The Kingdom Focused Church

Sorry, I forgot my Bible at home, of all things.

As a pastor, you're not supposed to forget your Bible,

so I'm going to be reading out of the bulletin

our scripture today.

But I do want to extend a thank you to Matthew

and the elders of this church for having me.

It is an honor to be here this morning and to be with you.

And as Matthew said, you know, I grew up, in a sense,

in this church for several years during junior high.

And it was in this church that I attended

my first communicants class, that I became a church member,

that I took my first communion.

And so it's great to be back with you guys this morning,

worshiping 20-plus years later.

It is a wonderful thing.

Before we dig into this psalm, let me pray for our time.

Heavenly Father, we do thank you and praise you

that you are the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Father, we thank you that your word stands.

Even as we fail and fade away, your word stands forever.

And in it we find hope, that we have life in you,

that we have resurrection in your Son,

and we have hope eternally.

Lord, I pray that you would open our hearts and minds

this morning to be able to see you clearly again,

to be able to worship you in the splendor of your truth.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

Our psalm this morning is Psalm 87,

and I will be reading it to us from the ESV.

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 is born there.

Singers and dancers alike say,

All my springs are in you.

Well, I love the fact that you are spending your summer in the psalms.

The psalms have always been, to me, so rich and so deep.

They meet our souls in the joys and the turmoils of life.

They feed us.

They teach us how to praise,

how to voice protest and complaint,

how to plead and yearn,

how to trust, give thanks,

have hope, weep, and mourn.

And the list goes on.

The psalms wrestle through the spectrum of the human experience,

focusing our hearts upon the God who upholds and governs all things

and who loves his people.

Our psalm this morning is a beautiful psalm about the church.

Psalm 87 reminds us of the reality of the kingdom of God.

Too often, we forget who we are.

We forget that we are citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

We are a forgetful people.

I am a forgetful person.

I constantly fail to recall the truth that I am a child of God,

freed from condemnation, declared righteous.

I am being made holy.

I own an inheritance greater than anything I can dream or imagine.

Too often, we all forget that we are the sons and daughters of the king.

And we need to hear this message over and over again.

We do not have to fear in this life or in the life to come.

We are a people loved by God.

Our identity is rooted in his grace.

And when I was thinking about this psalm in the context of the kingdom,

I thought of Handel's Messiah and my dad.

You see, after our time here while I was in junior high,

my family moved to Village 7.

And I soon found out that every Easter Sunday morning,

at the end of the service,

they would invite the congregation up, whoever wanted to sing,

to join the choir and Handel's Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah.

And every Easter Sunday, without fail,

my dad would enthusiastically jump to his feet

and run to the front to be a part of that great chorus.

And as a teenager growing up,

you know, I think every teenager has the same experience with their parents

of just being embarrassed that they belong to their parents.

So every year, I put my hand on my face and said,

oh no, there goes dad again.

Singing off key to Hallelujah Chorus in front of everybody.

But the reason I thought of my dad in the context of this chorus,

or in this psalm,

is that as he was singing the chorus and belting it out,

often with the wrong words or in the wrong tune,

he would sing out,

the kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever.

And that line has always stood out to me.

The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord.

You see, at the heart of the gospel message,

there is a kingdom.

A king and his people united in joy, purpose, life, and love.

The Bible opens with God creating everything,

calling into existence all things,

ordering, separating, bringing purpose and life.

And on the sixth day,

he created humanity as the crowning jewel of his creation.

He created human beings,

you and me,

made in his image,

who were to have deep relationship with himself,

who were to rule his created order.

Adam and Eve were created as king and queen,

created to rule as vice regents of the universe,

image bearers of the eternal God,

who were to expand the order and purpose of his kingdom

into all the earth and beyond.

As we know,

tragically,

Adam and Eve ushered a fallen kingdom of this world

when they entered into sin.

And before they ate of the forbidden tree,

the kingdom of God was united to this world perfectly.

There was communion and fellowship,

beautiful relationship between God and man,

between man and the created order.

Humanity walked with their Lord,

unashamed with all dignity,

wisdom,

happiness,

and peace.

