The City of God

will you pray with me

Lord we ask you this morning

that by your grace

Lord you would help us

to hear

and obey your word

Lord may the words of my mouth

and the meditations of my heart

be acceptable in your sight

oh Lord

our rock and our redeemer

Lord would you make us all

have soft hearts

and ears that are alert

Lord help us to be

those who listen

and are changed by your word

oh Jesus be with us this morning we pray

in Jesus name

Amen

are we good Stephanie

okay

I can do this if you'd rather

yeah

let's do that

all right

is this better

all right good

so

question I want to ask you this morning is

what do you celebrate

and what does it look like

it was with great joy

that I watched the U.S.

women's national soccer team

celebrate their world cup championship

though not all of it was

perhaps the most God glorifying

there was wonderful celebration

of

their hard work and dedication

and their victory

in New York City

with a ticker tape parade

and

great celebration

crowds

and throngs of people

came

to celebrate

in this past month

we celebrated

the 4th of July

the founding of our country

and

the joy

of

living in a country

that does have

all of the blessings

that we have

in this country

it's also

July is a big

celebration month

in my family

there are celebrations

of birthdays

my daughter

turned 9

this

past month

as well as

other family members

and I know

there have been a few

weddings around here as well

and those are fun

celebrations

just to think about

all the different kinds

of celebrations

we have

big or small

there are things

that are common

to them all

people gather

and there is joy

often

with singing

and dancing

and good food

we celebrate

together

and declare

that something

is praiseworthy

something is

good

and worthy

of lifting up

and corporately

recognizing

and that's what

a celebration

is

now there are

some of us

who may struggle

to celebrate

some of us

for whom

today

or maybe

more broadly

that the pain

of our lives

are so great

that even

the best things

have dark hues

that hang

on our heart

sometimes

we struggle

to celebrate

because we don't

even see

the goodness

of the things

that are worthy

of celebrating

maybe in our

cynicism

we assume

that there must

be something

wrong with it

and therefore

are robbed

of the ability

to celebrate it

and sometimes

honestly

we're just

plain too

self-centered

to celebrate

anything else

that isn't

about ourselves

what do you

celebrate

this morning

we're going to

look at a passage

in scripture

where we see

the people of God

celebrating

a final act

of God

rebuilding

his people

if you've been

coming here

for a while

you know

we're preaching

through the book

of Nehemiah

and if you want

to turn there

you can turn

with me

to here

I'll look it up

for us

we're going to

turn to page

where is it

page 378

Nehemiah

we're going to

be looking at

chapters 11

and 12

and as you're

looking there

let me remind

you of where

Ezra and Nehemiah

fit in the bigger

story of the Bible

and where we are

in these books

in the story

of the Old Testament

we see that

after establishing

God's people

in his kingdom

they forsook

God

and worshipped

other gods

in their sin

and after

patiently

pursuing them

and warning them

finally God

brought them

in judgment

and took

the people of God

away in exile

the king

was dethroned

the city

of Jerusalem

the capital

was destroyed

the temple

where God's presence

was among his people

and where they worshipped

God

was raised

and the people

of God

were scattered

the books

of Ezra

and Nehemiah

are the story

of God

rebuilding

his people

after that

God

gathering

his people

from the nations

and bringing

them back

to the promised

land of Judah

God

rebuilding

the altar

and the temple

where they worshipped

God

God

rebuilding

the walls

of the city

God

restoring

his people

to holiness

and his submission

to the word

of God

as he taught

them and instructed

them again

as how to live

as God's people

and as we've come

through the book

of Ezra

and through the book

of Nehemiah

we're almost

at the end

we have seen

in Nehemiah

Nehemiah 6:16

chapter 6

verse 16

that the wall

was finished

so the city

finally had

a wall again

which was common

in those days

that you needed

a wall

around the city

to protect it

it created

safety

and security

and it was

an important part

of what it meant

to be a city

so they built

the wall

and then in

