I'd like to have us take our Bibles and look together in Psalm 87. And I want to read the entire psalm. It's not that long, but we'll be focusing, Lord willing, on the first three verses of this psalm and speak with you simply about Zion's foundation. We hear that word Zion being used a lot in politics today. You hear of Zionists. But its root, Zion, goes back to the Scriptures and there is a specific spiritual meaning that the world ignores today. Most people, if you mention to them today Zion, they're thinking of a physical location over in Israel, which for a time it was. We're going to look at this and see how God viewed Zion and views Zion even today as far as it relates to His church. Psalm 87, beginning with verse 1, 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." And then Selah is really just a musical pause. You see sometimes in musical notes there's a pause before it continues. These were psalms that were sung. And so I like to, rather than read the word Selah, just pause. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. pause and think about this. I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me. Behold, Phylicia and 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. Let's have a word of prayer. Most gracious Heavenly Father, as we open your Word again this morning, I thank you for each one that you have drawn here today to hear this particular Word in the preparation I know first of all my own need to be fed, and yet in your time as we gather, you bring exactly those that you would have to come and to feast of the bread of life and to drink of the springs of life, of the water. So I thank you for your purposeful grace that has directed each path here. And I pray for your blessing as we meet today, particularly around the Lord's table, in remembrance of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, your Son. Without which blood or righteousness worked out, none of us would have any hope. And I thank you that by your Spirit you do direct the hearts of your people to your blessed Son. and we look to Him and Him alone. So I pray for your blessing upon our times of worship today, and we give you the praise and honor and glory in our dear Savior's name. Amen. Alright, well, in Psalm 86, we considered there how it is a reflection of our Lord's high priestly prayer for His people. And pretty straightforward. as to how the Lord shows mercy and grace, what it is to truly come to him and worship. Psalm 87 is not significantly different. These are psalms that were designed to be sung for worship. Therefore, we know even before we start that the theme of each psalm, just as it is throughout Scripture, is going to be Christ and him crucified. There's no other way to come to God except through his son and through that sacrifice that he accomplished for sinners there on Calvary, whereby God then is just to justify those sinners for whom Christ died. And so Zion here is a picture of Christ's church. We're going to see that here in a little bit. where God, it says there in verse 2, loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Now, there are some that read this from a purely Jewish perspective and they say, well, that means God loves the nation of Israel more than anything else. Or Jerusalem. You'll hear people today saying, let's pray for Jerusalem. Somehow they feel that peace of the world depends upon the political stability of what's going on in physical Jerusalem. Aren't you glad that that's not the case? And so, there's got to be something more here that we need to see. And what I'll tell you is this. What was at Jerusalem? What was it when he says, the Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob? What was at Jerusalem? What was seated on that hill that was considered to be God's dwelling place at the time? It was the temple. It was the tabernacle. It was the place where those sacrifices had been ordered of God and established as a type and picture of His Son. And that awaited, even though it was millenniums later, awaited Christ's coming and fulfilling it. So it makes sense then that God would put his favor here, because it's a picture of his son until his son would come and fulfill it. You may have in your living room pictures of your children, and a total stranger walks in and looks at the picture. And they say, well, who's this? And you might say, well, that's my son. And where is your son? Well, he's away, but he's coming. You know, you have the picture there as a memory or a reflection of that one that it represents. This is what the temple was to God until Christ should come and fulfill it. And so, above all other places, as it says, more than all the dwellings of Jacob, and there were many dwellings, not only within Israel, but without, where there was a seed called Jacob, here it says that God not only loved the gates of this city called Zion, but you see verse 1, His foundation. So there was a foundation being laid here in the holy mountains. It's talking about holy, not because mountains themselves are holy, but they were sanctified just like Mount Sinai was sanctified where God gave His law there. These mountains, Jerusalem is built on mountains, several mountains, a mountain chain. But one particular mountain that we're going to see was Mount Moriah. Now as soon as I say Mount Moriah, what jumps up? Abraham and Isaac, who years before went up and Isaac was laid upon that altar. Now God didn't take Isaac's life. There was only one son that was ever to be offered. for sacrifice, and that was to be the Son of God. But He served as a type and picture. And the ram represented substitution. All this taking place, so when it says here His foundation is in the Holy Mountain, it has a history. The foundation is here. God's love is here. In verse 3, God's glory is here. So that's the simple outline of this study. God has laid His foundation in Zion. And he loves the gates of Zion. Think of the gates of the temple. There were twelve. But they all entered into a place