I'm entitling the message from Isaiah 62 using verse 4 as the title, The Lord Delights in the Church. Let's read verse 4, Isaiah 62 verse 4. For thou shalt no more be termed or called or considered forsaken Neither shall thy land any more be termed desolate. Now by nature we're forsaken, by nature we're desolate. Without God, without hope, and without Christ. But thou shalt be called Hephzibah. That is, my delight is in her, and thy land Beulah, or married. For the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

Can you think of anything better for a believer resting in the Lord Jesus Christ to know that we're married to Him, that we're joined with Him? These two shall be one flesh, you remember? We read in Genesis and in Ephesians chapter 5, talking about the husband and wife being joined together in marriage. But he said, this is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and His church. That marriage between a man and a woman is a picture of the Lord marrying his covenant people in that eternal covenant of grace. And the Lord delights in his bride. The Lord delights in his church, the Lamb's wife, as she's called in the Revelation.

No more called forsaken, no more called desolate, but rather blessed with all spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus Christ. He's our head. He's our husband. But rather, hesabah and beulah, that is, my delight is in her. The church is married to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our husband, our head. We are his body. We are his bride. We're one with him. Isn't that a blessing to think about that? You remember we studied not too long ago in Isaiah 54, where it says, thy maker is thy husband. Thy maker, he created us. We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus. Thy maker is thy husband.

We are vitally joined in that eternal union with the Lord Jesus Christ that can never be broken. I in them, thou in me, that we may be made perfect in one The Lord prayed that in John 17, as he prayed for his church. We read a moment ago in Revelation 19, verse nine, blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. It's a marriage supper.

We read in Ephesians 5, husbands love your wives, husbands love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. I remember reading years ago, an old preacher lost his wife through death and was terribly grieved. And someone made a comment, he loved her too much. A husband can't love his wife too much. A wife cannot love her husband too much. The Lord Jesus cried, husband, love your wives even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. So that's love, isn't it? Hearing his love, not that we love God, but he loved us.

And he sent his son to be the sacrifice for our sin. Now, as we study Isaiah 62, I want to look very carefully at the way the Lord Jesus Christ considers His covenant people and what they are unto Him, His chosen, His elect. He chose us in that covenant of grace.

He said, all that the Father giveth to me, they will come to me. Where did He get that bride? The Father gave the Lord Jesus Christ a bride. He is redeemed. He's elect out of every tribe, kindred, nation, tongue under heaven, and they all are redeemed with his precious blood.

To the believer of the Lord Jesus Christ, he's precious to us. To you who believe he is precious, we studied in the Song of Solomon, chapter five, that he's altogether lovely, but this is also true of the church and every member in his body. We are precious to him. Now he is precious to us. But we are precious to him, so much so that he came and laid down his life for his church, for his church. Look at the last part of verse five. As the bridegroom rejoices over her bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. He rejoices over thee. What a miracle. We are called in the book of Malachi, his jewels.

Malachi 3.17, let me quote it to you. I'll read it to you. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my jewels. I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Boy, I tell you, the Lord's people are precious. Now he's precious to us, but oh, we're precious to him. We are precious to him.

Several blessed descriptions of the church that's given here in Isaiah 62. And these things are true of every believer. No more forsaken, no more desolate, but blessed with all spiritual blessing in the heavenly, in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at verse one.

For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace For the church's sake, his jewels, his elect, his bride, I will not hold my peace. And for Jerusalem's sake, I will not rest. He said, I'm not going to rest until I have accomplished their salvation. Until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness. Until the righteousness go forth as brightness. And what righteousness is this he's talking about? He's the Lord our righteousness. He brought in an everlasting righteousness for us. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputed righteousness without works.

I will not rest until I have accomplished salvation. Righteousness shall go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. Look down in verse 11. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, say to the daughters, of Zion, that's that same church of the redeemed. Behold, thy salvation cometh. Behold, his reward is with him and his work of reconciliation is before him. And they shall call them the holy people.

Now, you know that none of us are holy in ourselves, right? We're unholy, we're ungodly. But in the Lord Jesus Christ, we're as holy as God's dear son. I'm not exaggerating. That's so, that's true. Holy people, we are the redeemed of the Lord. Redeemed with what? Not silver and gold, not work through tradition. We are redeemed what? We are redeemed the precious blood of Christ. And now shall be called sought out. The Lord Jesus Christ is on the trail of his sheep, his lost sheep. He said, I came to seek and to save those who were lost. You reckon he'll find them? You reckon he'll call them out? You reckon he'll lose some of them eternally? Well, you know not so. He said, I'll lose none for whom the Father had given me. I'll raise them all up at the last day. So, what a blessing we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, look at verse two.

