Zion, City of God

Q: What does the Bible say about the church of God?

The church of God is a spiritual, mystical body made up of all true believers in Christ, both locally and universally. The church of God, according to the Scriptures, is the spiritual, mystical body of Christ, comprised of all true believers. This includes both local assemblies and the universal church, which represents God's elect throughout all ages. Passages such as Ephesians 5:25 emphasize Christ's sacrificial love for His church, illustrating that it goes beyond any human denomination or structure. Isaiah 60, in particular, describes the glorious things God has promised to His church, affirming its significance in God's salvific plan.

Q: How do we know that Christ will build His church?

Christ guarantees the establishment of His church, stating in Matthew 16:18 that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Christ’s assurance that He will build His church is expressed in Matthew 16:18, where He declares that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This promise reflects God's sovereignty over history and His unwavering commitment to salvation. The picture painted in Isaiah 60 serves as a prophetic confirmation that God's purposes for His church will be fulfilled, showing that the body of Christ will continue to grow and be established, drawing in those from all nations and peoples. The fulfillment of these promises showcases God's power and grace in preserving His church.

Q: Why is belonging to the church important for Christians?

Belonging to the church is vital for Christians as it is the body of Christ through which they receive spiritual nourishment and community. For Christians, belonging to the church is essential as it serves as the body of Christ, where believers come together for worship, fellowship, and growth in faith. The church functions as a local assembly that upholds God's worship and ordinances, as highlighted in 1 Timothy 3:15, where Paul refers to it as the pillar and ground of truth. Additionally, the church provides a community for mutual encouragement and accountability, allowing believers to fulfill the great commission together. It is through the church that God's glory is manifested among His people, fulfilling the purpose of spiritual nourishment and growth.

Q: What does Isaiah 60 say about the promises of God to the church?

Isaiah 60 outlines God's promises of enlightenment, enlargement, enrichment, and establishment for His church. Isaiah 60 is rich with God's promises concerning the future glory of His church. The chapter begins with a call for the church to arise, with the assurance that God's light will shine upon them, dispelling darkness. Additionally, verses 3 and 4 affirm that many shall come to this light, indicating the enlargement of the church. Enrichment is promised in the form of resources and blessings from the nations, reflecting God's providence in providing for His people. Ultimately, this chapter conveys that God's church will be established, built up with glory, and inviting all to partake in its community, underscoring the perpetual and unshakeable nature of God's promises to His people.

Q: How does God's sovereignty play a role in the church?

God's sovereignty ensures that His church prevails and grows according to His divine purpose. The sovereignty of God is a foundational belief in Reformed theology and is crucial when considering the church's role in God's plan. God's sovereign will guarantees that His church will sustain through challenges and opposition, as affirmed in Isaiah 60 and Matthew 16:18. His authority over nations and kingdoms means that all events ultimately serve His purpose for the church. When God chooses to bless or strengthen His church, He does so in accordance with His sovereign plan, using both local congregations and the universal body of Christ to accomplish His will. This provides believers with assurance that they are part of something eternal and divinely ordained.

Our text this evening will be Isaiah chapter 60, Isaiah chapter 60. There is one church to which you must belong, one church of which you must be a member and a part in reality, that you would enter into It is not the Catholic Church or the Baptist Church or any other denominational church, but the church of our Lord Jesus Christ, his spiritual, mystical, universal body, which is made up of all true believers. If you're not in the body of Christ, the church and bride of Jesus Christ, you have no part in Christ. Now this evening, I want to talk to you about that church.

The Church of God is both local and universal. We certainly believe that the local church, this assembly, the assembled sites of God, whether they're many or whether they're few, wherever they're gathered together, this congregation, Todd's Road Church in Lexington, Sequoia Church down in Cherokee, 13th Street Church over in Ashland, the Rescue Baptist Church out of Rescue, California, God's Church assembled in Christ's name, wherever it is, local assemblies of God's institution by which he establishes and carries out and maintains his worship, his ordinances, and his gospel in this world. No one believes, as you well know, any stronger than your pastor and this congregation, that God works through his local assemblies. We do not in any way, we do not in any way pushed aside or laid to one side of lesser importance, the importance of being a part of a local gospel church. Every child of God ought to be and ought to belong to be a part of a local assembly interested in and maintaining the worship of God.

