Take your Bibles back in hand. Now we’ll turn for a New Testament reading. This morning, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13. Once more, give your full attention. This is the Word of God.

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And are you arrogant? Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent from the body, I am present in the spirit, and if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus, and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people, not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world or the greedy or swindlers or idolaters. Since then, you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler, not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Amen. You may be seated.

We’re leading up in Mark to the beginning of the end in Mark 14. And so we will resume that next week. But this morning, because we’re in a new place, and I wanted to draw our attention to just what it is that we’re doing in church, the heart’s posture towards corporate worship on the Lord’s day with the Lord’s people before him. So if you take your Bibles and turn to Psalm 122, Psalm 122, I’m reading that Psalm, this Psalm of Ascent. Psalm 122, but before we hear the word, the sermon text read and preached, let’s ask the Lord’s blessing upon those very things.

Pray with me. Our dear Lord, heavenly Father, we come now before you. Once again, we’re eager to hear your word. We come indeed to sit at your feet, to be still and to listen, and we pray, dear Lord, help us to settle our souls and focus our minds and our hearts upon what is before us. Lord, help us to receive from you that which is most important, your word, because it is there where you give us yourself and your grace and your blessing and indeed your kingdom. It’s for all these that we yearn and long. And so we pray that you would be with us. Open our eyes and our hearts that we may, we might accept by faith all that we hear and that it may change our lives and our hearts and our wills that we would be transformed evermore and more into the image of our savior, Jesus Christ. Lord, we commit this time to you, we pray. Be with us, encourage us, challenge us, strengthen us, and remind us. Have your will with us, we pray. And we pray this for your glory and for our good and in Jesus’ name. And all God’s people together said, amen. Amen.

Psalm 122, please give your attention now. This is the word of the Lord. A song of ascents of David. I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem built as a city that is bound firmly together to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. Their thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they be secure who love you. Peace be within your walls and security within your towers. For my brothers and companions’ sake, I will say, peace be with you. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good. So for the reading of God’s word, the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our Lord indeed endures forever.

The Purpose of Corporate Worship

Well, as I said, here we are today in this new space, and I wanted to refresh and remind us once again of the longing hearts of God’s people to be together in His place, to worship together, to receive and to remember and to partake of the ministry of the Word and sacrament together as His people. Psalm 122 is, as I mentioned, as we heard, a psalm of ascents. And that is, these particular group of Psalms were kind of a songbook collected together from the book of Psalms, and they were used for the people of God to sing as they made their ascent, song of ascents, to Jerusalem. Three times a year, they would go. Three times a year, all the males were required by the Mosaic law to attend certain feasts in Jerusalem. The wives and daughters were allowed to go, but it was the fathers and the sons who were required to make this journey from their homes up to Jerusalem for these feasts. Jerusalem, of course, we know is the place where the tabernacle was, and then later on where the temple was built. And there were these feasts three times a year, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. And again, all the males had to be at these feasts. And so in many different places across the land, there were the people of Israel. And they had different places of worship, like synagogues, for instance, where they would go on the Sabbath to hear the word and to sing together and to worship the Lord. But it was at the temple where the sacrifices were made. And the journey to the temple was a big deal.

In this little song book, the Songs of Ascents, would encourage all the people to rejoice on that journey as they went to the house of the Lord, to give praise to God, to give thanksgiving, to pray for the peace of God’s people in God’s house. And as we look at our Psalm this morning, Psalm 122, we see that it breaks down into three stanzas. Each of the three stanzas sings about the house and the city of God.

What Psalm 122 Teaches Us

And what does it tell us about the house and city of God? What does this psalm tell us? It tells us that there is praise in going to the house of God in verses 1 and 2. It tells us that there is profit in going to God’s house in verses 3 and 5. And then the remaining section, verses 6 to 9, it tells us that we are to pray for the peace of God’s house.

