That's our theme song, isn't it? Amazing grace, amazing. His grace is amazing if you've ever experienced it. It is amazing, amazing grace.

Now I'm taking title for the message from what is said in verse eight. God's highway of salvation. God's highway of salvation shall be there. It's there for his people because he provided it. So that's going to be the title, God's Highway of Salvation, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness. The unclean shall not pass upon that way. God must make us new creatures in Christ, but it shall be for those wayfaring men, lost sinners, lost sinners, fooled by nature. We shall not err because he's put us in the way. He's put us in the way.

Now we can be certain and sure that the Lord Jesus Christ alone is God's way of salvation. There's no question in my mind, nor any believer, that God's way of salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ only, the Lord Jesus Christ alone. I, Lord, as we read just a moment ago in John 14, when The disciples asked him to show us the way. He said, I am the way. I am the way. That's the same I am that I am that appeared to Moses out of that burning bush and spoke to Moses out of that burning bush. The Lord is the I am, I am of salvation. I am the way. I am the truth. The truth of how God saves sinners in Christ. And the Lord Jesus Christ is the way, he's the truth, nothing but the truth, the whole truth. And he is life. He is life. He is salvation. And then he said, no man comes to the Father but by me. There's no other way. No other way to approach the throne of God but in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why he said, come unto me, all you that labor heavy laden. I will give you rest.

Now, the whole Old Testament has one message. Someone's coming. And that someone is the Lord Jesus Christ. In the book of Acts, when Peter went to the house of Cornelius, he declared, to him, that is to the Lord Jesus Christ, give all the prophets witness. And certainly that includes Isaiah, doesn't it? Isaiah tells us so much about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief who was wounded for our transgression, bruised for our iniquity. Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel, all the prophets, minor and major, they all declare unto us that salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ. They all bear witness of him.

The household of God is built upon one foundation that God has laid, And that one foundation that the prophet and apostles wrote about is Jesus Christ himself being that chief cornerstone. There's no other foundation. Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. All the Word of God, the Bible itself, we know was God-given, God-inspired, and God-breathed, and it has one message. the person and work of Jesus Christ. All 66 books, every word, every verse, every chapter all points us one direction, looking to the Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the chief and primary purposes of God the Holy Spirit giving us the word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, is to be used of God the Holy Spirit in quickening and regenerating sinners. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, the word of truth. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by what? Not lies, but truth. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word, by the word of God. God the Holy Spirit uses the written word and tell us about the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word, the Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as the only begotten Son of God.

Verse three, we'll look at verse three down through verse 10 for a few minutes. Tells us about the blessings of the gospel the Lord will bring upon his covenant people when he's pleased to visit them in saving mercy and regenerating grace in covenant love. How long has the Lord loved his people? He's loved them with an everlasting eternal love and therefore with love and kindness as he draws to himself.

Now notice verse three. Strengthen ye the weak hands, confirm the feeble knees. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ makes those weak, frail, sinful creatures strong in Christ, in the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel of Christ takes the feeble and gives them faith in Christ who is all our strength. He is our refuge and strength of every present help in trouble. Do we need help? Yes, we do. Turn over here to Isaiah 40. Remember, it talks about the flesh. Isaiah 40 verse 6, and he said, what shall I cry? Well, all flesh is grass. weak hands, feeble knees, all flesh is grass. And the goodness thereof is the flower of the field, the grass withered, the flower faded, because the spirit of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people is grass. The grass withered, the flower faded, but the word of our God shall stand forever and ever.

All flesh is grass. What do we need? Christ. Who do we need? The Lord Jesus Christ. He is our refuge and strength of every present help in trouble. We read that many times in the book of Psalms.