When Adam and Eve sinned,

they tore apart that relationship.

Evil, disease, and death

spread to everything we see around us

and everyone we know.

The world was plunged into the kingdom of brokenness,

futility,

and death.

But yet,

even at that moment of our parents' first sin,

we see the grace

and the plan of God.

In Genesis 3,

Adam and Eve were given a covering for their guilt

and their shame.

They were also given a promise.

It is a promise in seed form

that one day God would provide

from the seed of the woman

a Messiah to crush

and destroy the works of sin and Satan.

That one day there would be once again

perfect communion,

fellowship,

and relationship between God and man.

What man had broken,

God would remake

a restoration

of the kingdom.

And we see throughout the Old Testament

the seed

takes root.

We see the family of Israel

chosen to proclaim

the promises of God.

We see King David

given the promise

that one day

one of his sons

would reign,

and not for a lifetime,

but for an eternity.

We see,

even in the exile,

a remnant

that remembers

and hopes

in the king to come.

The gospel

is the good news

because it's the message

that the world

has been groaning

and longing to hear

all of its life.

And in Matthew 4,

Jesus begins his public ministry

with these words,

Repent,

for the kingdom of heaven

is at hand.

All the promises,

all the longings,

all the anticipations

found their culmination

in the person

and work

of Christ.

What was seed

in Genesis,

a sapling

in the people of Israel,

a young tree

in the kingdom of David,

a stump cut off

in the exile,

in Christ

is the promised shoot

that flourishes

into the tree

of everlasting life.

The message of the gospel

is one of kingdom.

The kingdom of this world

has become

the kingdom of our God.

Christ has joined

what was previously separated.

He left the glories

of his heavenly throne

to restore,

renew,

and bind up

the brokenness

of this world.

This is the good news

that we celebrate

this morning

and every morning

that Christ has purchased us

by his blood

and given us a place

and a purpose

in that kingdom.

Psalm 87

is a kingdom psalm.

The psalmist here

foresees a day

when not only Israel

but all of the nations

of the world

will find a home

in Zion.

A day when the shalom

of God,

the universal flourishing

of all things

is realized

in time

and space

history.

Through this psalm

we see first of all

that the kingdom

focused church

is a people

loved by God.

Look at verse 1.

On the holy mountain

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.

God has chosen

and established Zion.

He has chosen

and established

his church

for himself.

He has built

this city

on an unshakable foundation.

He is the author

who loves his work.

This is an interesting

statement.

It's a strange

statement.

The Lord loves

the gates of Zion

more than all

the dwelling places

of Jacob.

Why would God

love this place,

this physical place

more than all

the other places

where his people dwell?

What is so special

and unique

about the gates

of Zion?

Yes,

Zion was a beautiful city

and its gates

and architecture

were magnificent.

But there's something

deeper going on here

that caused

the Lord of glory

to love this

particular place.

In the context

of the Old Testament,

Zion was the city

of David.

Jerusalem,

where God's presence

dwelt in the tabernacle

and later the temple.

It was the place

where his people

could know

and experience

communion

and relationship

with him.

The worship

and reconciliation

of Israel

took place here.

It was the touch point

between God

and man.

So you see,

God loves this city

because it is where

he meets

with his people.

For the entire time

that my wife,

Callie,

and I were dating

and engaged,

we lived long distance,

1,000 miles apart

from each other.

And during that time,

I loved the gates

of the airport.

I was always excited

to go to the airport.

And it wasn't that

the airport was amazing.

I don't know any of you

who actually go to the airport

just to hang out

or have a good time.

But I loved that place

because that's where

I got to meet her again.

We would have

face-to-face relationship

again.

I loved that place

because it brought us near.

And God loves Zion

in much the same way

because it is a place

he built

to be with his people.

His bride

that he has chosen

and purified

for himself.

We see in the book

of Hebrews

that the old

sacrificial system

and the physical temple

itself pointed to

and had their fulfillment

in the person of Christ.

God loved us

so much

that he offered up

Christ,

his own perfect son,

his temple

as our perfect sacrifice.

Through the mediation

of his blood,

we are set free

from slavery

to sin and death

and are made righteous

before the king.