This assembly, the gathered saints of God, right here, is the house of God. That's what Paul said, the house of God. When we come together, we come together in the name of Christ and in the spirit of our God, somehow the Apostle Paul teaches us that as we come together in the fellowship of the saints, in public worship, we're the temple of God and the Holy Spirit. So that coming together in Christ, we have become the house of God, the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

That's the importance of the local church. And I've talked to you about it many, many times, preached many sermons on it. But the church of God is also universal. And it is spoken of as a universal church throughout the New Testament, and that universality of the church is illustrated throughout the Old Testament as well. I know that there are several different groups who have, with fallacious theology, and with a misunderstanding of Bible study and of Bible words, taught that the church of God cannot be universal, it must be local only.

They take the word ekklesia, the Greek word for church, and they look it up in their Strong's Concordas, and they trace it through the scriptures, and say, now this is what it must mean, must mean a local, called-out, visible assembly. But it is a mistake, and I urge you to listen now. When you study the scriptures, don't just do word studies and force the scriptures to meet the interpretation of a word. Words are used together, and words must be interpreted and understood in the context in which they are used. So when you come to study the church of God, sometimes that word church is used, obviously, with regard to a local singular. Sometimes it is used with regard to the whole body of Christ.

Now when I talk about the church universal, I am not suggesting, it is ludicrous for anyone to imagine that I'm suggesting that all the churches go together and make up one big church. That's just ludicrous. I'm not suggesting that at all. I am saying this.

The church of God, which is the body and bride of Jesus Christ, consists of all God's elect in every age, those who are on the earth now, and those who are already with Christ in glory. The Church of God is made up of all true believers, all who are born of God, all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, all who are redeemed by his blood. The Church of God is spoken of in this universal aspect many, many times in the Scriptures. Let me just give you a couple of them.

In Ephesians 5.25, the Apostle Paul speaks of the Church like this. He says, Christ loved the Church and gave himself Now that ain't talking about Baptist church. That's not talking about this local assembly or any denomination. That's talking about God's elect. The whole body of God's elect.

Christ loved them and gave himself for them that he might sanctify and cleanse it and present it to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. It is this universal church which is described as Mount Zion in Hebrews chapter 12 beginning in verse 23. Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn, into which we have all come. That is, if you've been born of God, if you are a believer in Christ, if you have been brought into the realm of spiritual life by the Spirit of God, you've come unto Mount Zion, the Church of the Firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.

Now, in this universal aspect, The Church of God is described by many, many different names in the Scriptures. I suggest that you jot down some references and make some notes here, because I want you to understand this. The Church of God is called by many, many different names, things which illustrate what the Church is.

We won't look at them, but you can look these up later. In John 10, 16, our Lord Jesus refers to His Church as the Sheep Folk. It's the Sheep Folk. into which all his sheep are folded. We are, as the good shepherd is our shepherd, we are his sheepfold into which he goes out and seeks and brings his sheep. So that whenever one of his sheep are brought home to him, they are brought to be a part of his sheepfold, a part of those people under his care and protection, named under his rod and cared for by his hand.

It is called in John 3 in verse 5, the kingdom of God. the kingdom of God into which we have entered by the new birth. Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. But this kingdom of God is something into which you do enter when you're born again. It's not something that you will enter in time, it's that into which you have entered as soon as you're born again. So the church of God is the kingdom of God.

And it's called in Ephesians 3.15, the family of God, whose names are written in heaven. All who are born into the kingdom of God are born into the family of God. They're the sons and daughters of God. Oh, what a blessed relationship this church has to God. In Galatians chapter 4 and verse 26, this is one that stumps a lot of folks.