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 7:4

chapter 7

verse 4

we read this

the city

was wide

and large

but the people

within it

were few

and no houses

had been rebuilt

and so though

God had brought

his people back

and God had done

all this rebuilding

there was yet

a little more work

to be done

as God finishes

his work of rebuilding

we're going to look

at how God did that

we're going to look

at the celebration

of God doing that

we're going to look

at how he did that

in Nehemiah's day

we're going to look

at what it is

that they celebrated

in God's larger work

in the world

and then we're going

to look at what

that means

for us

today

so we start

in Nehemiah

Nehemiah 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11

now here's a

here's a heads up

Nehemiah chapter 11

Nehemiah 11:3

verse 3

all the way through

to Nehemiah

Nehemiah 12:26

chapter 12

verse 26

is a list of names

I'm not going

to read them

I will describe

to you what there is

but I'm not going

to read it

so I'm going to read

verses 1 and 2

of chapter 11

and then I'm going

to skip ahead

and read

in chapter 12

verse 27

and following

when we get

to that section

so that's what

we're going to do

as we look at

what God was doing

in Nehemiah's day

so look with me

at Nehemiah 11

Nehemiah 11:1

verses 1 and 2

now the leaders

of the people

lived in Jerusalem

and the rest

of the people

cast lots

to bring 1 out of 10

to live in Jerusalem

the holy city

while 9 out of 10

remained in the other towns

and the people

blessed all the men

who were willing

who willingly offered

to live in Jerusalem

so the final movement

of God rebuilding

his people

is actually

populating the city

now the walls

are up

the gates

are in place

but the city

has been empty

that's what we saw

in chapter 7

verse 4

there wasn't enough

people there

and so God

moved the people

the leaders

had already committed

and moved

to be there

they had already

moved into the city

to commit

to being there

but there was a need

for more people

and so there was

a lottery

and 1 out of 10

people

were called

to move

from the surrounding

area

to move

into the city

and you notice

as you look ahead

in verses 3

through 24

that the people

who came in

were from all

the active

peoples of God

who are still there

all the tribes

the tribes of Benjamin

and the tribes of Judah

and the priests

and the Levites

all the people

who were actively

engaged in this

rebuilding project

1 out of 10

of them

moved into the city

and you have to

recognize

that this was

a big deal

this was a costly

move for them

because living

in a city

in those days

was actually

dangerous

it's like

you were putting

a target

on your back

for marauding armies

if you were

an invading army

you're not going

to march

through the countryside

and attack

random farmhouses

here and there

you're going

to go to the city

and you're going

to raise it

that's how you

conquer another country

and so to move

to the city

was to put yourself

in greater danger

not only was it

costly for that reason

but it was also costly

because you were

leaving farmland

that either had to be

tilled by someone

else on your behalf

or you were leaving it

and having to find

another means

of providing for yourself

while you lived

in the city

and so we see

that in verse 6

and verse 8

and verse 14

those who moved

to the city

were called valiant

or those with valor

they had courage

to take this step

and to move

into Jerusalem

one commentator

said that these

people who moved

were those

who were willing

to put God's program

over their

individual desires

and security

and so what we see

in the rest of this chapter

is in verses 3

through 24

we see an account

of the people

who moved to Jerusalem

and who lived

in the cities

and then we see

in chapter 11

verses 25

through 36

we hear

an accounting

of the people

who lived

around Jerusalem

in the surrounding

areas

in what had been

the land of Judah

and Benjamin

in the past

and then in the beginning

of verse 12

you have an account

of the priests

and the Levites

again those who served

in the temple

many of them lived

in the city

but many of them

did not

there was a rotation

for the Levites

where they would come

to the city

for two weeks

to serve in the temple

but most of the time

they would be out

living in the villages

and living somewhere else

the Levites

would come together

would come in

to do the service

that they were supposed

to do in the temple

in the worship