Look at verse four. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong. Fear not. Behold, behold your God. Behold Him. Our Lord says so many times in Isaiah, I am God, beside me there is no other. Behold me, look unto me and be safe. Say to them with a fearful heart, be strong, fear not, behold your God. Behold your God. He will come with vengeance, and He did. He came with vengeance upon our sin. He took our sin in his own body on the tree, and what happened to the Lord Jesus Christ? The wrathful vengeance of God fell on our substitute to put away our sin. Even God with recompense, and because the Lord Jesus Christ made recompense for our sin, the fruit of that is he will come and save you.

Now, did he get the job done? Call His name Jesus. He shall save His people from their sins. He will come and He will save us. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. The Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners, to bring sinners to repentance. He will come and He will save you. The Lord Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the lost, didn't He? You reckon He got the job done? All that the Father giveth to me, they shall come to me, and those that are brought to me, those who come to me, I'll never cast them out. Oh, what a blessing we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Look at verse five, or rather verse, yeah, the eyes of the blind, verse five. The eyes of the blind shall be opened. The eyes of the blind shall be opened. Now who, when the Lord ministered in the flesh among men, I don't read of any of the Pharisees who opened the eyes of the blind. I don't read of any of the Pharisees, though they may have claimed that they did those many wonderful works, but they didn't do anything compared They didn't do any healing of those who were crippled. They didn't give life to those who were dead, but the Lord Jesus Christ did. He actually opened the eyes of the blind. He actually opened the ears of those who were stopped. He actually made the lame to walk and to leap And he made the tongue of the dumb to sing. You can go back through the Gospels and we've seen this over and over, haven't we? How the Lord performed all those miracles demonstrating to us that he is God. The works that I do, he said, they bear witness of me.

The eyes of the blind shall be opened. Isn't that exactly what the Lord does to us in saving mercy? We were blind, we were dead, we were dumb and ignorant. He gave us eyes to see Him in His beauty. That's altogether lovely. He gave us eyes to see our ugliness, our sinfulness, and then He gives us eyes to see His beauty, don't we? And when He does give us faith in Christ, we say He's altogether lovely. He is precious. The Lord opens the blind eyes.

You remember when the Lord gave that parable of a sower, Matthew 13. And he said, blessed are your eyes for they see, blessed are your ears for they hear. What a blessing to see the glory of God in the face of Christ, with eyes of faith, to see in the book revealed his beauty, his glory, his righteousness, his redemption. And ears to hear him? Speak, Lord, thy servant heareth. Who said that? Was that Samuel who said that? Speak, Lord, thy servant heareth. Oh, to hear a word from him. He gives us his sheep, hear his voice. They know him and they do follow him. You see what he's saying here?

The lame man shall leap as a heart. I was reading today in Acts chapter 3, where Peter and John were in the temple. And you remember that cripple that was there, and he was begging alms, and Peter said, we don't have any silver or gold, but what we do have We give that to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Take up your bed and walk. And you remember what happened? He went leaping and dancing and praising the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what he does to us. He gives us the tongue to sing of his glory.

Verse six, then shall the lame leap as a heart, and the tongue of the dumb sing, for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. We live by nature. We are dried up, parched, dead sinners, and he makes a well of water springing up into everlasting life in us. He does that, doesn't he? A lame man shall leap The tongue made to sing, what are we saying about? Oh unto him who loved us and washed us from our sin in his own blood. Streams of mercy, can there be? Mercy there reserved for me. Yes, we have that in Christ.

The lame or the cripple shall leap. The tongue of the dumb will sing. In the wilderness shall waters break out. Streams in the desert. You remember from last week, Isaiah 32 verse 2, a man shall be a hiding place from the wind, a covering from the tempest, rivers of water in a dry place, as a shadow of a great rock in a weary land. I'm reminded of the children of Israel when they came through the Red Sea into the desert land and there was no water. Remember what the Lord told Moses to do? Strike that rock with that rod and water flowed out. And it says that water followed them for 40 years. They had the abundance, didn't they? They had waters in the wilderness and streams in the desert. And that's what we have in Christ. We live in a barren wasteland, don't we? But he gives us the water of life, refreshing us daily, doesn't he?