And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness. Now, whenever you see, especially in the Old Testament scripture, when the Lord talks about the Philistines, the Hittites, the Jebusites, all the other ites, and the Gentiles, he's talking about sinful, wicked and godly men and women and people. Idolaters. The Gentiles were idolaters. But so was Israel, national Israel.

And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness. Now, left to ourselves, we'll never see it because the only way we see his righteousness is that he opens our eyes. Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty. And remember what Isaiah said over here in Isaiah 6, when he saw the Lord high and lifted up and holy, holy, he said, woe is me, woe is me. I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips. I dwell among a people of unclean lips. But the Gentiles, that is sinful, wicked, ungodly men shall see his righteousness.

It's only because he has revealed Christ our righteousness unto us. And all kings, they'll see His glory. That is, those who have their eyes open to see the glory of God shine in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. I wrote that reference down, 2 Corinthians 4, verse 6. God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our heart to give us the light of knowledge of the glory of God as it shines, where? In the face of Jesus Christ. You will never see anything of God apart from seeing God revealed in Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's a revelation of God. And thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.

Now parents often when they have a, are expecting a little child, maybe their first child, And how, I know we went through this with our first child, and our second child, and our third child. We often, they often get a list of names, don't they? And they'll say, okay, if it's a boy, here's all the boy names we like, and if it's a girl, here's all the girl names we like. And then they'll labor, and labor, and labor, and then finally they'll come to some kind of consensus, okay, John, or Ruby, or whatever it may be.

But the Lord gives us a new name. And you know what our name is? The Lord shall be called the Lord, our righteousness. Jeremiah 23, verse six. And then it says over in Jeremiah 33, 16, and this is a name whereby she shall be called. What's her name? The Lord, our righteousness. That's our name. That's the name that he gives us.

You know, when you're, my wife, we dated for about a year before we got married. And she started using my last name before we got married. She was so anxious to get married, she just started writing Bridget Harding instead of Bridget Ross. She couldn't wait to take my name. And we're called by our new name. What is my new name?

The Lord, my righteousness. He's my righteousness. Isn't that beautiful? Everlasting righteousness and eternal salvation. He completed all these things for us. He said it's finished. A new name He's given us. The foundation of the Lord stand assured, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. We're married to him, and we take his name, to believe we're resting in Christ, gladly takes his name, wears it boldly, not being ashamed to own him as our husband, our Lord, our Savior, and God.

As Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, the power of God and salvation. And then again, he writes this as he's in prison. In 2 Timothy chapter one, he writes this from prison. He said, I'm not ashamed of the Lord nor his gospel for I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded. He's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day.

It's a new name as we've been made new creatures in Christ. It's a new name as we've been partakers of a divine nature. We read this in the Revelation. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh, well, I give to eat the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receives it.

Who said so? Who said so? Who said we're going to have a new name? Who said so? Look at the last part of verse two. Which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Who said so? He did. He said it. That settles it. He said so. He said so. Remember he said, my word shall not return to me void. His word is a final, his word's a final answer. His word's a final conclusion.

Now verse three, for thou shalt be a crown of glory. A crown thou shalt be called? A crown of glory? In the hand of the Lord. Not in your hand, not in your might, not in your power. Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord. sheep of his pasture and the people of his hand. None can stay his hand or say unto him, Lord God Almighty, what doest thou? Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord. People, some religious people might say, well, The Lord's in your hand. You can either receive him or you can reject him. The Lord's in your hand. Oh, no. No, you're in his hand. And he can do with you as he pleases, when he pleases, as he pleases.

Thou shalt also be called a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God." Well, what a blessing. You see the blessing just overflowing here with mercies and blessing. A crown of glory, a royal diadem. In Isaiah 28 5, we read, a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty. He's altogether lovely and she is too. Because She's dressed in that robe of righteousness.

What did we read here a moment ago? Let me see if I can remember. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. Now, is that talking about our morality? Is our morality the righteousness of the saints? You know it can't be.

Man, his best state is altogether vanity. It says over here in one page over, look at one page over, Isaiah 64. I think we'll look at this in a few weeks. Isaiah 64, verse 6. We're all as an unclean thing. And all my righteousness filthy rags. And we do all feed as a leaf. Our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. There is none that call upon thy name that stirs up himself to take hold of thee. For thou hast hid thy face from us and has consumed us because of our iniquity. But now, O Lord, thou art our father. We are the clay and the potter. Thou art our potter. We are all the work of thy hands. Boy, our righteousness is what? What is the righteousness of the saints? Well, it's not my morality. My morality in God's eyes is filthy rags.

