March 18, Reading 2 – Psalm 87, 88

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

Psalms like Psalm 87 have inspired several songs – e.g., Glorious things of you are spoken, Zion city of our God by John Newton. The register of the peoples is the Lamb’s Book of Life and declares the Great Commission. Heman the Ezrahite is someone deep in depression. His Psalm 88 shows where he found light – the God who saves me!

SJA Notes

* Faithful God, there is none like You – You alone are righteous and holy.

“The LORD records as he registers the peoples, ‘This one was born there.'”

To be born in Zion, City of our King – What a wonderful privilege that is!

Hebrews 12 tells us that God’s people are enrolled in heaven,

“But you have come to Mount Zion and 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, …”

Ephesians 1 tells us that God chose us from before the foundation of the world (before creation),

“… Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,”

But we have been born in this world, in cities and towns and other places, all here on earth. How can we be born into heavenly Jerusalem?

Jesus speaks of the new birth in John 3 with Nicodemus, who had trouble grasping what it means to be born a second time.

Jesus says,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

We are born a second time through God’s Spirit, into a new life, with eternal life as our hope and inheritance.

This is the good news of Jesus, the good news we have to tell. A far better story than the world has, a strong and steady hope that cannot be taken from us – Because it is not our strength of belief in our hope that matters, but the strength of the one in whom our hope is placed.

And our hope is in Jesus, our God and King who conquered death at Calvary!

* God of love and mercy,

Thank You for choosing Your people even before You made the world.

Thank You that Your calling is for all people, at every age and stage of life – To turn to Jesus.

Please help us to point people to Jesus today.

Amen.

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