A parched ground shall become a pool, verse 7, a pool of grace, a pool of mercy, a pool of love. And a thirsty land springs out water. And in the habitation of dragons where each lay shall be grass with reeds and rushes. Now what he's saying here, the Lord does provide for his people. You remember Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. He's plenteous in redemption, is he not?

The parched grounds have become a pool. Now, how does that happen? It doesn't happen naturally, does it? on purpose, on purpose. Even when we think about the desert land and dried up and parched, who sends the rain? The Lord sends the rain, it's not mother nature, it's God our Father who sends the rain. The parched ground shall be a pool and Grass shall be abundant. The sheep love to eat the green grass, don't they? And that's what believers feed upon, the pastures of His Word, the pastures of His grace.

Now look at verse 8. And here's where we want to camp for a few moments. A highway, all that the Lord has provided for us. He's given us strength. He's made us to be strong in the Lord. The Lord will come and He has saved us. He's given us eyes to see, ears to hear. He's given us a new heart that causes us to rejoice in Christ. We sing of His grace. We're parched ground and He makes us a pool of water. He supplies for us the green pastures of His Word. And, you mean there's more? And, verse 8, a highway shall be there. A highway. We all can identify with the highway, can't we?

In these mountains where we live, sometimes they'll spend years and millions of dollars to take down a mountain to build a highway, don't they? They go to great planning, great strategy, and great builders come together and they draw the blueprints and all these different things they do, and then they build the highway, don't they? That's exactly what God has done. He determined to build a highway of grace from all eternity according to His eternal purpose and grace. It's a highway. A highway might be there. It could be there. If you do certain things, it might be there. It shall be there. It shall be there. You see that verse 8?

And it's a way. It's a highway that's a way. It shall be called, it's the way of holiness. The unclean shall not pass over this highway, but it shall be for those, those, notice the marginal reference on the word but, there's a number seven down here, or for he shall be with them. He's with us. The wayfaring men, though fools, they shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, no ravenous beast shall go upon this way. It's a safe way. It's a highway, it's a safe way, it's a clean way, but the redeemed of the Lord shall walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their head. They shall obtain, not earn, obtain joy and gladness, sorrow, and sighing shall flee away.

These are the precious promises of the gospel. They're precious, aren't they? Let's look at several things here. There's but one way. There's but one way of salvation. We know that Christ is that way. And notice it's a highway. It's not a low way. It's a highway. It's not a broad way. It's a straight and narrow way. Broad is a way that leads to destruction. Narrow and straight is the way that leads to everlasting life. That means that salvation is of the Lord. He is the Alpha, He is the Omega of all salvation. It's purposed by Him, planned by Him, purchased by Him, accomplished by Him. No man has any part in that way at all. It's one way.

Do you remember the story I told you about a friend of mine who was riding in the car with his grandson? And his grandson noticed a sign that says, one way. And the little boy said, look, Papa, there's the gospel in that sign, one way. We see the gospel as believers. We see the gospel in everything, don't we? There's just one way of salvation. That time you see a one way sign, think of Christ, the one way. He's not one among many ways. He's the only way, the only way. And it's by his purpose and by his graces, it's not by our works.

This four lane they built back here, I didn't contribute one ounce of labor. Somebody else planned it, somebody else built it. I enjoy riding on it, but it's a highway, it's a freeway. And that is a picture of God's grace. He said, look unto me and be saved all the ends of the earth.

The Bible knows nothing about different ways of salvation or different ways of being saved. A lot of people say, well, God is on a mountain. and people are down below the mountain, and they're all striving to get up that mountain. They're all climbing up that mountain. They come different ways by different means, but they're all striving for the same goal. That's nothing but works. That's nothing but works, salvation. There's just one way of salvation, and Christ is that way. Christ alone is that way.

Twice in the book of Proverbs, the wise man Solomon said, there is a way that seems right unto men, The end of that way is death, death and destruction. God has but one way of salvation. We read in John 14, 6, no man, that's pretty definite, isn't it? No man, no sinner comes to the Father but by and through me. He is that way, the only way. The Lord Jesus Christ is the highway that's provided of God.