to serve the rebuilt nation

and part of what

I want you to see

in this long section

that's mostly feeling

like it's administration

is that

as God was rebuilding

his people

it was not a superficial thing

that he was doing

in their lives

but that it was asking them

to orient their lives

around worshiping him

and being a part

of what he was doing

such that

some people

had to actually

uproot their lives

and move somewhere else

not because of their own

personal desires

but for the sake

of the kingdom

and for the sake

of the rebuilding

of God's people

this leads us then

to chapter 12

verse 27

and following

which I'm going to read

and if you want to read

along with me

that would be great

Nehemiah chapter 12

Nehemiah 12:27

verse 27

and at the dedication

of the wall

of Jerusalem

they sought the Levites

in all their places

to bring them

to Jerusalem

to celebrate

the dedication

with gladness

with thanksgivings

and with singing

with cymbals

harps

and lyres

and the sons

of the singers

gathered together

from the districts

surrounding Jerusalem

and from the villages

of the Nido-Faithites

and from Beth Gilgal

and from the region

of Geba

and from Asmaveth

from the singers

for the singers

had built

for themselves

villages

around Jerusalem

and the priests

and the Levites

purified themselves

and they purified

the people

and the gates

and the wall

then I brought

the leaders of Judah

up onto the wall

and appointed

two great choirs

that gave thanks

one went to the south

on the wall

to the dung gate

after them

went Hoshiah

and half of the leaders

of Judah

and Azariah

Ezra

Meshallam

Judah

Benjamin

Shemiah

and Jeremiah

and certain of the priest's

sons

with trumpets

Zechariah

the son of Jonathan

son of Shemiah

son of Mataniah

son of Micaiah

son of Zechur

son of Asaph

and his relatives

Shemiah

Ezra

Melali

Gilali

Ma'ai

Nathanael

Judah

and Hanani

and with the musical

instruments of David

the man of God

and Ezra the scribe

went with them

at the fountain gate

they went up

straight before them

by the stairs

of the city of David

at the ascent

of the wall

above the house

of David

to the water gate

on the east

and the other choir

of those who gave thanks

went to the north

and I followed them

with half the people

on the wall

above the tower

of the ovens

to the broad wall

and above the gate

of Ephraim

and by the gate

of Yashana

by the fish gate

and the tower

of Hananel

and the tower

of the hundred

to the sheep gate

and they came

to a halt

at the gate

of the guard

so both choirs

of those who gave thanks

stood in the house

of God

and I

and half of the officials

with me

and the priests

Eliakim

Maaseah

Miniamen

Micaiah

Eliohani

Zechariah

and Hananiah

with trumpets

and Maaseah

Shemaiah

Eleazar

Uzi

Jehohanan

Malkijah

Elam

and Ezer

and the singers

sang with

Jezrehiah

Jezrehiah

as their leader

and they offered

great sacrifices

that day

and rejoiced

for God

had made them

rejoice

with great joy

the women

and children

also rejoiced

and the joy

of Jerusalem

was heard

far away

so we didn't

escape the lists

did we

whoo

not only

did the people

orient their lives

around the rebuilding

to the point

where they would move

but then they gathered

they gathered

to have

a celebration

of joy

and you see

that

remember

the Levites

and priests

lived out town

so Nehemiah

called the Levites

and the priests

to come in

from the surrounding cities

called the singers

to come in

to be a part

of this grand celebration

he called the people

to gather together

because the wall

was finished

and he purified

the people

and the priests

and the Levites

and even the space

even the place

the walls

and the gates

they purified themselves

to set themselves apart

to worship God

and to give him thanks

and he divided

the two people

in the choirs

and it would be like

if you

we gathered here

and we split you up

into the left

and the right

and half of you

walked down

State Street

and then walked

down Chapel Street

all the way

across town

to say

Howe Street

and then you walked

up to Elm Street

and walked back

and the other half

would take Grove Street

and walk down

and would go down

to Elm Street

and would walk back

and they met

in the middle

at the house of God

in the plaza

outside the temple

and they sang songs

and they didn't just

sing songs

but they brought instruments

and they had a great celebration

and did you notice

verse 43

if you made it

through all those names

did you notice

verse 43