Praise in Going to the House of God

And so let’s begin by looking at this first stanza of our psalm here, which tells us there is praise in going to the house of God. Verse one, I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord, right? And so think of the rejoicing and the praise that would have come to them, right? It’s that time again. We’re going to journey to Jerusalem, to the house of the Lord, and you can imagine even in our own context, in our own day, of a tradition perhaps you and your family might have. Maybe you go on a yearly trip somewhere. Maybe you go to the mountains or you go camping or you go to the lake or something like that as a family recurring event, a tradition in your lives. And you children, or we remember back when we were children, you anticipate and you get more and more excited as it gets closer and closer. We know that it’s coming. We anticipate with joy and look forward to this. And as adults, we look forward to taking the time off of work and traveling together, being together as a family. Most of us grew up feeling this way about one thing or another, particularly most of us grew up feeling this way about the time of the incarnation, the advent, the birth of Christ, Christmas time. And we look forward in anticipation to the day coming and all of the buildup and the traditions that we have around that day. And despite the commercialism and the secular nature that it has become and what all media seems to tell us, Christmas is not all about family, right? It’s what we hear all the time. It’s about the birth of the Savior, Jesus. It’s about the light of the world entering into his creation to save a people. But we celebrate with our family, but it’s about Jesus, right? And with our hearts rightly oriented, we long for these kinds of things. And this is something of how the Israelites must have felt as they journeyed, as they gathered together, how their families must have felt as they moved towards those times of year when the journey was coming, when they would go to the house of the Lord. And often, especially if you lived far away, you would join with the rest of your extended family or others that are making the trip, and they would caravan to Jerusalem. The larger group was, of course, more safe than if you were to go alone. It could be a dangerous trip for many, lasting for several days. And as you went and as you got closer to Jerusalem, you would start singing these songs of ascent, right? Not only has the journey started, not only are you along the way, but you would sing these songs, songs of joy and anticipation and praising and joy and gladness. I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord, right?

The Joy of Approaching Jerusalem

And so can you imagine the praise of going on that trip and then finally getting a glimpse as you get closer of Jerusalem from the distance? Imagine seeing the temple brilliantly reflecting the light of the sun as you approach. It would have been amazing. In David’s time, the temple was not yet built, of course. It was the tabernacle. But David’s son Solomon, as we know, built that temple. And David’s decade and decade after decade, the Israelites would come and they would see that temple and rejoice and praise as they came close to it. And when you came into the city, there was an atmosphere of excitement. The feasts were being prepared for and about to take place. And there was great tradition this was for the people of God all around these feasts as mandated by the Mosaic law, these three feasts. And for the faithful believing Israelite, this was far beyond mere tradition or traditionalism, right? And we have to remember that. Just like the church today and everywhere, the people of God at that time were a mixed body. Not every Israelite had a circumcised heart, even though they participated and knew the Psalms, these Psalms of ascents, not everyone believed and trusted in the promises set forth therein. But there was always a remnant of true believers. And for the believer, going to the house of the Lord was much more than mere tradition. It was there that they would meet with God. It was there that they would participate, that they would see before them the sacrifices made for them.

Believers vs. Unbelievers in Worship

But for the unbelieving Israelite going to the house of the Lord, it was a time of gladness, but it was solely because it was a family tradition, right? But for the believer, it was glorious. It was far beyond that. It was joyful. And this is still true, right? The people of God, God’s people going to the house of the Lord even today. We’re feeling the anticipation and the joy of that time when we can come again to God’s house, Lord’s day by Lord’s day. Not merely because of a social element or that it’s fun or it’s an orienting or regulating thing for our lives. It is those things. And not just because it’s our tradition, but because it is here that we meet with our God. It is here that we are before our God as his covenant people corporately. In the old covenant, it was joyful because it was the place where God chose to meet with his people. Remember, upon the completion of the temple, the Lord put on display his presence. It was in that place by the filling of the temple with the glory cloud, remember, filled with the glory of the Lord. It was overwhelming to them. It was similar to what happened long before that in the tabernacle. That’s what the temple was. It was a dramatic picture of God’s very presence with his people. And it symbolized God’s dwelling place with his people on earth. And that was profoundly significant to the believing Israelite. It gave them a sense of security and comfort and assurance as they came. And this was the place, again, where the atoning sacrifices were made. It was here where the people were mediated for by the high priest behind that curtain. The people looked at those things, and they trusted the promise of God that he would one day send the Christ, the Messiah, and that he would make a full, final, and true atonement for sins. And of course, the believing Israelite would come, and they would experience this again and again, and they would know, they would learn to grow in their knowing that this wasn’t quite doing it. This wasn’t the final atonement. And they would long for and build an anticipation for that final, full, true atonement of sins. This was a time of joy and a time of praising.