It is called Jerusalem which is above, the mother of us all. The church is the mother of all God's saints. and she's also a holy city, because there's no one description that can be given of this church. We will look at it again just a little bit in our text, how the church is described as a city, but in the works of God's grace, that is, in God's purpose of grace in saving his people, the Lord God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have accomplished salvation for us.

The Father chose us, he predestinated us, he perfected our salvation. The Son redeemed us. He put away our sin. He brought in everlasting righteousness for us. He obtained for us an eternal inheritance. And God the Holy Spirit has regenerated, called us, and given us faith in Jesus Christ.

But God also uses instruments. In the purpose of God, the instrumentality by which his saints are born again, the seed of life, is the Word of God. So that whenever God is pleased to save a sinner, he takes the word and sends it to the heart of the chosen sinner. Gives him life and faith and a redeemer. And God also uses people.

And the mother of God's family is the Church of God. We have, by God's grace, oh what a privilege, we have been used of God in the birthing of many of his sons and daughters, literally around the world. And that's what the church does. She carries the gospel throughout the world and God uses her as a mother to give birth to, to bring life to. No, we don't save anybody.

God does that, but he gives us the privilege of carrying the word by which folks are born of his spirit and by which folks come into his kingdom. All right, in Revelation 21 in verse 2, The church is called the New Jerusalem, which shall come down from God out of heaven. Now, I know that in these days when folks are so crazy with prophecy, and I mean crazy with prophecy, crazy with prophecy, folks get all kinds of wild ideas about prophecy.

I've got a book back in my study I picked up when I was in college, we had to have it, In which the fellow just draws a picture of the New Jerusalem. You've seen some of them. They've got a picture of the city. This great city. But they miss the whole text. This New Jerusalem, the city of God, comes down out of heaven as a bride. And I never saw a city with a wedding gown on in my life. It's talking about a person. This city, the New Jerusalem, not a literal city. It's talking about the whole body of God's elect people.

A bride adorned for her husband. when God shall come to make all things new, he'll bring this church into her glory. All right? Sixthly, it is called the kingdom of heaven in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 10. The kingdom of heaven of which Christ is the king and all true believers are the subjects.

And then back here in Isaiah 60, this will be our text this evening, the church is called Zion, the city of the Lord. Look in verse 14 of our text, Isaiah 60 verse 14, the very last part of the verse. They shall call thee the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Just last week, one service when Rex was reading, I believe it was Rex, he made comment concerning Zion, made comment concerning Jerusalem and said, now while there's a literal Zion and literal Jerusalem, The prophecies and the promises of God are not given to those folks over there across the water in Palestine. They're talking about you and me, the church of the living God. This passage of scripture, then, is talking about Zion, the city of our God. And that's the title of my message this evening.

Isaiah 60 is a prophetic word which describes some of the glorious things promised to God's church. the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. One of our hymn writers wrote, glorious things of thee are spoken, Zion city of our God, he whose word cannot be broken on thee for his own abode. And in this chapter, we have some of those glorious things that are spoken concerning Zion by God himself.

Now in the Old Testament, the church of God is called by Stephen, the church in the wilderness. And it was made up of the nation of Israel alone. But it never was God's intention or purpose that his church should be made up only of Jews. It was always God's intention and purpose to gather his elect from the Gentiles into his church, and at last to present his church to himself a glorious church, not having spots or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without limits.

In this text here, in Isaiah 60, Isaiah prophesies of the latter-day glory of God's church. He's telling us that this latter-day glory began when the Lord Jesus Christ came in his first advent to accomplish our redemption, and it will be finished when the Lord Jesus comes in his second advent, anytime now, to accomplish our resurrection glory. So, this passage of Scripture takes in the whole scope of the gospel age in which we live in, from the first advent of Christ to the second advent of Christ.

Now, you'll remember that chapters 58 and 59 were spent by God describing his disdain and contempt for the hypocrisy, profaneness, and immorality of false religion in these latter days. But then at the beginning, or at the close of chapter 59, the last two verses, there's a word of promise given. God makes reference to Christ's coming, to fulfill his covenant. Read those two verses with me. Isaiah 59, verse 20. The Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord.