they offered great sacrifices

that day

and rejoiced

for God

had made them rejoice

with great joy

and the women

and the children

also rejoiced

this is like

the second time

in the whole two books

that the women

and children

are mentioned

and the writer

makes sure

to make sure

the whole people

gathered

to rejoice

in what God

had done

and this joy

was so great

that the joy

of Jerusalem

was heard

far away

what did they sing

when they gathered

well we don't know

for sure

but it's possible

that they sang

Psalm 48

as a part of it

and I just want to read

a part of this psalm

the whole psalm

is a rejoicing

about Zion

Jerusalem

but I'm just going to read

verses 9

through 14

this might have been

part of what they sang

as they gathered

we have thought

of your steadfast love

oh God

in the midst

of your temple

as your name

oh God

so your praise

reaches to the ends

of the earth

your right hand

is filled

with righteousness

let Mount Zion

be glad

let the daughters

of Judah

rejoice

because of your

judgments

walk around

Zion

go around her

number her towers

consider well

her ramparts

go through

her citadels

that you may tell

the next generation

that this

is God

our God

forever

and ever

he will guide us

forever

this was

perhaps

one of the songs

that they sang

rejoicing

in what God

had done

rejoicing

in his faithfulness

to rebuild

his people

and to rebuild

this city

and the joy

resounded

I was trying to think

when in our

modern world

has joy

resounded

like this

throughout the world

the best example

I could think of

is if you were alive

in 1989

if you were

aware

of what was going on

as

with the fall

of communism

and particularly

in the city of Berlin

as the Berlin Wall

fell

there was a celebration

and a joy

in the freedom

and the breaking down

of what had been

a horrible

breaking

of the community

there

that there was

a restoration

of the nation

and of the city

that rang out

not just there

but reverberated

throughout the world

there are probably

others

but in Jerusalem

they were rejoicing

not just the rebuilding

of a nation

not just the rebuilding

of a city

but they were rejoicing

in the rebuilding

of a people

and the restoration

of God's purposes

centered here

in this time

in God's redemptive history

in the city

of Jerusalem

and they rejoiced

with great joy

and what I want

to do next

in the next few minutes

is to spend

a little bit of time

answering the question

why

why was rebuilding

Jerusalem

such a big deal

for the people

of God

I'm going to look

at the Bible

to talk a little bit

about the significance

of Jerusalem

we're going to go back

in its history

leading up to this point

in Nehemiah

and then we're going

to look ahead

and see what God

has to say

about the theology

of Jerusalem

and its significance

in God's plan

as we do so

we're going to be

flipping through the Bible

I don't necessarily

expect you to keep up

because we're going

to be looking

at a lot of verses

but if you just want

to write down

the references

I'll try to repeat them

so you can write them down

and look them up later

if you want to

so the first place

that we see

Jerusalem becoming

really significant

apart from back

in Genesis

where Abraham

meets a guy

who's the king

of Salem

which is Jerusalem

Melchizedek

but that's a whole

other story

so that you kind

of have a

there's something there

but the first time

you really see

the city begin

to take a big place

is in 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 5:6–10

chapter 5

verses 6 through 10

where David

the newly risen

the newly appointed

king

of the people

of Israel

after the failure

of Saul's kingship

as David

is ascending

to his throne

as he is

consolidating

the people

and as he is

establishing

the kingdom

of Israel

in a profound way

in verses 6 through 10

he conquers

the city

of Jerusalem

which the Jebusites

said he could never do

and he said

the city was

they said the city

was so strong

that the lame

and the blind

could protect them

and David

would have no chance

well

God was with David

and in fact

they did

conquer Jerusalem

that day

and they settled it

as a capital city

and David

made Jerusalem

the seat

where the king

sat

and ruled

over God's people

and then you see

further on

in the story

in 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7

you see that

not only was it

the seat of the king

was established

but then in Jerusalem

as Solomon

David's son

built the temple

there

they had been