Worship in the New Covenant

And going to the Lord’s house for us is a time of praising as well, right? Good for us to be oriented toward these things. For us as God’s people today, the house of the Lord is the church. And I’m sure we all know, we’ve all been instructed that the church isn’t technically a building. The building is where the church goes to worship, right? So the church is both those who belong to Christ and the place where God meets with his people through word and sacrament. That is the church, the house of the Lord. And every Lord’s day when we go to church, it is a time of praising, time of praising, and I pray that we all would feel some of the longing and the anticipation for the joy of once again being refreshed and reminded of who we are and who Christ is for us.

The Access Provided by Christ

And so let us remind us briefly about some of the things that the worship of God’s people today looks like. We’ll look at the book of Hebrews. If you’d like to turn, it might be helpful, to Hebrews chapter 10. And as you’re turning there, remember that the old covenant that praiseworthy occasion for every believer to go and have the high priest mediating behind the curtain as sacrifices were made back then, remember only males could go to the temple. Females could not go to the temple, but even the men could never enter into the holy place, right? They couldn’t go into the holy places. Only the high priest could go into the holy places. And only, I’m sorry, only priests, but only the high priest could go into the most holy place, right? So there’s this system built of separation and resistance, the common from the holy, and none had confidence to go into the holy place. Even the priests, we know, were risking their lives because of the presence of the Lord and his intense holiness before them. Even so, there was praising as they went. And so listen to Hebrews 10, 19. Yeah, Hebrews 10, 19 verses, Hebrews 10, verse 19 and 20. Listen to the access of the old and all that system compared to what we have in the new, then versus now. Hebrews 10, 19, therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter into the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain that is through his flesh, right? And so all that system has been done away with because of our mediator Christ, right? He goes right into the presence. When he came into the world, he opened for us a new and living way to come before the Father. It’s no longer necessary to journey to Jerusalem, to see a priest, to have atonement made by the blood of bulls and goats. The thing that all of that pointed to has come. It has come. Jesus made a way for all those who have faith in what he accomplished to enter in. Again, back to Hebrews 10, verse 21. And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. And all the more as you see the day drawing near. Right, so do you get it? Do you get what’s going on here in Hebrews? There is rejoicing and praising going to the house of the Lord. It’s not only a command, it is a privilege, it is a delight for our souls.

The Glory of New Covenant Worship

And listen to, as the author of the Hebrews further goes on, to the wonder and glory of what is going on in worship. It’s truly amazing. Hebrews 12, verse 18. For you have not come, notice the distinction between the old and the new, you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest, verse 22, but you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. And so you hear these amazing truths and they should indeed elicit awe and wonder and excitement about what’s going on. But do you see the contrast between the old and the new there from Hebrews? How remarkable a thing corporate worship is to the people of God. This is not something that should elicit a ho-hum kind of indifferent attitude. What happens when we meet for worship is almost beyond our ability to grasp, joy and praising in the house of the Lord. Brothers and sisters, how much more can we in the new covenant speak the words of Psalm 122 verse two, our feet have been standing within your gates, oh Jerusalem, right? What it all pointed to. We experienced the fullness, the fulfillment of that, right? A taste of that Lord’s day by Lord’s day as God’s gift and grant to us.