of worship where there were priests, where there were sacrifices. And if we were to truly understand and study the Scriptures and write and spend time, every one of those is a type and picture of Christ. Right on down to the threads. The thread on the garments of the high priest. See, our problem is we read Scripture too fast. It's like I was talking earlier with my mom, and she's got somebody she's talking to that says he's been reading the Bible all his life and never really seen election. And I told her about the story of a man who told a preacher that one time. He said, you know, I've been reading the Bible on my knees for over 20 years, going through it once a year, and I've never seen election. And the preacher said to him, well, let me give you two suggestions. is get up off your knees and get a little more comfortable. And number two, slow down. You're reading too fast. Because if you haven't seen it, you're not looking. It's not there. Well, we know God has to give you eyes to see. Not only election, but the sovereign God who saves sinners through the sacrifice. The election is in eternity God giving sinners to the Savior. And the Savior then coming, undertaking to work out their salvation, and that He did to the fullest, paid their sin debt. Whereby God then put to the account of those sinners, given to Him from eternity, the righteousness that He'd worked out. And when it's been worked out and paid in full, guess what? There remains nothing but righteousness to put to their account. That's my hope as a sinner. If someone said right now, let's go look at the record for Ken Wymer. Prayerfully, in the Lamb's book of life, there is no record other than the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what's true of anyone for whom He's paid the debt. But the foundation, you see, was laid here in Zion. And so that's what we see here. So, these first words of this psalm are vital. This is a psalm or song whose subject is the holy mountains and the temple that was built in Zion. Zion actually means, you would think it was a fancy name. I did. And I went and looked it up. It actually means a parched place. But that in itself makes sense because even when Isaiah was describing Christ as a plant, a tender plant that would arise out of the dry ground, God did not set His favor on Zion because it was any better or it was more glorious. It was glorious because of the glory of God that He put there in the picture of His Son. That's all. Of itself, it was nothing but a parched place. It was nothing but a dry place and therefore represents aptly what we are. made to be members of this church of Christ whose foundation is laid here in prophecy. It's laid here in promise. It's laid here in type. It's not for anything in us. We're just as dry and dead as what Jerusalem was, but it's what God has made us in Christ. Again, as I said, this goes all the way back to Genesis chapter 22. Look here in Genesis chapter 22. Here's the story. In verse 1, It came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham. That word tempt is not tempt to sin, but it's in the sense of trial. He put him to probably one of the greatest tests that he would ever face in his life. But it has significance as far as the Lord Jesus Christ. And he said unto him, Abraham, and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." So you see, one of the mountains. It was the same geographic location as what we read over here in Psalm 87 where His foundation is in the holy mountains. Holy in the sense of consecrated. That word means to be set apart. God had consecrated this geographical location to place there a temple that would represent His people. We're not to think of it in terms as people do today. If I could just get a piece of the dirt These preachers go over there today and I guess if it really was all the water of Jordan that they're handing out, if you'll just send in a $10 donation, I assume that they'd have to have a lake the size of Caddo Lake somewhere. They're filling those little vials somewhere before they send them out. It's foolishness. It's like pieces of the cross. If you went around the world and everywhere where someone said, that they had a piece of the original wooden cross. Someone calculated that this thing would have to be taller than the greatest giant sequoia tree if you put it all together. But people are idolaters by nature. And even today, oh, we're going on this pilgrimage over to the Holy Land. Now, it's like the instruments in the temple, in the tabernacle. They were holy instruments, but there wasn't holiness inherent in them. Holy in the sense they were consecrated to a holy purpose. Otherwise, they were just brass and wood, gold, silver. They were perishable things, you see. And so that's the sense here. These mountains. But a specific mountain, that's what you want to see in verse 2. The land of Moriah. And Abraham rose up. early in the morning, verse 3 of Genesis 22, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and claimed the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day, Abraham lift up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide you here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you. See, this shows right there that Abraham somehow knew and understood that even if he had to offer up his son Isaac, that God would honor what he had said and bring the seed to that son and raise him up again because of how he put it there. I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again unto you. You know, Job and all the afflictions that were brought to him, it said he fell on his face and worshiped God. Every one of us in particular is facing a particular trial right now that we think no other knows about. And maybe not. But I can tell you this about that trial if you're the Lord's. Number one, God gave it to you. He ordered it. It's custom made. And number two, it's designed for the purpose of worship. You stop and think about it. Were it not for this particular trial, would