My spirit that is upon me, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed-seeds, saith the Lord from henceforth forever." He says, I want to establish this thing forever. Forever. It'll never be demolished.

Now, this is one of those prophecies. Verse 20, the Redeemer shall come to Zion. It is one of those many, many prophecies in Scripture. which takes in the first advent of Christ and the second advent of Christ and puts them together as one thing. You see that? The Redeemer shall come.

And before we get done talking about this prophecy, you're going to see that it's not just talking about his first advent, it's talking about his second advent as well. And you scratch your head and say, why? Looks like if it was talking about the first advent and the second advent, it'd tell us two different things. But it's one work. The two advents of Christ are to accomplish one thing.

The Lord Jesus came in the beginning to establish righteousness, to redeem us, and to obtain eternal salvation for us, and he's coming in the end to finish that redemption with the crowning work of resurrection glory. Not to finish redemption in the sense of paving something else for us. That's been done. But redemption is finally complete when Christ comes to redeem his purchased possession and raise these bodies up in perfection and in everlasting glory.

Now, in these verses here in Isaiah 60, the Lord God makes seven absolute, unconditional promises to the church of Israel. These are the glorious things which God has spoken to Zion, city of our God. When our Lord Jesus Christ said, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against you." These are the things he's talking about. First, he says that his church would be enlightened. God promises that he would enlighten his people.

Read with me, we'll look at these one at a time, verses one and two. Arise, child, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon them. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people. But the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." One of the men in the back, Lord Marcus Craig, just a little bit ago, giving thanks to God that in this day of religious darkness and confusion, he's been pleased to call us, redeem us, and give us life and knowledge. Oh, shine me, shine me.

Now this rising of the light, talking about Christ coming, he is the light of the world. He brought light and explanation and revelation with regard to all the Old Testament types and prophecies. So that when you read the scripture, Mark was reading back there in Exodus chapter 12, you read about Passover, and the poor, poor Jews still blinded with a veil drawn over their faces so they cannot see, are still trying to celebrate and commemorate a Passover. They don't understand that the Paschal Lamb and the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt was only to show forth a picture of the redemption of this church by Jesus Christ the Lord, bringing us at last into God's glorious fellowship. That's what it's all about. And when Christ came, he fulfilled all the types. He fulfilled all the promises. He fulfilled all the prophecies. He opened the Old Testament scriptures and said, tell us, this day, is this word fulfilled? Right here, clean your ears. He brought to light all the types and shadows of the Old Testament. He is the revelation of the light and the knowledge of the glory of God.

Turn over to John chapter 1. John the first chapter. This is exactly how John speaks of it. In verse 4, in him was light. Nobody else has got it. He is light. And the light was the light of men. The light shining in the darkness. Gross darkness shall cover the people. Is that what the text says? Gross, thick darkness. Darkness so thick you can feel it. Darkness so thick you can taste it. Thick darkness.

Colors the people. Religious ignorance colors the people. But Christ colors. And where he comes, he dispels the darkness. He's the love of the Lord. Read on. The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. In verse, let's see, verse 18. No man hath seen God at any time.

The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. He's opened the book to show you. He shows you who God is. Only Christ can. He's not only the way to God, He's the only one who can come from God to make you know who God is, for He is God. Look over in 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Not only has He shown us the light of the glory of God and the light of the Old Testament Scriptures, the light shines in our hearts. by God the Holy Spirit when the gospel is preached and causes you to see.

One of the preachers the other day we were chatting, Brother Doug was talking and he preached to folks and preached to folks and you know you preach to some folks sometimes and they sit and look out the window and see what's going on. Maybe they see a fly over yonder, and they'll probably fly all through the surface, rather than in the kitchen. Look up and see. Look around. Except for the glaze. Isn't that interesting? Isn't that? But then all of a sudden, the light shines. And you can see, man, you can see, oh, what a blessed thing to see the light come on. This is what happened.

