Zion is another name for the city of Jerusalem.

But from a relational and spiritual point of view, Zion is an international community of people who know God.

An international community:

Most of you have probably heard of the organization, doctors without borders. Doctors without borders is a medical humanitarian network which transcends national and political boundaries to reach people affected by armed conflict, epidemics and other health crisis.

Doctors without borders are not concerned so much with geographical or cultural divides. They are more interested in our common humanity and meeting people’s medical needs. 

The sons of Korah, who wrote Psalm 87, are like worship leaders without borders. As much as they love the geographical city of Jerusalem, they are equally interested in what God is doing in creating an international community of people who know Him.

We find this international community in the centre of the psalm, in verse 4, where the Lord God himself says…

“I will record Rahaband Babylon among those who know me—Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’”

Rahab is poetic way of referring to Egypt. The curious thing here is that, in ancient times, Egypt and Babylon were the two arch enemies of Israel.

The Lord is saying that, at some time in the future, Egypt and Babylon (the enemies of Israel) will turn to Him (God Almighty) and be friends with Israel. All part of the same international community, worshipping without borders.   

Philistia is the land of the Philistines. The Philistines, as we know, were a thorn in the side of the Israelites. They were Israel’s close neighbours but they didn’t get along.

The people of Tyre were also close neighbours to Israel, only they weren’t as aggressive as the Philistines. The people of Tyre were wealthy merchants. I guess we could say their motto was: ‘make money, not war’.  

God is saying the Philistines and the people of Tyre will also be part of this international community of worshippers without borders.

Then there is the nation of Cush. Cush is the old school name for the country we know as Ethiopia. Warwick prayed for Ethiopia earlier in the service. Cush (or Ethiopia) represents those countries (like New Zealand) which are a long way away (geographically speaking) from Israel.

The nations listed in verse 4 are not an exhaustive list. They are a way of representing all the nations of the world, whether they be enemies to Israel or trading partners. Whether they be near or far.    

None of those nations were worshipping Yahweh, the God of Israel, at the time Psalm 87 was written. And so, in the context, it is incredible to hear that these pagan nations will come to know the Lord and worship him.

This thought challenges the false notion that people’s salvation is a historical accident. The country or tribe or family you happen to be born into need not determine your eternal fate.  

This idea (in verse 4) also challenges our deeply held prejudices. Who is it that you don’t like? Who is that you consider an enemy? Is there anyone you think won’t make the cut as far as God is concerned? That may be exactly who God has in mind to include in his holy city.

To some extent, at least, the church universal (made up of Christians of many different nations and cultures) is the fruit of God’s plan. We, who believe in Jesus, are part of an international community of worshippers without borders, all citizens of a spiritual Zion.

But we do not have a monopoly on God. God’s grace may be deeper and wider and more far reaching than we imagine. We cannot limit God in any way. We can only wonder, who else might God want to include in his holy city?

People who know God:

The thing about this international community of worshippers, the thing they share in common, is they all know God. What then does it mean to know God?

Well, when the Bible talks about knowing God, it usually means more than just mere head knowledge. It’s not a virtual knowing, like being friends with someone on Facebook or following them on Instagram.

The kind of knowing that is in view here is the deep knowing that usually comes through suffering and trust.  

Three times in three verses we read: This one was born there. Meaning these people from other nations (near and far) were born in Zion. I don’t think the psalm is saying they are physically born in the city of Jerusalem. This is poetry. The birth is a spiritual birth.

We are reminded here of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3, where the Lord says to Nicodemus: “I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.”     

To know God is to be born again. That is, to experience a profound awakening; one which opens your eyes to the goodness, the grace and the love of God. A change inside that causes you to yearn to be close to God.

James Tissot was a French artist of the 19th Century. He was raised as a strict Catholic but his heart wasn’t really in it, at least not at first. As a young man he dedicated himself to painting beautiful women who were dressed in the latest fashions of the day. He was, shall we say, a bit flirtatious and lived the high life. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

When James Tissot met Kathleen Newton, she became his model and the great love of his life. Sadly, Kathleen died of consumption just six years later. James was heartbroken.  

After that he returned to Paris and found himself in a church one day. He was there for work, not worship. But when the priest raised the communion bread during mass, Tissot experienced a vision that changed his life.

The painting of his vision (known as Inward Voices or The Ruins) shows a bloodied but still luminous Jesus comforting two poor souls in the rubble of a crumbling building. In the painting Jesus is showing the scars in his hands to prove that He is with them in their suffering and that He died as a sacrifice for their redemption. [1]

The vision James received was the polar opposite of the life he was living. It was a completely different image from the ones he normally painted. And yet, at the same time, it spoke to his deepest hurt.   