Fulfillment in Christ

So stanza one, the first stanza of this Psalm tells us that there is praise in going to the house of the Lord. And we, dear Christian, as God’s people today, we experience that praise so much more. Because it’s not just anticipation, there’s fulfillment, there is the satisfaction. But all that pointed to, the not yet final, there’s satisfaction. We experience it so much more. And you know, if you know anything about the book of Hebrews, of course, it was written to a group of people who were sad, right? They were sad that they had lost those things that pointed to Jesus and the new covenant, his powerful accomplishment and satisfaction. The things that are pointed to those things, they’re sad to have lost them. They wanted to return to the types and the shadows of the old covenant system. The writer to the Hebrews tells them and warns them, what we have is so much more. It’s so much more glorious and spectacular. And that’s true. In our lives, we don’t gaze at a picture of our spouse when he or she is in the room with us, right? That would be weird. When we’re apart for long periods of time, we long and we look and our hearts swell for a time when we can be with the object of that picture. When our spouse is with us, the picture is meaningless. It’s discarded. We have the real thing before us. And we can never allow ourselves or our families and our practice to forget what happens in worship, right? The types are gone. Christ is here. And we can never allow ourselves to see worship as merely routine, as an indifferent thing, as a take it or leave it. God is meeting in worship with his people together as his body. He’s doing something grand and glorious before us as we come to church for worship. So I encourage you, brothers and sisters, reflect upon this text in Hebrews often. When you feel fried by the world, when you feel beat down, when you feel unmotivated, unencouraged, and unmotivated, read what Hebrews says is going on for his glory and for our good, what is truly happening there in the spirit. It explains the fulfillment of what the people of God in the old covenant only had types and shadows of, but nevertheless of which they longed and they praised and they anticipated.

Profit in Going to the House of God

There’s praise in going to the house of the Lord. Stanza two tells us that there is also profit in going to the house of God. Going to God’s house is profit, there are rewards, there is a benefit, there’s profit going to the house of the Lord. Verse 3 of Psalm 122, Jerusalem built as a city that is bound firmly together. Right? This is speaking of safety, right? There’s safety there. There is safety. If you’re an Israelite coming to the city of God, it was your city. You knew that it belonged to you. There’s a sense of safety in coming to your true home city, Jerusalem. And for you, dear Christian, it is the same. When you gather together with the saints on the Lord’s day for worship, this is where you belong. This is your place. You are God’s people in God’s place in worship being served by the Lord. And so casual approaches towards worship, as common as they are, greatly diminish this reality. They diminish and degrade the doxology that is attendant upon the worship of God as his people corporately before him, the true and the living God. It is not a boring or casual experience. May we never view worship in that way. It’s not a take it or leave it thing. May we never model that attitude before our children. And as we do, may we truly confess to the Lord and pray for his mercy and faith to correct that view. May we pray, people, and truly be in awe of all the gravity and gladness that worship is worthy of, because it truly is. It is in this place, in corporate worship, that Jesus himself feeds our souls with his word and at his table, Lord’s day by Lord’s day, for his people. And in doing so, we press on in his strength, we press on and we grow in his image. And in those things, there is great comfort and there is safety and confidence and assurance. And we know, brothers and sisters, there is no safer place for those who have received Christ, for those who have come in repentance, than in the house of the Lord. Together we are gathered as citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem to receive from God the means that he has promised, that he will keep us and bring us indeed to that final new heaven and new earth. It’s a glorious safety that we have.