As Christians,

we now have access

to the throne room

of grace.

And it's not through

the blood of lambs

or bulls

or our curtains

that separate us.

We have direct

communion with God

through Christ.

We ourselves

are the temple

of God.

In 1 Corinthians 3.16,

Paul writes,

Do you not know

that you are God's temple

and that God's spirit

dwells in you?

God has established

himself in our hearts

and brought us

out of the darkness

into the light

of his true community.

God has chosen

to give power

to his children

in the church.

It is his institution

and as backward

and broken

as we often are

in the church,

he has promised

to prepare his bride

and purify her

to present her

to himself

as faithful

and faultless.

The church

is the betrothed

of God.

He has chosen

to spend eternity

with you and me.

I was in college

when the reality

finally struck me

that God didn't

just love me

in this theoretical

out there type of way,

but he actually

liked me.

I had this view

in my mind

that God was somehow

a grandfather

who kind of

had to love you.

You know,

your grandkid,

you have to be loved

by your grandpa.

It's his job

to do that.

He sends you presents

but really

there's no liking

in the relationship

that we would long for.

But one of my

campus ministers

in college

at Colorado State

told me one time,

he said,

Matt,

you know,

God chose you

for himself

from the foundation

of the world

not because

he had to

but because he wanted

to spend eternity

with you.

He chose

to sacrifice himself

for you

because he likes you.

God delights

in you.

That struck me

and has never

left me since.

God loves his church.

He delights

in you,

his people,

and his kingdom

purposes will never

fail because

he is faithful

to his promise

of love

to his people.

And there is an

already not yet

aspect of this kingdom.

Jesus has ushered

in his kingdom

but right now

it is mostly hidden,

small,

like a mustard seed

and can only be seen

in and through

his people.

We catch glimpses

of the kingdom

when we love each other,

when we worship God

and find joy

and peace in him,

when we serve

one another.

The kingdom

is already,

we taste of its goodness

but one day

Christ will return

and his kingdom

will arrive in full.

We can take comfort

that this life

is not as good

as it gets

and we can have

assurance that

whatever good

we have now in part

we will one day soon

have in fullness

of joy

and perfect satisfaction.

The realities

of the kingdom of God

give us hope

for both now

and for the future.

this kingdom

confronts our fear

and doubt

with love

and peace

and these are

the glorious things

spoken of the city

of God

in verse 3

the grace

that we have been given.

Spurgeon said

that although

the glorious things

were taught

in the streets

of Jerusalem

and seen in her temple

yet this is more

true of the church.

She is founded

in grace

but her pinnacles

glow with glory.

Whatever glorious things

the saints may say

of the church

in their eulogies

they cannot exceed

what the prophets

have foretold

what the angels

have sung

or what God himself

has decreed.

Happy are the tongues

which learn

to occupy themselves

with so excellent

a subject.

Glorious things

of you are spoken

O city of God.

As Christians

we will be

in the great

and glorious

congregation

of those

of whom God says

I love you

and you are mine.

I love seeing

the receiving

of new members

this morning.

It's such a wonderful

thing hearing

the vows of membership

the proclamation

of belonging

to Christ

and his church.

And during the receiving

of new members

I always think about

the words of Jesus

in Luke 12 8

he said this

to his disciples

and I tell you

everyone who

acknowledges me

before men

the son of man

will also acknowledge

before the angels

of God.

What an amazing promise.

Just as we

as members

acknowledge

our trust

in Christ

before these witnesses

Jesus will one day

acknowledge you

and me

before his father

and the watching world.

The Westminster

Shorter Catechism

question 38

which since you guys

are in 37 today

this might be a spoiler

for next week

asks

what benefits

do believers receive

from Christ

at the resurrection?

And the answer

is this

at the resurrection

believers

being raised up

in glory

shall be openly

acknowledged

and acquitted

in the day of judgment

and made perfectly

blessed

in the full

enjoying of God

to all eternity.

See in the judgment

believers will be

revealed in splendor.

You and I

will stand

before the throne

of the Lord of hosts

and he will openly

declare us

his sons and daughters

to the entire

assembled universe.