2 Corinthians 4, verse 5, or verse 4, rather. in whom the God of this world, Satan, prince of darkness, hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, God said, let there be light. God has now came and commanded, or come and commanded light to shine in the darkness of our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

That's how you come to know God, is if God turns on the light. And when God turns on the light, you'll see it. And until he does, you can't see it. It's just that simple. Oh, he comes and causes the light to shine. And now we're called upon, upon whom the light has come, upon whom the Son of Righteousness has risen with healing in his wings. We who have been made light in Christ Jesus are called upon to shine forth with light in this world to dispense the darkness around us. That's our business. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

There's many, many things to be said concerning that. But the noblest of all good works that can possibly be done by men and women on this earth, the noblest of all good works is the dispersion of the light of the gospel. You can't do anything any better for anybody than preach the gospel to them. You can't do it. You can't do it.

Let us not neglect the bodies of men. Let us not neglect the needs of men and women. Folks are in need. Take care of their needs. Do what you can to help folks. Do. Man, if you can help the poor, help the poor. If you can help the sick, help the sick. If you can help the unlearned, help the unlearned. All of those things. Do those things. Don't leave them undone.

But the best thing that you can do in this world for men is tell them the truth. That's the best thing you can do. The noblest work on this earth is the work of carrying the gospel to the saints. I urge you, keep up the work. Keep up the work. Make it your business. Make it your business, children of God, to dispense the gospel where you live. By all means, where you live, at your job, in the school, in the factory, on the street, wherever you go, make it your business to dispense the gospel, and from here to sound out the word into all the world, through the various agencies God's given us, missionaries, tapes, literature, whatever, whatever he gives us opportunity to do, to dispense the gospel.

Let your light shine. Arise and shine, for the light has come upon you. He promises that his church will be enlarged. Look at verses 3 and 4. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light. You cast out the light. Cast out the light. Somebody's going to come. Is that what it says? Arise and shine and the Gentiles will come to your light. Not to you. To your light. The light's Christ the Lord. The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Lift up thine eyes round about, and see, and all they gather themselves together. They come to thee, thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side." What a picture. The Lord God promises to enlarge the borders in Zion so as to include all Gentile nations as well as the Jews. The inhabitants of Zion come from the north, the south, the east, and the west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God. And when God speaks of these folks who shall come, he speaks of them, those who shall come as already being your sons and your daughters. That's right, our sons and our daughters.

When Paul spoke to Timothy, what did he call him? Do you remember? My son Timothy. Now Paul didn't adopt that boy. That young man wasn't Paul's natural offspring. But Paul was the instrument by which God taught Timothy the gospel. He called him my son Timothy. Now Paul didn't save him, obviously. But Paul was instrumentally his father. And the church of God is instrumentally the mother of God's elect.

And so the sons and daughters of that son are scattered here and there. Scattered to the four winds. Scattered north, south, east, and west. God says your son shall come to you and your daughter shall go to nursing at your side. No question about it. Shout out. And the Gentiles will come to your life. God has his elect everywhere. And the fullness of the Gentiles must be brought in.

And so all Israel shall be saved. That's what Romans 11, 25, and 26 says. And the Israel he's talking about, when he says all Israel shall be saved, when the thrones of the Gentiles is brought in, he's saying the church of God shall be saved, the whole church of God. The Jews, yes. The Gentiles, yes. Gathered from the four corners of the earth, your sons and daughters are going to come to God Almighty at the appointed time, and every one of them shall come.

This city of God, the Church of Jesus Christ, is the only truly cosmopolitan, multicultural, if you will, city in the world. This is the only place in the world where all races, all classes, and all peoples from all places of the world are truly one. In Christ Jesus, circumcision availeth nothing, nor uncircumcision. That's all. In Christ Jesus there's neither bond nor free, male nor female, Jew nor Gentile, barbarian nor Scythian, there's neither learned nor unlearned, but Christ is all and all, and only He is. Only in the kingdom of God.