Now, we compare thy worm, Jacob. We compare worms to worms. What is one wiggling maggot above another wiggling maggot? They're all maggots. Our only hope of salvation is for God to do something for us, to give us a crown of glory, to give us a royal covering. Christ is our covering. Christ is the robe of righteousness. Look just across the page.

You see Isaiah 61.10 just across the column there. You see it? I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, Isaiah 61 10, for my soul shall be joyful in my God.

He clothed me with the garments of salvation. He covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, as a bride adorneth herself with jewels. He's given us the garments of salvation. He's given us a robe of righteousness. We can't do anything of ourselves. We are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Now look at verse 4.

No longer thou shalt no more be termed forsaken, neither shall thy land any more be termed desolate, but thou shall be called Hepzibah. That is the marginal reference, my delight is in her. And thy land, Beulah, married, for the Lord delighteth in thee, and the Lord married thee. He married thee. No longer termed forsaken or failed, but rather Hepzibah. That's our name. He calls us Hepzibah. That means He delights. We are His delight. We are His delight.

I thought of this verse. You remember when the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized of John, and when He came up out of the water, the Spirit of God descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and the Father speaks from heaven, and said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. He says that of everyone for whom Christ died. The father is well pleased with everyone in the Lord Jesus Christ. My delights in her, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. We see here that what we are by nature are sinful natures, forsaken, fallen, failure, sinners, right? That describe you? Right? Right? Right?

The good news is that the Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Christ died for the ungodly. when we were without God, without strength, and without Christ, and without hope. But now, God who is rich in mercy for His great love were with, He loved us, even when we were unlovely, ungodly. and he made us new creatures in the Lord Jesus Christ. We see here what he's made us by his grace. The Lord delights in us. He delights to call us his own. He delights to own us as his people. He delights to save us by his grace. Who says so?

The mouth of the Lord has spoken in. Believers are precious in his sight. Listen to this scripture. Isaiah 60 verse I've got written down Isaiah 60 verse 15 turn just right over across the page Isaiah 60 verse 15 whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated so that no man went through thee I will make thee and and eternal excellency and a joy of many nations. Wow-wee. Blessed with all spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, Peter writes about it in 1 Peter 2.

You remember? You're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that you should show forth the praises of him who called you out of darkness into this marvelous light. You're a chosen generation. Who chose you? Our Lord said to His apostles, you didn't choose me, I chose you. We're a chosen generation. We're a royal priesthood. He's made us kings and priests unto our God. Unto Him who loved us and washed us from our sin and His own blood. He's made us a peculiar people.

And that word, I believe, peculiar, if you look at it, it means purchased people. He bought us. You're no more your own, you're bought with a price. What was the price? Oh, a great price. His blood. He shed his blood to redeem us. You reckon he's gonna have us? He bought us with his blood? God loved the church and gave himself for it. God bought the church with his own blood. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Every believer is precious.

We're chosen in Him. He delights in us. He has loved us who are unlovely. Why? He delights to do so, having loved His own who loved Him to the end. He has blessed us. Why? The reason is not found in us. The reason is found in Him. The reason of salvation is not found in you. The reason of salvation is found in Him. Who made you to differ from another? Huh? Who made you to differ? He did. His grace did. I am what I am by the grace of God. He called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

No longer shall we be known as desolate or deserted. No more forsaken. No more desolate, verse four, thou shalt no more be called forsaken, neither shall thy land anymore be termed desolate, but Hepzibah, Eulach, no longer desolate and deserted, barren, and a stripped wasteland, but married to the Lord. Again, what separated us from our God?

Turn one page back. Isaiah 59, look at verse 1. Behold, the Lord's hand is not short that He cannot save, neither is His ear heavy that He cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, He will not hear. What separates us from God? Our sin. How are we reconciled unto God? You see, our sin separated us from God, but now the Lord has separated our sin from us. As far as the East is from the West, we are now reconciled to the Lord Jesus Christ.

No more forsaken. He said, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Never forsaken by the sovereign grace of God. His grace is sufficient. Never forsaken by the God of all grace. Never forsaken by the God of all grace. And never forsaken by the sovereign grace of God. He said, my grace is sufficient. He said, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Remember our study in Hebrews 13? And that word never, he said, no never, no never, no never will I forsake you. He'll never forsake his people.