He will place

his joy

and power

upon us

and we will reign

with him

in his kingdom

forever.

We are the sons

and the daughters

of God.

Too often

the cares

of this world

the pains

of this life

rob me

of this joy

and this hope.

Too often

I fall into

the traps

of self-pity

and self-worship.

We must all

cling to the love

that is ours

in Christ.

We are all

called to remember

the blessings

that we have

in him.

Remember

whose you are.

Your identity

is in him.

Our son Mark

is 20 months old

and every night

Callie and I sing

Jesus loves me

to him.

Jesus loves me

this I know

for the Bible

tells me so.

We hope to instill

him through many ways

and part of that

is through singing

that he is known

and loved by God.

Jesus loves you son

and do you know

how I know this?

He has told me so

in his word.

The Bible

is true.

Jesus loves you.

Because of the love

of Jesus

which was lost

in the garden

of Eden

it has been found

in Christ.

the barrier

between God

and man

introduced by the fall

was shattered

on the cross.

We are once again

enabled to worship

God without a priest

without a human mediator

without fear

of our own blood.

The kingdom focused church

should never be driven

by fear.

The perfect love

of the Father

casts out that fear.

We can have hope

even in the midst

of pain.

We can trust him

even when life

is falling apart

around us.

And we can have

this hope

because we know

the end.

Here's another

spoiler alert.

Christ is coming back

to claim us

as his bride

to fully reveal

his kingdom of joy

to you and me.

The blood of the Lamb

the perfect mediator

stands triumphant

for you.

In our opening hymn

John Newton wrote this

Savior

Savior

if of Zion's city

I through grace

a member am

let the world

deride or pity

I will glory

in thy name.

Fading is the worldling's

pleasure

all his boasted

pomp and show

solid joys

and lasting treasure

none but Zion's

children know.

Is there anything

more glorious

than knowing

the love

of God?

The kingdom

focused church

is a people

loved by God

and the kingdom

focused church

lives out of

the reality

of that grace.

The rest of

Psalm 87

is a divine

pronouncement

where God

incorporates the

foreign nation

into his holy

city.

We as the church

of God

are founded

in grace

and we are

called to live

lives in that grace

and reach out

with that grace

to the nations

and peoples

around us.

Look at verse 4.

Among those

who know me

I mention Rahab

and Babylon.

Behold

Philistia

and Tyre

with Cush.

This one

was born there

they say.

This list

of nations

in verse 4

is not your

A team.

These are not

even your misfits

or class clowns.

These were

the very enemies

of God.

They hated him

and hated his people.

Rahab

in this context

is another name

for the nation

of Egypt

south of Israel

who enslaved

the people of God

for hundreds of years.

Babylon

the great empire

to the east

were the ones

to destroy Judah

and carry the people

into exile.

Philistia

the close neighbor

to the west

was constantly

at war

with Israel.

Tyre

to the north

was always seeking

to lead the people

astray

into idol worship.

Cush

is the distant land

of Ethiopia

and represented

all the far-flung

pagan nations.

nations.

And all of these nations

north, south, east, and west

and every far-flung land

is here represented

as knowing

and being known

by the God of Israel.

Though they were born apart

God has brought them

into the kingdom

into his family.

In Psalm 86

immediately

preceding our psalm

we read this prophecy

in verse 9.

All the nations

you have made

shall come

and worship

before you

O Lord

and shall glorify

your name.

We see this

fulfilled in the New Testament

and in the book

of Revelation

we see the culmination

of this.

Even future

we see

the final

instance of this.

At the end

of all things present

and the beginning

of all things new

John saw

the new Jerusalem.

Zion

the city of the king.

the kings of the earth

you and I

and the people

from every tribe

tongue and people

will bring their glory

into that city

and the honor

of the nations

will be there

in the light of Christ.

Nothing unclean

will enter it

and in this

we see the mighty glory

of God

that he pursues

even his enemies

with love

and we too

along with these nations

were at one time

enemies of God.

We are these people

I doubt many of you

in here

are ethnically

the people of Israel.

Most all of us

are Gentiles

who have been grafted in

and given a place

and identity

in Zion.