Politicians pretend to accomplish that which only God in His grace accomplishes. Politicians pretend that they're going to bring peace, and only the gospel will bring peace. Politicians pretend that they're going to bring a blending of the races. Only grace brings a blending of hearts that are naturally enmity. Only in Christ is there unity and oneness among peoples from all different backgrounds. And God will bring it to pass. Now read on in verses 5 through 9. Here God promises that his church shall be enriched.

Then thou shalt see and flow together. What a beautiful picture. Go together. Listen. Here comes this African brother. By the way, I got a letter from Ken. I talked to him on Saturday. Brother Ange, the one who's in a coma, he's much better now. Here he comes. Here comes this Japanese brother. Here comes this Korean brother. Here comes this southern boy from North Carolina. Here comes this Yankee from New York City. Here they go. and they flow together. Just naturally flow together in the kingdom of God.

And they flow together, and thine heart shall fear and be enlarged, because the abundance of the sea, the sea constantly in the scriptures referring to the nations of the world, shall be converted unto thee. Not talking about the conversion of fish, he's talking about the conversion of people out in the various seas and out of the various nations of the world, converted to thee, and the forces of the Gentiles shall come to thee. The multitude of the camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, all they from Sheba shall come, they shall bring gold and incense, they shall show forth the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Keter shall be gathered unto thee. The rams of Nebal shall minister unto thee.

They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Oh, what a name for us, the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud and as the doves to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, my elect among the isles of the sea.

The ships of Tarsus first to bring thy sons from far." Do you see that? The isles out there where they were formed, the ships, the ships that the pagan sailor and the pagan merchant and the pagan businessman and the pagan king has set over there in the isles, the ships of Tarsus, they're waiting for one reason, for one reason, to bring my sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God and to the Holy One of Israel. because he hath glorified him." Now, what on earth does all that mean? As God enlarges his church, so he promises that his house, the house of his glory, shall be enriched.

B. H. Carroll is here mentioned as coming to Zion, illustrating both the temporal and spiritual blessings of Zion, the temporal being used to transport Zion's sons and daughters. for missionary purposes. This is literally fulfilled in every material thing that is consecrated to the king of this splendid city. The ships, the lower animals, the gold, the silver, the best of it all has been made to serve the purposes of Christianity from the days of Paul to this present day. What the prophet is telling us is this.

When sinners come to Christ, and consecrate themselves to him. They also consecrate their gold, their cattle, all their earthly possessions to him, to minister to the needs of his sons and brothers, to minister to his kingdom. You see, God's church never lacks for anything, never lacks for anything. Whatever we need, all have God as food, over and over again in this place. Whatever we need to do what he's given us the privilege and ability and opportunity to do, he supplies us with the means to do it. Over and over again he's demonstrated. So that wherever he would have us go, wherever he would have us send out the gospel, by whatever means he would have us to do it, he supplies the needs.

And he does it without any coercion, without anybody having to go around and twist arms get ledges without anybody having to raise bait sails or in any way lower the glorious naming of our God to the level of just people begging others as though God somehow needed them. He does it because his people come.

And when they come, they bring the wallet with them. When they come into his kingdom, they bring the house with them. When they come into his kingdom, they bring their car with them. When they come into his kingdom, they bring the camel and the oxen and the cattle and the sheep.

Everything! Lord, here I am! I'm at your disposal. Do with me what you would do. Where is this needle? You show me. How can this be of service to you? Here we are called the house of God's glory. The house where he shows forth his glory. He has glorified thee. Therefore, We show forth the praises of the Lord by that which we give to him. We bring it to him. And his house is filled. His treasury is filled. I've said this to you so many times. And I make this pledge to you here and now one more time.

Before I will blaspheme God by begging in his name. Before I will in any way bring the gospel of God's grace down to grovel before men, begging men to somehow help God and his people do what we say God's called us to do, we'll close those doors, sell this place, and go out of business.