We're married to him. We're secretly married to the Lord Jesus Christ in that covenant of grace. And in time, it was manifested unto us that we belong to the Lord. We're no more our own, we're bought with a price, redeemed. how I love to proclaim it, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Look at verse 5. Christ is the bridegroom. Christ is our bridegroom, and we are His church, His body, called the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee. As a bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. I have set the watchman upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace, day nor night. Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silent.

We are called his bridegroom, or we are called his bride. He is our bridegroom. Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him, for the marriage of the lamb has come, and the wife hath made herself ready, and to her it was granted that she should be raided in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

Verse 6 and 7, I've set thee a watchman. I've set a watchman upon the walls. A watchman is one who watches out for the enemy. And when he sees the enemy coming, he gives a warning. O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace, day nor night. The watchman said over the city, they're not to hold their peace when they see the enemy coming.

They're not to hold back. They're to make it known. Ye that make mention of the Lord, don't keep silent. Declare who He is. Declare what He's done. He is God who has saved His people from their sin. and give him no rest until he establishes, until he makes Jerusalem a praise of the earth." The Lord has ordained the preaching of the gospel to the calling out of His people. He said, go and preach the world, preach the word, preach the word, preach the gospel to every creature.

Verse 8 and 9, the Lord has sworn by His right hand, by the arm of His strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for the enemies, and the sons of the strangers shall not drink thy wine for which thou hast labored, but they that have gathered shall eat it, and praise the Lord, and they that have brought it together shall drink in the courts of my holiness. Now, I don't know all what that's saying there. The Lord has sworn by His right hand of power and by the arm of His strength, His corn, the bread of life, the Lord Jesus Christ, His corn and His wine of the gospel, and His people shall not be abused by the enemies.

His church shall drink and eat that which the Lord hath brought out and provided for them, and enjoy that forever in the courts of his presence, eternally with the Lord. They shall drink in the courts of my holiness, and his presence will drink will feed upon the Lord Jesus Christ and drink in all the spiritual blessings he provides for us. And that will be an eternal occupation. Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive all honor, glory, blessing, and power, both now and forever.

Verse 10, 11, 12, and closing. Go through, go through the gates. Prepare ye the way of the people. What is that way of the people? And when you see that word, the way, what do you think of immediately? The Lord said, I am the way. I am the way. Cast up the highway. He's the highway of holiness, Isaiah 35a. Gather out the stones.

Lift up the standard for the people. What is the standard? Lift up the gospel standard. Lift up the word of God. Say, behold, you're God. You remember Isaiah 40, all flesh is grass, the word of the Lord abides forever and behold, you're God. Gather out the stones, cast up the highway, take all the stumbling stones, clear out the way, lift up the standard, lift up the name of Christ. He said, if I'd be lifted up, I'd draw all unto me.

Verse 11, behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, The Lord, behold the Lord hath proclaimed this unto the end of the world. This standard of gospel standard of God saving sinners by His grace. He'll proclaim this to the end of the world. The end of the world. When is the end of the world? I don't know. But there is an end to this.

You remember Revelation 1, he said, behold I, he cometh. He's on his way. The Lord is on his way. Say ye to the daughter of Zion, God's people. Behold the Lamb of God that takes away our sin. Behold, thy salvation cometh. Thy salvation is a person. The Lord Jesus Christ is God our Savior.

And his reward is with him. What is his reward? I'm looking for a bigger reward. I'm working here that I might receive more rewards. Tommy Roth. Christ is our exceeding great reward. Singular. Behold, his reward is with him. His reward is him. He is our exceeding great reward. And his work, his work's before him.

You remember what he said on Calvary 3? I begun the work, now you must finish it. He didn't say that, did he? He said, behold, it's finished. It's finished. When he by himself purged our sin, he sat down on the right hand of God. And they shall call them the holy people.

This is not, if you look over in Isaiah 65, this is not talking about those people who say, stand by yourself, come not near to me for I am holier than thou. You've heard that statement? That comes from Isaiah 65 verse 5. This is not talking about self-righteousness.

The holy people here are those who are holy in Christ. They're the holy people. They are redeemed of the Lord. They're bought. He bought them. He ransomed us. And thou shalt be called sought out. The Lord gonna seek His sheep out and save His lost sheep. I didn't come to call the righteous sinners to repentance. And the city, that celestial eternal city, Remember what Abraham said, he's looking for a city. He's looking for a city whose builder maker is God. A city not forsaken. Isn't that a blessing?