Unity in God’s House

We see in verse four, the next profit says, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. And you see the blessing there, the benefit of, or profit of unity, right? There’s unity in the house of the Lord. There were 12 tribes, but they made up together the people of Israel, the people of God. There were many differences, right? They had different customs and places where they lived and their lineage was different. But regardless of those differences, together they were what? The people of God. They were united as the people of God. They were united on the whole in the promised land of one covenant people with their Lord. And of course, we think about the contrast for us in the new covenant. We haven’t even far greater unity, right? For the new covenant, is greater and more inclusive covenant. The new covenant is not just united as a gathering of 12 tribes, but it’s made up of people from every tribe and tongue and nation, we are told. Indeed, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, everyone who calls on the name of Christ are brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of the King, bound together as his body, united to Jesus, united in the communion of the saints. And that is one of the wonders and wonderful things about the Christian faith, right? Of course, the outside hostile world lies and complains of the opposite. But the truth is that our faith is not isolated to one geographic region or nationality. It’s not merely a Western faith. It is an international faith which spans the globe. And through the gospel, all are united. All are invited. In fact, implored to come and to taste and see that the Lord is good to come and drink of the refreshing waters of salvation and to have life in Christ for all, for all who will come, for whomsoever will come. The world is so obsessed and bent on segmenting out everyone in every possible way. But listen to what the Spirit says in Galatians chapter three, verse 26. It says, for in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. You see, there are no distinctions in this regard. There’s unity. And as we come to God’s house, to the church, we come together in unity. Here is truly the place of unity. And we need that in a world that is so hostile and obsessed to be divided by race and political party and economic class and nationality and all the rest. We know that the gospel brothers and sisters, transcends all of those things. And to relegate the gospel to a particular country or party or any of it is to diminish the glory of the gospel. The gospel is far beyond and above the things of this pilgrim land. And it’s when we realize that and recognize that and begin living that truth that we are most effective in this realm as individuals. This world is devastated by sin and division, and all the warriors of justice and attempts to fix the culture will not succeed by the world’s terms because none of them solve the root of the problem, which is the problem of sin and the human heart. It’s only the gospel, brothers and sisters, that can change the heart, and it is in the church that we demonstrate to the world. For all of our differences, we are united as a people of God. Despite it all, we love one another, we care for and we serve one another. We come as one and partake of the same sacrament together. This is indeed one of the profits and benefits in God’s house is the unity of God’s people.

Thanksgiving and Responsibility

Notice in verse four of Psalm 122, we see the safety and the unity, but also there’s thanksgiving, he says, To which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. So these feasts included giving thanks to God by the people of God. And in the new covenant, God’s word is replete with thanksgiving as the natural response, the natural outflow of hearts made right before God. Consider the apostle Peter, 1 Peter 2, he says, as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Right, or back to Hebrews 13, we have this well-known verse, Hebrews 13, 15. Through him, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name, right? There is one of the profits of being in the house of God is giving thanks, thanksgiving to the God who gave us life, gave his life for us. And then the last profit we see here in the psalm in verse five is culpability or responsibility before the Lord in the house of God. Verse five, their thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. And this speaks, of course, of the place where the elders would dispense justice as was needed, as was the system that was developed in the old covenant, as we see. And for us, right, drawing from that, the Lord has appointed elders in the church to tend for, to care for our doctrine and our life, to protect and to shepherd the people. And so there is profit in going to the house of the Lord. And all of these ways.

Praying for the Peace of God’s House

And then finally, what does the last stanza tell us? Going to the house of God is what? It is there that we pray for the peace of God’s house, right? Listen again to the Psalm, verse six. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they be secure who love you. Peace be within your walls and security within your towers. For my brothers’ and companions’ sake, I will say, peace be within you. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good. And so you see there, right, in these verses, this threefold use of the word peace, peace, peace, peace. That’s, of course, the special word that most of us know a little Hebrew, this is the word, shalom, right? Shalom, shalom, shalom. As most of you know, this word, it’s rich and robust. It’s a word that means much more than just peace, for instance, between people or between nations. It’s a complete, full meaning. It means completion or soundness or being unmoved or unaffected, being whole, even being prosperous, in its fullest sense. Spiritually, mentally, physically, even economically. We see it in the Old Testament use, and this song of ascents would be sung by the pilgrims on the way to the Lord’s house to the city of the Lord, and they would pray for the peace of God’s people as they go. Peace. Shalom for God’s people and for God’s place.

The True Shalom in Christ

And we all know that the physical geographic area that is Jerusalem has not been a place of shalom very much at all historically. What is it, dear Christian, that they ultimately were praying for? What was it that they were praying for? Was it that that area of land would one day know the full peace and shalom? That it would know at last the time when all the strife and fighting and warring would be over? Is that what they prayed as they went? Is that what they prayed for? That’s not what they prayed for. No, the shalom for which they prayed, brothers and sisters, is the peace that is fulfilled alone in Christ Jesus. In fact, it’s only in Christ that there is peace, right? Again, the setup in the rhythm of their lives, believe them longing for something more that would truly satisfy their need. The Father has fulfilled all those prayers that we read about through the Son, through the Messiah, Jesus. It’s through Jesus that the Father has answered their prayers for peace. That was the whole point of Christ’s work, right? Remember back in John, the prologue to John, John 1, the word became flesh and dwelt among us, right? And you know, probably the word dwelt is the word tabernacled, tabernacled with us, God dwelling with his people. This Jesus went to the cross to purchase shalom, peace for us. And therefore we can be at peace with God. God’s posture towards his children is not as judged, but as father, we no longer fear that he is against us. Indeed, because of the work of Jesus, we come by a new and living way to the Lord’s house and to the Lord’s table, not as enemies of God, but as sons of God, as his people, as the family of God. It was Christ who had our sins laid upon him on the cross and who took God’s judgment upon himself for us, for you and for I. He took upon Himself our sins. He took our punishment and our judgment. And being raised from the dead, He’s just cured for certain, the fullest and the final ultimate shalom for us.