using a tabernacle

portable worship

service

type of thing

and God said

no

now Solomon

was going to

build the temple

where there would be

a permanent place

where God would dwell

with his people

and so we read

in 2 Chronicles 7

3

when all the people

of Israel

saw the fire

come down

and the glory

of the Lord

on the temple

they bowed down

with their faces

to the ground

on the pavement

and worshipped

and gave thanks

to the Lord

saying for he is good

and his steadfast love

endures forever

for in that temple

God manifested

his glory

on the earth

he said

I will come

and dwell

in the midst

of my people

in a unique way

by manifesting

his glory

in the temple

and so not only

was Jerusalem

the place

where the king

reigned

but it was also

the place

where God

lived among

and with his people

and yet as we

recounted earlier

that kingdom

did not last

that kingdom

failed

the people

failed

and ultimately

God

raised

allowed the city

to be destroyed

in judgment

and so Ezra and Nehemiah

were seeing God

rebuilding that

and restoring that

and all the hopes

of the people of Israel

were in this restoration

and we read a little bit

in the prophet Isaiah

it's fascinating

reading the book of Isaiah

through the lens

of what is God

doing in Jerusalem

that's an assignment

for extra credit

if you want to read

Isaiah

through the lens

of Jerusalem

it's a fascinating read

but what you see

at the end of Isaiah

is that he began

to talk of Jerusalem

not just as

the physical city

but he began

to cast a vision

for what it might be

in the future

and so in Isaiah 62

10 through 12

Jerusalem is not just

the place

where God's people

gather

but it's a place

where God's people

not just the nation

of Israel

but from all nations

gather

not bounded

but expanding

to include peoples

from all the world

and so Isaiah 62

Isaiah 62:10–12

verses 10 through 12

say this

go through

go through the gates

prepare the way

for the people

build up

build up the highway

clear it of the stones

lift up a signal

over the peoples

behold

the Lord has proclaimed

to the ends

of the earth

say to the daughters

of Zion

behold

your salvation comes

behold

his reward

is with him

and his recompense

before him

and they shall be

called the holy people

the redeemed

of the Lord

and you shall be

called

sought out

a city

not forsaken

now if you're

wondering where

Jerusalem was

in that sentence

or in those verses

recognize that

Zion

is a synonym

for Jerusalem

in the Old Testament

when the Old Testament

talks about Zion

they're talking

about Jerusalem

this place

this city

on a hill

that God

has established

to be the center

of his work

in the Old Testament

and Isaiah

then

a few chapters

later

in Isaiah 65

continues to expand

his vision

for what Jerusalem

is

as he speaks

the words

of the Lord

to his people

for behold

I create

new heavens

and a new earth

and the former things

shall not be remembered

or come to mind

but be glad

and rejoice

forever

in that which I create

for behold

I create

Jerusalem

to be a joy

and her people

to be a gladness

I will rejoice

in Jerusalem

and be glad

in my people

no more

shall be heard

in it

the sound of weeping

and the cry

of distress

and this was

the message

of hope

that Isaiah

was bringing

during the end

of the kingdom

right on the brink

of the exile

he was saying

God will not

abandon his people

but there is a Jerusalem

yet to come

that is going to be

even greater

than this one

that you are seeing

being destroyed

Isaiah began

to see that

Jerusalem

wasn't just

a town

and a geopolitical

entity

but it was

also an idea

it was a symbol

it was a picture

of what God

was doing

in building

his kingdom

and so then

we read

in the history

Ezra and Nehemiah

and the rebuilding

of this physical

place

and this

reestablishment

of this physical

kingdom

and reestablishing

of the worship

in a physical

temple

and yet

and yet

it seems

that the New Testament

or the Old Testament

has pointed us

to something

greater

and that's

exactly what

we see

in the New Testament

without it being

a major theme

all of Jesus

significant redemptive

work

his birth

his death

his resurrection

all happen

in Jerusalem

it is there

that God

does his work

of redeeming

people from sin

through the death

of his very son

and what we see

flowing out of that

in the hope

of the gospel

in the people

of God

that is created

by faith

in Jesus

as God

is gathering

a people

as God

is expanding