Verse 5

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 vision of

Psalm 87

is achieved

in the church.

As Paul writes

in Galatians 3

in Christ Jesus

you are all

sons of God

through faith.

For as many of you

were baptized

into Christ

have put on Christ.

There is neither

Jew nor Greek.

There is neither

slave nor free.

There is no male

and female

for you are all

one in Christ Jesus.

And if you are

Christ's

then you are

Abraham's offspring

and heirs

according to the promise.

The most high

God has established

us in Christ.

in him

we are born again

from death

to life.

Verse 6

The Lord records

as he registers

the people

this one

was born there.

God

gathers us

individually

from our various

backgrounds

and circumstances

and gives us

citizenship

in his kingdom.

He takes our

brokenness

and forms us

into his church.

In Christ

there is new birth.

There is new

identity

and new

names.

We are forever

recorded in the

registry of God's

family.

Adoption has always

been a part of my

story.

I was adopted on

March 19th

1985

when I was

two months old

and on that day

my gotcha day

my parents left

their house

with an empty

car

and drove home

with a

fat

blue eyed

baby

who had no

idea

what was happening

to him.

From that moment

on

I was a

Bostrom

the son

of Gary

and Sarah

and several

years ago

I called my

mom because

I was curious

about my

original birth

certificate

which I'd

never seen.

She told me

that on the

day that my

adoption was

finalized

I was given

a new

birth certificate

a new

identity

my new

name on it.

The old

certificate was

destroyed

and forgotten.

I was

made new.

I was

Matthew

Joseph

Bostrom

their son

and my

earthly

adoption has

been for me

but a

small taste

of the

joy

and majesty

of being

a son

of God.

Christ has

given all

of us

a new

identity.

We are

his

and he has

even given

us a new

birth certificate.

Revelation

13.8 tells

us that there

is a book

the book

of life

of the

lamb

who was

slain.

All

those who

belong to

God have

their names

written in

that book

of life

and our

names have

been written

before the

foundation of

the world

by the will

of God.

And if

you have

trusted in

Christ then

your name

is in that

book right

now never

to be

erased.

The blood

of Christ

the lamb

who is

slain

guarantees

your place

as a

son or

daughter.

His blood

is the

ink that

seals your

status.

We have

been indelibly

grafted into

the family

of God

and share

in his

kingdom.

As we

realized this

we were

able to

proclaim

with the

singers and

dancers in

verse 7

all my

springs are

in you.

As we

know the

realities of

our adoption

by God

as we

know our

identity

all our

joy

all our

hope

comes from

Christ.

To the

Israelites

the people

living in

an errant

environment

springs and

fountains were

precious

the source

of life

and joy

and as

Christians we

know that

every good

and perfect

gift comes

from God

and all our

trust should be

placed in him.

The Messiah

has come

bringing his

kingdom of

joy for

us.

So we

have to

ask what

does this

mean for

us today?

How do we

live in

light of

this kingdom?

It is often

hard for us

to find our

joy in

God.

We are not

yet in that

perfected city

of Zion.

We are

often times

in a land

that is

hostile to

God.

We have

been reconciled

to God

but still

live in a

world of

pain,

misery,

and death.

We await

the new

heavens and

the new

earth where

we will be

fully restored

but we live

here and

now.

But we do

not wait

idly as we

live here.

We have the

promise that we

are the

temples,

that the

spirit of

God is

now even

at work

in our

hearts and

lives and

we are

tasked with

bringing in

the harvest.

We are

called to

live faithfully

as stewards

of what God

has given

to us and

one day when

the master

returns he

will reward

us for that

faithfulness and

multiply blessings

to us.

Think about all

those people who

are enemies of

God in verse

four.

How in the

world were they

brought into the

kingdom?

How were they

made righteous

before a holy

God?

They were

enemies.

I have to

think that even

in the midst of

Israel's slavery,

exile, and

failures again and

again, there were

faithful people

reaching the

lost.

Men, women,

and children who

shared the hope

of the God of

Israel with

any who

would listen

to them.

And just

because we

are in exile

and longing for

our glorious

home does not

mean that we do

not share our

hope with our

captors.