Living in Peace

And therefore we, brothers and sisters, we are free from demanding judgment and justice in the church because the demands of justice have been satisfied by our great high priest, Jesus Christ. And so we can live at peace with one another because of the peace that we have with the father through the son, we are free to live the ethic of our true homeland, truly heaven itself here, even now as pilgrims. May we do so and let us pray for the peace of the church and let us pray for the unity of the church. Pray that the Lord by his spirit would grant us and would guard us against sin and against Satan and against the world, against gossip and slander and all the splitting and pray that we would continue to be protected in the bond of peace that we have in the gospel, even as we long for that last day, the consummation of all things, because here in this land, we have no lasting city. Let us seek that city that is to come.

The City to Come

And what is that city that is to come? Listen to the apostle John. It’s a verse that I quote often because it’s wonderful. It’s glorious, it’s a wonderful truth and reminder of what is to come for God’s people. And those of you who suffer and struggle in this life with particular sufferings and struggles, it is all the more sweet as we hear these words of what is to come, truly to come as we believe it by faith because it is true. The Apostle John in Revelation 21 tells us. It tells us of that city that is to come. Revelation 21, starting at verse one. 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. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away. This, dear Christian, is your true homeland. This is what awaits you. This is where you are citizens of even now. It is the true house of the Lord. And this is the place of which we are now even now citizens.

A Call to Rejoice in Worship

And as we long week by week to return to the house of the Lord in this world for worship, let us be reminded of just what it is that we’re doing. And let us be refreshed and in awe and rejoicing of all that Jesus has done to secure shalom, peace for his people and the land that is ours, the heavenly Jerusalem to which we belong. May we extend that peace to one another and to our neighbors all for God’s glory and the proclamation of the gospel of life that they too may hear and as God grants them faith, they will long. They will long and anticipate to be with God’s people, indeed, with the foretaste of that land to which they will be forever before the face of God, singing his praises. As we go from this place, let us remember these things. Let us trust what the Lord says. May we be renewed in our joy, in the framing of what it is that worship is, Lord’s day by Lord’s day. May we never think it is just a this world, physical, temporal thing. It is so much more, brothers and sisters. Let us remember that to the praise of his glory and for our good forever. Amen.

Let’s pray. Gracious Father, we thank you for this, your word. We thank you that we are able to return together to your house, Lord’s day by Lord’s day, week by week, to hear your voice and your word. And we pray that you would strengthen those of us who feel weak and that you would lead and encourage those of us who feel overwhelmed by the circumstances of life. Father, we pray, reassure us in a powerful way in our hearts of Christ’s love and his care for us, his people. We pray that you would protect Providence outposts of glory here on earth and that you would lead this church and work things out for our good, that you would be glorified, that your name would be spread, that you would gather your people in. Lord, we pray bless us in our particular needs. Lord, you know everyone and help those of us who are suffering in particular ways and just feel undone by the world and the circumstances of our lives. Lord, help us to know that you are the God of the resurrection of the dead, and that you have met every need in Christ that we have. Help us to know, help us to know and believe, and it be true of us that Christ is the ultimate affection of our hearts, and that in Him, in Him, there is true peace and satisfaction and love and contentment. Lord, help that to drive us into this world as we go. Lord, we pray have your way with us and with the world for we trust in your mighty care and your sovereign working in all things that you do. We ask all these things in the name of our Savior Jesus, amen.