In today’s devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef explores the earthly city of Jerusalem to understand the City of God that will one day come down from heaven.
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[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: You are listening to MY Devotional, the Daily Devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading The Way.
[00:00:08] [SPEAKER_01]: Living By Faiths by Dr. Michael Youssef
[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_01]: The author of the book of Hebrews tells us that though Abraham did not take possession of the land,
[00:00:18] [SPEAKER_01]: God had promised him in his lifetime, he understood what God's promise really meant.
[00:00:23] [SPEAKER_01]: By Faith, he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country
[00:00:28] [SPEAKER_01]: for he was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God.
[00:00:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Abraham's heart was set on the city of God, the city that is built, design, and founded by God himself.
[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_01]: By God's grace, Abraham knew he could never be satisfied with just an earthly city, even the earthly city of Jerusalem given to his descendants.
[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_01]: Instead, he trusted God and looked forward to the city that is to come, the new Jerusalem.
[00:00:59] [SPEAKER_01]: There are three things about the earthly city of Jerusalem that teach us about the real city of God that will when they come down from heaven.
[00:01:07] [SPEAKER_01]: First, Jerusalem was the city where God dwelt with his people.
[00:01:12] [SPEAKER_01]: When David made Jerusalem the capital of his kingdom, he brought the ark of the covenant to the city of David.
[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_01]: David's overriding desire was to always be in God's presence, and the ark was where God's presence resided.
[00:01:26] [SPEAKER_01]: The Jerusalem became the city where God dwelt with his people just as it will be the new Jerusalem.
[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Only God will dwell with his people in fullness.
[00:01:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Second, the earthly Jerusalem was a temporary city with a life full of conditional promises.
[00:01:42] [SPEAKER_01]: More than a thousand years after David founded the city, Jerusalem rejected God by crucifying his Messiah,
[00:01:49] [SPEAKER_01]: Seizing to be the earthly example of God's life and blessing.
[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_01]: In contrast, the new Jerusalem is a permanent city with the unconditional promise of eternal life in God's presence and overflowing blessings that will never leave.
[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Third, God's people may or may not show up for worship in the earthly Jerusalem, but in the new Jerusalem believers will worship him day and night.
[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_01]: In the earthly Jerusalem, the hearts of God's people sought after worldly pleasures, but in the new Jerusalem, his true followers will be delighted in him always.
[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_01]: One day, all of us who know Jesus will be gathered together to see the city of God with our own eyes.
[00:02:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Until then, may we each be like Abraham and live by faith, not sight.
[00:02:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Let's pray together.
[00:02:42] [SPEAKER_01]: Lord, may we have faith like Abraham to trust in you and your promises until live our lives and light of your coming kingdom.
[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for calling us out of darkness and into your presence. We pray this in the name of Jesus, amen.
[00:02:57] [SPEAKER_00]: If today's devotional encouraged you, we'd love to hear about it.
[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Leave a review and share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it.
[00:03:06] [SPEAKER_00]: My devotional is a ministry of leading the way with Dr. Michael Yusse.
[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_00]: To learn more, visit LTW.org today.