Just as there's just one way of salvation, there's just one gospel. Paul declared to those Galatians, those who preach another gospel, let them be accursed of God. There's just one way, there's just one gospel. And we only know, we know for sure there's just one Savior. Muhammad is not the Savior, Buddha is not the Savior. There's just but one Savior, that is the Lord Jesus Christ. nor the name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. And we know there's but one Redeemer that God has provided. There's only one Redeemer who paid the price of our salvation with his own blood. He obtained eternal redemption for us with his own blood.

There's just one righteousness that God has provided for us, and that righteousness is a person. He's the Lord our righteousness. And you know what? The good news about that is he imputes that righteousness unto his people freely by his grace. There's just one mediator between God and man, and that's the God-man mediator. There's just one advocate with the Father. Who is it? Jesus Christ the righteous. There's just one sacrifice for sin. You got the idea? There's just one. There's just one sacrifice for sin. Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. There's just one way.

Christ said, I'm it. We're not looking for a way. We're resting in Christ who is the high way of salvation. The high way of salvation. Now notice what else is called there in verse 8. It's called the way of holiness. Now would God have any other way of salvation but a way of holiness? One thing we know about the Lord our God as it's taught in the scripture is our God is holy. Our God is holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty. The unclean, it says there, the unclean shall not pass on this way. The unclean shall not pass on this way.

Wait a minute now, we've got a problem. God has a highway, it's a way of holiness, but I'm unclean. How can this unclean sinner, this man who's full of leprosy, how can he be made clean and put in this way? Only through that fountain. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's vein, and sinners plunged beneath that blood lose all their guilty stain. No condemnation to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ because he justified us by his blood. He justified us by his blood.

Can a thrice holy God have anything but the way of salvation that honors his holy character? No, God's not going to save sinners and compromise his holy character. That is the beauty of the gospel, how God can be holy and just and save us, not at the expense of his justice, and yet magnify his mercy. That's how he can be just and the justifier, only in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Bildad, one of Job's friends, you remember Bildad, he asked the question, how then can Those who are unclean be just with God. You know, that's the question that religious people are not asking today. They say the book of Job is the oldest book. That's one of the oldest questions. How can man be just with God? And most people, if you would ask someone, how can a sinner be just with God? Well, clean up your act. Quit doing this habit. You've got that bad habit, you quit that. Or put on certain clothes or don't go certain places. They think by cleaning up their act and by being a moral, upright, good citizen, that that merits somehow cleanliness before God, holiness before God.

Never mistake morality for righteousness. our morality, and I'm all in on that, be the best you can, do the best you can, but my soul, your best righteousness before God is filthy rags. The only way that this unclean leprous sinner can be made clean and walk on that highway God has provided is to be in Christ. His blood cleanses us from all our sin. Does it not? Only God himself can make the sinner clean through the Lord's sacrifice. Only God himself can impute righteousness unto us. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it.

Not only is it a highway, not only is it a way of holiness, We're the only holy in Christ. He's our holiness. He is our holiness. He is our righteousness. He's made unto us sanctification. But also we see here that it's a select way. It's a select way. But it shall be for those, you see the middle part of verse 7, but it shall be for those, the wayfaring men, though fools shall not err therein. And the marginal reference says, or for, for he shall be with them.

Who are these people? They're wayfaring men, they're strangers, without God, without Christ, and without hope by nature. By nature, sinners in our fallen condition, fools, but he makes us wise unto salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Who are these people? By His mighty, almighty grace and His sovereign mercy, He's called us from death unto life, from darkness to light, from being aliens of grace to lovers of grace.

But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ. It shall be for those whom he has chosen. It shall be for those for whom he died and put away their sin. It shall be for those who are called out of darkness under his marvelous light.

