Building Jerusalem Part III

Building Jerusalem Part III

Psalm 147: 2-3

The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the out casts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

In articles one and two of this title it was discussed that: (1.) It is the Jerusalem which is above that is here spoken of. (2.) The out casts gathered are of Israel. (3.) Those who are gathered are out casts. (4.) The out casts are gathered together, that is, in Christ Jesus. In this article it will be declared, that it is the LORD, that doth build Jerusalem.

The Lord doth build Jerusalem: this Jerusalem is not in the process of building herself. The stones and timbers of this city of God, are not gathering together by themselves, for, it is the LORD that doth build Jerusalem. The LORD doth build Jerusalem, the LORD doth build Jerusalem continually, before the foundation of the world the LORD was then in the building of this city of God, by establishing her foundation in the everlasting covenant of grace, in Christ, who is, Himself the Covenant (Isaiah 42:6; 49:8). The LORD doth build Jerusalem: for it is He who doth gather the out casts together, which out casts the world knows not (I John 3:1) these out casts “are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:22). Each of these gathered ones are themselves the objects of the everlasting, immutable, and infinite, love of God: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and are living stones in the house of God; “Ye also, as lively (living) stones are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable unto God by Jesus Christ. (I Peter 2:5). These gathered stones are prepared for their position in the building of the city of God by the hammer of the word, (Jeremiah 23:29) “and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (I Peter 1:25).  When the stones are brought to the house of God in Christ; they are perfectly fitted to their position in the house and city of God. They are members in particular (I Corinthians 12:27) of the body of Christ. “For by one offering he (Christ) hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14). So that nothing of the world is seen on or in them for they are perfected in Christ; not in anything that is of themselves. This city of God, which is the Lambs wife (Revelation 21: 9-10; I Corinthians 6:15-20) is of infinite beauty in the comeliness which Christ Jesus has put upon her (Ezekiel 16:14): Christ’s glorious righteousness is imputed to her and is her clothing; the beauty of Christ’s holiness is upon her, for, Of God “are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” (I Corinthians 1:30) . As it was in Solomon’s temple, the stones and timbers were prepared in the field, fitted to their place in the temple and so polished that no mark could be seen in the stones, and no hammer, nor saw was heard in the house when the house was in building (I Kings 6:7).

 He healeth the broken in heart: the outcasts of Israel whom the LORD gathereth together in Christ; come to the LORD broken in heart. The living stones for the house and city of God, are the sheep of His pasture, His elect from among the children of men; these the Lord in wonderful grace teaches of their own evil nature, their unworthiness of their position in the house and city of God.  “What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house;” (I Kings 8:38). Every man that is of the spiritual seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, are made to know the absolute plague of their own heart; with the Apostle Paul they shall be made to cry “O wretched man that I am” (Romans 7:24) observe reader; it is not, O wretched man that I was before conversion, but O wretched man that I am. With Isaiah they shall be made to cry “But we are all as an unclean thing” and “Woe is me! for I am undone: because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” (Isaiah 64:6; 6:5). When, in God’s light, the children of the covenant are made to see light (Psalm 36:9) they declare with Daniel “there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.” (Daniel 10:8). The children of God are made sensitive to their own wicked nature; and they say: “I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” (Psalm 51:3) and are made to say: “I know O LORD that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” (Psalm 119:75). The children of God are made to understand the damage of sin to their own soul; that the damage is unto the eternal destruction of their soul; and say with David “O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. For thine arrows (the arrows of conviction of sins: writer’s parenthesis) stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities are gone over my head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of me heart. Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hide from thee.” (Psalm 38:1-9). Sins are seen as wounds, stinking, open and running sores, broken bones, to the wounded spirit of a man under the conviction of sin from the Almighty. Sins committed are seen to be foolishness, for they yield no lasting pleasure but bring on great destruction to the person of the offender. Therefore the one who is made to see his offense to God is greatly bowed down for he is made to understand that God will be his judge at the last day. Our Lord Jesus said “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4). Truly blessed is the man who is made to mourn after the fashion of the one recounted above, because according to the word of Christ Jesus he shall be comforted, but how?

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.” (Psalm 65:4). “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after the God.” (Romans 3:11); and therefore God saith “I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not:” (Isaiah 65:1) and it is written “I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.” (Romans 10:20). Since there is none that seeketh after God: therefore God seeks out His own covenant people; and in the day of visitation breaks their hearts by showing them the spiritual wounds with which sin has deformed the image of God in them, in which image our first parents were created. In the deformed image of Adam there can none please God, for it is written, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8). Therefore “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). Spiritual life must be imparted to those who by nature of Adam are spiritually dead in trespasses and in sins (Ephesians 2:1). In the degenerated and deformed image of Adam in which all natural men are born there can be no fellowship with the thrice holy One; therefore God breaks the hard and stoney heart of His people by the hammer of HIs word, and melts their heart with the fire of the word, bringing His people to Himself as suppliants bowing at the feet of Jesus Christ the Lord of life and glory; (Jeremiah 23:29). In all these things the active agent is God the Holy Ghost, man is merely the passive object of the operation of God. Though the man feels the spiritual force of the operations of God, yet he is only the building material which the Almighty is pleased to form into that, that is pleasing to Himself. It is written “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; (this is justification, and the warrant of eternal life: for it is written “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city.” [Revelation 22:14]. And again it is written, ”Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.” (LEVITICUS 18:5) from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27). This is the sanctification of the Spirit or the new birth; which is consequent upon justification; and the result of it; though justification is manifested at the same time as sanctification yet in order of nature, sanctification is the consequence of justification, for again “Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do he shall live in them: I am the LORD.” [Leviticus 18:5). The right to enter into the gates of the city, (Revelation 22:14), and the right to life, (Leviticus 18:5) both were earned by the Lord Jesus Christ through His death at Calvary; and the right is inherited by the members of His body the church, because they were, in the eye of God, one with Christ in all He did and suffered as Mediator, Surety, and Head of the body of Christ, His church.  

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” The broken in heart are made to see that in themselves they have no righteousness, that in themselves they stand condemned in the court of heaven. And in themselves they are aliens and strangers from the house hold of faith. But though they be broken in heart, they are made to understand that it is only the children of the covenant that are taught of their nothingness in themselves, and that Christ Jesus is their all sufficient head, and that He in union with them doth supply all their need according to His riches in glory. The children of the covenant are first stripped of all self righteousness in order that they may be clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, through the imputation of His righteousness to their account.  They find that they have, and have had covenant interest in Christ. They find they are interested in His blood and righteousness, that it is for them in particular that Christ Jesus fulfilled and thereby satisfied the law and justice of God, and that in Christ they “that were sometimes alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:” (Colossians 1:22). See the writers blog at www.hebrews915.blogspot.com hear the truth of the gospel preached at  www.13thstbaptist.org webcasting live at listed service times.  A.J. Ison