his people

is that they

recognize

that their

citizenship

is no longer

in a nation

here or there

but their primary

and ultimate

citizenship

is to be a part

of the people

of God

their citizenship

is in heaven

and as we read

earlier in Hebrews

11

their hope

was to be a part

of a heavenly kingdom

that God

would establish

and so

Hebrews

picks up this

theme

richly

Hebrews 11

16

as we read

earlier

but as it is

they desire

a better country

that is a heavenly

one

therefore God

is not ashamed

to be called

their God

for he has

prepared for them

a city

and we see

then in

Hebrews 12

as Jeff

read some

earlier

18 through

24

that the

kingdom

of God

established

in Christ

the new

people of

God

that we

are joined

to by faith

have come

to a new

Jerusalem

a new

city

a new

citizenship

a new

place

where we

live

he casts

a vision

for a

Jerusalem

that is a

heavenly

and a future

creation

where we

will enter

into the

fullness

of joy

and enjoy

the fullness

of the fruit

of Christ's

death

and resurrection

for us

finally

we turn

to the very

end

of the

Bible

Revelation

21

gives us

a vision

as the

apostle John

received it

a vision

of the

God's

future

work

that will

echo

and establish

what Isaiah

had foretold

so in

Revelation

Revelation 21:1–3

21

verses 1

through 3

we see

this

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

apostle

John

goes on

and describes

the city

he describes

its perfect

proportions

he describes

it as

a city

adorned

with a

beauty

that is

greater

than the

most

precious

of metals

and gemstones

that its

glory

is an

unimaginable

beauty

and then

he writes

this

at the

end

starting

in verse

22

chapter

21

and I

saw

no

temple

in the

city

for the

temple

is the

Lord

God

the

Almighty

and the

Lamb

and the

city

had no

need

of sun

or moon

to shine

on it

for the

glory

of God

gives it

light

and its

lamp

is the

Lamb

by its

light

will the

nations

walk

and the

kings

of the

earth

will bring

their glory

into it

and its

gates

will never

be shut

by day

and there

will be

no night

there

and they

will bring

into it

the glory

and honor

of the

nations

you see

friends

the city

of Jerusalem

in the

Old Testament

where the

king sat

and reigned

where the

presence of

God was

manifested

among the

people of

God

where the

nations were

called

to come

and to

know

this

God

and to

worship

him

all of

those

themes

then

accomplished

through the

life and

death and

resurrection

of Jesus

Christ

will find

their

fulfillment

in a

heavenly

Jerusalem

where God

will reign

where God

will live

with his

people

and his

people will

live with

him

and there

will be no

more temple

because God

himself

will be the

temple

but the

nations will

come and

they will

give him

glory

and they

will worship

him

the future

of God's

redemptive

people is

not a

return to

the garden

of paradise

but it is

a future

in a city

with God

that will be

more beautiful

and more

glorious

than we can

even imagine

so Jerusalem

is a place

where God's

redemptive

purposes are

worked out

where his

people are

gathered

to celebrate

and worship

him

and this

is why

the people

in the

time of

Ezra

and Nehemiah

celebrated

the building

of the

wall

because this

was the

step

in redemptive

history

that they

were at

to rebuild

this place

and yet

as we sit

here now

we see

that God

was doing

so much

more

than just

rebuilding

that place

so what

about us

how do we

apply this

for us

today

a couple

of quick

thoughts

first of all

the Jerusalem

that we are

looking for

in this age

is not the

Jerusalem

of this

world

though we

may honor

the Jerusalem

that sits

in Israel

and Palestine

today

we may

remember

that it

was the

location

where God

worked

faithfully

in years

past

it is not

that city

that we

have put

our hope

in

for God's

kingdom

is no

longer

a political

one

a social

one

a physical

one

but God's

kingdom

is a

transnational

community

spread

throughout

the world

of people

from every

tribe

and tongue

and nation

who are

gathered

solely by

their faith

in Jesus

Christ

as their

savior

and king

God's

people

in the

new

testament

is not

a nation

state

to be

rebuilt

but it

is a

people

of God

that is

built

through

the

proclamation

the

preaching

of the

good

news

of Jesus

throughout

the

world

this

leads us

to the

second

application

if we're

not looking

for

that