I even be crying unto Him? Would I even be seeking Him? And so in the affliction, I see mercy. I know that's my case. And I know if you're the Lord's, that's what you see as well. But verse 6, And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand and a knife, and they went both of them together. Now here shows that Isaac even had been given some measure of faith by the Spirit of God. Liked to know something of the importance of the sacrifice because he spake unto Abraham, his father, and said, my father, and he said, here am I, my son, and he said, behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? The fire is nothing. People like to focus on the fire of Christ's suffering. There's a whole, movies keep coming out about the passion. And it emphasizes suffering. And so, there's the fire. And they like to emphasize the wood, the picture of the cross. You know, there's even a song that says, the old rugged cross, how I cherish the old rugged cross. We don't cherish the cross. We cherish the Christ of the cross. You see, without the sacrifice, it's nothing. And Isaac understood this. He said, here's the fire, here's the wood, what of the lamb? What of the lamb? You know, even in preaching or singing or whatever it is, that ought to be our continual question when we listen to a message or sing a song. Where's the lamb? And if it's not, if we don't see the Lamb, if He's not set forth in truth, then it ought not to be sung, it ought not to be preached, it ought not to be heard, you see. Where's the Lamb? And Abraham said, I love this in verse 8, My son God will provide himself a Lamb for a burnt offering. So they went both of them together. Now the reason we're reading this is because of verse 1 of Psalm 87. His foundation is in the holy mountain. This is where the foundation of what that temple being built would represent. And there are three ways of reading verse 8. Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. Emphasize God. Who is it that does it? God will provide himself a lamb. Secondly, God will provide himself a lamb. You could look at it from that standpoint, that there was going to be that lamb, which John the Baptist said, behold, the lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. He was declaring at that time that this was being, this Genesis 22-8 was being fulfilled. But here's a part that many people miss. The third way of reading this. God will provide Himself a Lamb. In other words, He Himself would be that Lamb. Do you see that? Behold the Lamb of God. He was called Emmanuel. God with us. That's what most people miss. They think this Lamb is something out here that's God. No, He Himself was that man. The Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was from the beginning. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory. The glories of the only begotten Son of God. So all of this, the foundation was laid here. We could keep reading, but I want you to see the connection of Mount Moriah. Look at 2 Chronicles 3. 2 Chronicles 3. In verse 1. Here's where the foundation was laid back here in the God taking commanding Abraham to take his son Isaac up on that mountain, Mount Moriah. But now it's like a progressive revelation, fulfilling of what was declared. Look here in 2 Chronicles 3. Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah. When Abraham said, God will provide himself a lamb, it wasn't just what kind of land, but even where it would be provided. It would be provided in that very place. It was to be fulfilled. Because it says, where the Lord appeared unto David his father in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornon, the Jebusite. So that's where the foundation was being laid. And then, if you come over to Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 22, it all comes together. This is Zion. This is the Zion's foundation, but we see it here clearly set forth in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 22. It speaks there of one mountain, which was Sinai. And you can see in verse 18, before we get down to 22, For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they that heard entreated, that the word should not be spoken to them any more. For they could not endure that which was commanded, and if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned and thrust through with a dart. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. I've had over the years people say to me, why don't you preach more law? Really? Is that what you think is going to bring you peace? Happiness? Ask those who are under it. Go back and read what was their experience in the face of God's holiness as He revealed His holy character through that law. I'll tell you what, it says here, so terrible was the sight that even Moses, who was the established mediator, said, I exceedingly fear and quake. That's why he said, before he passed in Deuteronomy, that God would raise another prophet up like unto himself. He said, hear him. He wasn't even pointing people to himself. When the Pharisees said of Moses, we have Moses, he said, if you believe Moses, you believe me. Because he spoke of me. Thank God that there is a fulfilling of the law of God and all of these types and pictures in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, else there's not a one of us sitting here this morning could have any peace. We would always have, just like the constant offering of sacrifice, as Hebrews says, all it did was renew a consciousness of sin. Now I need to know that God's satisfied. I need to know that there's a sacrifice that's been paid and that the ordinances that stood against me no longer stand against me. That's my only hope. Well, here it is right here in Hebrews 12. But ye are come unto Mount Zion. Now think again in terms of Zion. A parched place. Representing there where God causes gore to dwell. And under the city of the living God. But notice, the heavenly Jerusalem. Politics is going to do what it wants to. Peace treaties. All the days of