There’s no fixed formula for being born again in Christ. None of us knows how the Spirit might move in our life. We don’t all get a vision like James Tissot did. But usually, in order for the transformation to happen at a deep enough level for it to stick, being born again involves suffering and the Holy Spirit.

James Tissot suffered deeply when Kathleen the love of his life died. And then the Holy Spirit gave James a vision of Jesus’ compassion in comforting those who are hurting and powerless to save themselves.

This vision was the catalyst for James Tissot being born again. From that time on he went from being a citizen of Paris to being a citizen of Zion. Part of the international community of people who know God, through Christ.

James Tissot stopped painting beautiful ladies in fancy dresses and made it his mission to paint every scene from the gospels of Jesus. It took him ten years. One of his most famous paintings is the view from the cross.

Most artists, when they paint the crucifixion, show us Jesus on the cross. But Tissot switched it around and showed the crucifixion scene from Jesus’ perspective. This is what James imagined Jesus saw as he hung on the cross. Being born again gave James Tissot a whole new orientation.

To be born again is to become a citizen of Zion. Not a citizen of the earthly Jerusalem in the Middle East, but rather a citizen of the international community of peoples who know the living God. We come to know God through faith in Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Citizens of Zion:

When someone is born they are issued with a birth certificate and their name is entered in the register of citizens for that country. Normally your birth certificate states the city in which you were born. It is a legal requirement.

Twice in Psalm 87 we read that the Lord himself records or registers the names of those who are born again into Zion… 

In verse 4: “I will record Rahaband Babylon among those who know me…

And in verse 6: The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.”

This is like saying God will make it official. The Lord will write the names of those who know him in the book of life, so they are fully legitimate citizens of heaven. There are no second class citizens in Zion. Everyone who knows the Lord has the same privileges and responsibilities as a natural born citizen of God’s country.

The book of Hebrews picks up this idea where it says of those who have accepted Christ by faith…

22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all…

In verse 2, of Psalm 87, we read that 2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion…

The gates of an ancient city were the place of entry. They were a symbol of security in that they kept enemies out. They were also a symbol of justice in that disputes were often settled in the presence of the elders at the city gate.     

On one level verse 2 is a poetic way of saying, God loves the whole city of Jerusalem, not just the gates.

On a deeper level, Christians see in verse 2 a possible reference to Jesus, who called himself the gate for the sheep. For those who believe, Jesus is the gate or the entry way to Zion. Jesus is also the mediator of justice, the one who reconciles us to God so we can become citizens of God’s city.

The point is: entry to Zion is not automatic. We come to know God through faith in Jesus; that is by trusting Jesus and following his way. God loves the gates of Zion. To know God is to love Jesus.  

Conclusion:

Psalm 87 finishes with the words…

7 As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”

In the original Hebrew this verse reads like an instruction for the international community of worshippers. Sort of like when the sermon is finished and the leader says, ‘and now we will sing our closing hymn…’.

It is essentially a response of praise for what God has said he will do. None of us deserve to be citizens of Zion. None of us deserve to have our names written in the book of life. We can’t do anything to repay God. All we can do is say, ‘Thank you Lord. I accept. Here’s my offering of praise for your grace’.

A fountain is a spring or an outpouring of water. A fountain, in a dry land like Palestine, is a source of life and refreshment and cleansing. (It’s not just a decoration.)

All my fountains are in you, is an acknowledgement that apart from God we have no good thing. Zion, the city of God, is the source of all that is life-giving and good. Zion is a blessing to the world.

I began this sermon by asking, where were you born?

Let me finish with the question, where were you born again?

Do you know God, through Jesus? Are you a citizen of Zion?

Let us pray…       

Father God, your grace is longer and deeper and broader than we can fathom. Thank you for Jesus, through whom we are able to know you. May Jesus be real for each one of us personally, and for all of us collectively. Help us to know you better, both in times of suffering and times of comfort. Inspire our praise with your vision of an international community of people who know you and worship you, without borders. Through Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Where were you born, physically/geographically? What was your home town like?
  • What is surprising/significant about the nations listed in verse 4?  Who else might God want to include in his holy city?
  • What does it mean to ‘know God’? What does it mean to be ‘born again’? Have you been born again? How did this happen for you?
  • Why does God register the names of those who know him?
  • What is an appropriate response for those who know God and have become citizens of Zion?
  • Take some time this week to look at and reflect on one or two of James Tissot’s gospel paintings. Ask God to show you something new about himself.

[1] Refer Terry Glaspey’s book, ’75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know’, page 201.