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At Sandals Church, our vision is to be real with ourselves, God and others. This channel features sermons and teaching from Pastor Matt Brown and other members of the Sandals Church preaching team. You can find sermon notes, videos and more content at http://sandalschurch.com/watch
Psalm 87. On the holy mountain stands the city founded by the Lord. He loves the city of Jerusalem more than any other city in Israel. Oh, city of God, what glorious things are said of you. Verse four, I will count Egypt and Babylon, Babylon among those who know me, also Philistai and Tyre and even distant Ethiopia.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:They all have become citizens of Jerusalem. Regarding Jerusalem, it will be said everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there, and the most high will personally bless the city. When the Lord registers the nations, he will say they all they have all become citizens of Jerusalem. The people will play flutes and sing. The source of my life springs from Jerusalem.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:This is a song of Korah that was to be sung, and I wanna draw our attention, to verses, four and verses six, where we have this repeated phrase, they have all become citizens of Jerusalem. So here's this glorious place, this idea of Jerusalem becoming, not just the place where people live, but where God lives, where God dwells. And what's key here is that the psalmist has a vision of the future in his prayer, where all nations, who you might have guessed it, currently are enemies, will one day be citizens together in unity. And they will all enjoy the life that is found in this place. Verse seven, the source of my life springs from Jerusalem.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:So not only do you have a situation in this prayer where they're thinking about those who are enemies will now become friends and citizens together of the city of God. This place will also become the source, the wellspring of life. We're told as well in verse five, the most high will personally bless the city. So there's this intimate connection between God, Yahweh, and the people of all the nations who have come together. This is a prayer envisioning the future where God has made all things right and where enemies have now become friends in Jesus.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:And what a reminder for us as we enter into our day, as we enter into our relationships, it's normal for us to walk through division, hatred, animosity, hostility, and to wonder how and when will things be made right. Maybe even in this moment of prayer, you're wrestling in your soul because there's conflict you have with people. And so it is important for you deep down to to catch a vision in prayer of how God will unite the world in Christ Jesus. People who were once enemies will become friends. And if it was possible for you, according to Romans five, who were once an enemy of God to now become his friend, to become his child, how much more so is that possible for others around us?
Pastor Fredo Ramos:Right? If you are a Christian, anyone could be a Christian because of the beautiful grace of God. And so in light of how we're feeling around the conflict around the world, around your family, around your workplace, in prayer, Jesus, we hear you now inviting us to respond with the hope that in you, all these nations will become citizens of God's great city. And we look forward to that day. And we ask now that through the power of your Holy Spirit, you would make us agents of reconciliation, as the Apostle Paul said.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:That we would not just have optimism that one day everything will work out, but that we would have a certain hope that Jesus Christ will reconcile all people to himself. So that today, in the midst of our own conflict in our lives, in the midst of conflict we see around the world, we can still walk through it with a sense of reality, but we don't have to be without hope. In fact, we can be agents of reconciliation. So would you make us that, pray. In Jesus name, amen.