my life. And this has been since 1948 when everybody figured once the nation of Israel has been reestablished, this is it. Here comes the rapture. And here we are in 2013. And things are as bad over there as they've ever been. Even the ones who signed the original agreements, they're gone, dead, facing judgment. Nothing's been changed there. But the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of angels, so this speaks of the very presence of God in the holiest of holies. They had the cherubim on the a mercy seat in gold that represented the presence of God, but here it's like Isaiah saw. I saw the Lord high and lifted up and the angels around him night and day singing, holy, holy, holy is the Lord. Stop and think about it. How could I as a sinner ever expect to enter into His presence except it be through a just sacrifice? But that's what this says here. To the general assembly and church of the firstborn. Who's the firstborn? That's Christ. That's whose church it is. Shreveport Grace Church is the denomination, a place where people are invited to come hear the gospel. But I would be a fool to say this is Christ's church. It's a congregation, but it's a mixed congregation. There's wheat, there's chaff. I don't see anywhere in Scripture where there was ever on earth a pure congregation. A lot of people like to think of their congregation as pure, and they sure strive to keep it that way. If they see anybody that's not quite walking along the bylaws, they're going to get them out as quick as they can because we've got to keep it pure. Now, I'll tell you, what God has already declared pure, no one can declare Him pure. And those that have been declared pure are those that have been washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and that righteousness imputed to them. And therefore, no charge can be laid to their account ever. But that's the assembly, the church of the firstborn, notice, which are written in heaven. Where are they written? In the Lamb's Book of Life. You know, they used to sing that song, there's a new name written down in heaven and it's mine. Oh, yes, it's mine. There's no new names being written down in heaven. That Lamb's Book of Life is eternal as the Lamb Himself. These are those that from eternity God purposed to save and gave to His Son. And I'm thankful they're written. The idea is that no one can take them away. That name can never be taken out. When I was growing up, you know, one of the foundation doctrines of the Baptist church I was in was eternal security. Ever hear that? Eternal security. We believe in eternal security. Which they meant by that was once saved, always saved. But you know what? They didn't believe in a sovereign God. They didn't believe in a particular sacrifice of Christ. So your eternal security was based upon that decision that you made and that God would honor your decision. That's what they called eternal security. But I'm telling you this, there's no security there at all. Eternal security is in the eternal surety. that once given to the Son from eternity, Him having paid the debt, we are eternally secure, eternally sure, because our names are written in heaven. And it says, and to God, the Judge of all, there's not going to be anybody. There's not going to be sin. There's not going to be the law. There's not going to be Satan. There's not going to be the world. There's going to be a stand-up one day and find a loophole whereby God then must condemn Out of his presence, anyone for whom Christ died. One writer said it would sooner happen that Christ would cease to be the Son of God than that one for whom he died should perish. He's the judge of all. He's the supreme judge. He answers to nobody. But I'll tell you, he's worked out a salvation for his people that is sure. And that's this foundation. And it says, to the spirits of just men, men as in italic, just ones, made perfect. You say, how are they just ones? Not in themselves. They're justified. How are they made perfect? In the blood of the Lamb. That's it. I trust that's your testimony. And that's what all is laid here in this foundation as you come back here to our text in Psalm 87. This foundation in the holy mountains. This is the one that the Lord loves. Whom He loves, He saves. Jacob have I loved. Esau have I hated. And glorious things of thee are spoken, you see. So, just to sum this up, because our time is gone, we can see three things here. This church, the church of Christ, has a foundation. When it talks about that, it means that it cannot sink or totter. The picture here is on a mountain. It cannot be moved. And so Christ Himself being that foundation, God has laid it. There's no other foundation that can be laid than that which is laid. It's what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3. In Christ. And so it cannot be moved. But secondly, you see there in verse 2, God's particular affection for it. Where it says, the Lord loveth the gates of Zion. In other words, all that it depicts Christ is the way. That's what a gate is. All that it enters into, the priesthood, the sacrifices, all of these things, it's God's affection because of how it portrays His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But the third thing down in verse 3, and we'll come back to this, is that it's glorious. You know, if we don't see this as glorious and God declares it glorious, then that means we're blind and dead. I've had people tell me over the years, well, isn't there anything else you preach? Can't we have more preaching on standards? I've had that. Not when the Scripture talks about one standard. If you want to get out here into standards, there's not a standard of man that's going to stand up to the holiness of God. And if you want to go out there and try to walk this path, you'll face utter destruction. De-standard. That's the banner that has been lifted up in Christ. And Christ said, if I be lifted up, I'll draw men unto Myself. This is Zion, the city of our God, and certainly glory.