Another description he gives of those people in verse nine, the last part of verse nine, but the redeemed shall walk therein. It shall be for those who are redeemed with his precious blood. His precious blood. We're not redeemed with silver and gold or any kind of vain tradition, but with the precious blood of Christ.

And then it talks about, down in verse 10, it talks about the ransom. Who are these people? They're chosen, they're loved, they're redeemed, and they're ransomed. He paid our ransom debt. He paid our ransom debt. He's our kinsman redeemer. What Boaz was to Ruth, you remember that story in the book of Ruth? What Boaz was to Ruth, Christ is made to us. He's a willing, able, near kin, redeemer. Boy, Ruth was so happy when she found out that Boaz had redeemed her. And believers rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ knowing that he chose us, he loved us, he redeemed us, he ransomed us, he paid the price, didn't he? He bought us with his own blood.

Who are these people? They're redeemed. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches of his grace. They are ransomed. Oftentimes we hear stories about someone being kidnapped. And they demand a ransom price, don't they? You pay this ransom and we'll set the captive free. Well, oftentimes the ransom is paid. Sometimes they're set free and sometimes they're not. But that's not the case with the Lord Jesus Christ. He paid the ransom price and he set the prisoners free. He set the prisoners free.

I'm thinking of a scripture over here. Let me see if I've got the right one. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim Liberty to the captives and the opening of prison to them that are bound, Isaiah 61 verse 1. He has set us free. We're bound by our sin, totally dead and depraved. And he comes and he redeems us. He pays the ransom price. And what does he do? He sets us free. Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free. not only is this way the highway for God's people, it's a way of holiness. But something else, in closing, let me give you this. It's a plain way. It's a plain way. It shall be for those wayfaring men, though fools shall not err. Therein. It's a plain way. When the Lord is pleased to reveal the gospel unto us, it's a plain and simple way. It's a way of salvation in Christ. It's not complicated. It's not complex. It's not some convoluted system of work, ceremony, traditions of man and deed. It's a plain way. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. Pretty plain, isn't it? Let's not complicate it with rules and regulations. Paul feared for the early church being removed from the simplicity that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He talks about that in 2 Corinthians chapter 11. I fear lest you be removed from the simplicity or the singleness or the oneness of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And lastly, in closing, the King's highway of salvation is a safe and secure way. Look at verse 9. No lion shall be there. Satan is defeated. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up on this highway of grace. It shall not be found there. No enemy will be found there. The Lord Jesus Christ has defeated all our enemies, but the redeemed shall walk their end. All the enemies are about us and they will devour us. They would cast us down from the excellency in Christ. They would turn our hearts from Christ and turn us back to the law of work and ceremony, but the enemies of God and the gospel are defeated and under his dominion.

Thanks be unto God, who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We read, he went forth conquering and to conquer the elect of God, chosen of God, ransomed with the blood of Christ, delivered from our sin. They're in safe hands. What's that insurance company that advertises, you're safe in our hands, or is that Allstate? Oh, you're safe in our hands. No, you're not. But the redeemed of the Lord Jesus Christ, they're safe in His hands.

We're called the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. He said, no man can pluck them out of My hand. My Father and Me, we are one, and no man can pluck them out of My Father's hand. You see, it's a safe way, is it not? It's the grace of God that chose us and called us is not changing grace, but rather eternal grace, persevering grace, redeeming grace. He says, I will be their God and they shall be my people. He saves us. Let's see if we can turn and read that. I've got written down here, Isaiah 45, Isaiah 45, verse 17.

The Lord saves his people with not temporary amnesty, Isaiah 45, look at verse 16. They shall be ashamed, also confounded all of them. They should go to confusion together that are makers of idols. But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with everlasting salvation. You shall not be ashamed. You shall not be confounded. Never forced out. Never forced off this foundation because God has laid this foundation, remember? Isaiah 28, 16, therefore thus saith the Lord God, behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation of stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He that believeth shall not make hate. Never forced out, never shamed, never confounded.

In Christ we are safe. He's able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before his glory with exceeding joy.