We are to go

forth and

proclaim to the

watching world,

to enemies of

God, the joy

and life of

God.

In Jeremiah

29, when the

people have been

conquered and

taken to

Babylon, when

Jerusalem was

destroyed and the

temple itself

torn down, when

all hope seemed

lost, the Lord

gave these words

to the people.

He says this,

Thus says the

Lord of hosts, the

God of Israel, to

all the exiles whom

I have sent into

exile from Jerusalem

to Babylon.

Build houses and

live in them, plant

gardens and eat

their produce, take

wives and have

sons and daughters,

take wives for

your sons and give

your daughters in

marriage, that they

may bear sons and

daughters.

Multiply there

and do not

decrease, but seek

the welfare of

the city where

I have sent

you into exile.

Pray to the

Lord on its

behalf, for in

its welfare you

will find your

welfare.

Our calling is to

be a light to

those around us,

for God has

promised that he

has a people from

every tribe, tongue

and nation.

We can be bold.

In Acts 15, Paul

is afraid to preach

to the Corinthians

who opposed him,

but the Lord said

to him at night,

Do not be afraid,

but go on speaking

and do not be

silent, for I am

with you, and no

one will attack you

to harm you, for I

have many in this

city who are my

people.

God had called

Paul to this place

because he had

people there whose

names were in his

book, but had yet

not heard the voice

of Christ.

Do not be afraid,

but go on speaking.

Do not be silent.

Paul was called

into Corinth and we

are called to

Colorado Springs.

We are called

wherever we are

to be a witness

to the light of

God.

J. Gresham

Maycham says

something powerful

about faithful

kingdom living.

He writes this,

Instead of

obliterating the

distinction between

the kingdom and

the world, or on

the other hand

withdrawing from

the world into

some sort of

modernized intellectual

monasticism, let

us go joyfully,

enthusiastically to

make the world

the subject of

God.

To the Christian,

he cannot be

indifferent,

to any branch

of earnest

human endeavor.

It must all be

brought into some

relation into the

gospel.

The kingdom must

be advanced, not

merely extensively,

but also

intensively.

The church must

seek to conquer

not merely every

man for Christ,

but also the

whole of man.

The gospel is a

worldview-shaping

reality.

The kingdom of

Christ infiltrates

every area of our

lives and impacts

everything we do.

We are called to be

faithful in the

small things that we

have before us as

well as the large.

We are called to be

a people focused on

the grace that is

ours, seeking to

expand the kingdom of

God wherever he has

placed us.

We have been given a

great commission to go

boldly into this world

knowing that the

kingdom of God is at

hand.

God loves you.

He loves us.

He has and will

continue to be

gracious to us.

He has given us a

name and a family and

he is coming in power

bringing his peace.

We are about to sing

the hymn, I love thy

kingdom, Lord.

And listen to the

words of this first

verse.

I love thy kingdom,

Lord, the house of

thine abode, the church

our blessed redeemer

saved with his own

precious blood.

And I pray that those

words would be true of

your heart, that you

would love the bride of

Christ who is bought

with his blood, that

this church would seek

to expand the kingdom

of God, that you

would long to see your

king in his splendor.

May your joy, your hope

and your delight ever

be that the kingdom of

God is come, that it

has become the kingdom

of this world, has

become the kingdom of

our God and of his

Christ and he shall reign

forever and ever as the

king of kings and the

Lord of lords.

Forever and ever.

Hallelujah.

Let us pray.

Father, we thank you

that in you glorious

things are spoken of us.

In you there is

graciousness to us, that

you have condescended to

us.

Lord, we were your

enemies, we were far

off, we were these

foreign nations that you

have brought.

Lord, I pray that this

joy, this reality, this

identity would permeate

our lives, that we would

be faithful.

Lord, that the light that

you have given to us in

Christ would shine from

us, that it would exude

from our pores and touch

everything that we come

in contact with.

Lord, I pray that you

would make us into

kingdom individuals, but

not leave us alone as

individuals.

I pray that we would

unite in this, your

church, that we would be

missional as we see the

world around us lost and

broken.

We have hope and

truth and life in you.

Lord, I thank you.

In your name we pray.

Amen.