It's not going to happen, not as long as I've got any voice and any kind of sense in me. Why? Because we serve God who owns the cattle of a thousand hills. And if he wants something done, buddy, he'll supply the means for us to do it without this preacher going begging. And without you begging in my name.

It's not going to happen. Not going to happen. I didn't know you felt so strongly about it, man. You do. That's just how strongly I feel. I don't feel this way. This is what God teaches. He's taught. He's sent his prophets. I said, don't you go door to door. Don't you go begging.

God's people, with their generosity, supply the needs of God's kingdom and of God's servants to do whatever it is God wants done. So many times I think to myself, I'd like to do this, I'd like to do that. Whatever God wants us to do, whatever God wants us to do, he'll supply the needs for it. He'll supply the needs. and will, I hope, be willing to do whatever he gives us opportunity and means to do. And then, fourthly, he says that his church, Zion, this city of our God, shall be established. The Lord promises that his church shall be established throughout all the earth. Look at verse 10.

And the sons of strangers shall build thy walls, and the kings shall minister unto thee. For in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor I have had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be opened continually. They shall not be shut day nor night, that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, the wealth of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve Yes, those nations shall be utterly wasted. Now, here is a city, the city of mercy, the city of our God. God says her walls are established by strangers. He takes the least likely folks that nobody has anything to do with, and make some messengers with his grace to establish the wall of God.

It's amazing. She shall be served by kings. Kings shall minister to you. Did you know that? Kings minister to God's church. Oh, I don't mean that they stand up and preach. I don't mean, and this text doesn't mean, that kings Now, I have no doubt some kings have been converted, I don't have any question about that, but this is not what the text is talking about.

The text is talking about in God's providence, he's going to make empires and nations serve the interest of these kings. Why on earth did God in his providence take a superstitious president of the United States who apparently was guided by witchcraft and sorcery. And use it to bring down the Berlin Wall and to bring about the toppling of communism? Why on this earth?

Because God makes kings serve his church. All of them. All of them. Doesn't matter whether you're talking about Bill Clinton or whether you're talking about the Sadat fell over in Iraq, or whether you're talking about the religious nuts in Iran, it don't matter. God makes the kings of this world serve his church. They serve his church. He raises up kings and puts down kings. He raises up nations and puts down nations for the good of Zion, his church. He does this.

This passage also tells us that the gates of Zion are always open. for all to enter. Thy gates shall never be shut by day nor by night. The gates are open right now. Come on in if you will. Whosoever will, let him come and take to the water of life, please. The gates face north, south, east, and west. The gates are always open. Come on in. Always open until Zion is complete.

And any nation or kingdom, any nation or kingdom, that will not be of service to God's church and kingdom, any nation or kingdom, any people on this earth whom God has not purposed to use in some way for the good of his church, he will destroy. What's the text say? Go.

Sometimes we, whose political thoughts are conservative as everybody's ought to be, begin to fret and we talk, we talk like fools sometimes. We really do, we talk like fools. Oh, to preserve a nation, to preserve a nation. This nation, now you listen to me, I'm a loyal, red-blooded American. I'll go to war to defend the liberties of this nation. I'll do it. I'll do it at any time God has his problem to call on.

But I'm telling you, this nation is of no use except as he serves God's church and God's kingdom. That's all. That's all. And when God will no longer use this nation to serve his church and kingdom, he'll fold it up just like he has many others. Because the important thing is not the United States of America. The important thing is Zion, the city of the living God. That's all. Now read on. Look at verse 13. Verse 13. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee.

The fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious." You know what place his feet is? I read that and I thought, what's that talking about? And then I happened to think, there's only one place where I am perfectly comfortable. to sit down and throw my feet up on the footstool of the table, on the one place. That's my house. I don't come in your house and throw my feet up on your table. I throw my feet up on my table. I throw my feet up on my footstool. And the place where God's feet, the place of God's feet is his house, right here.

He says, I'll make this place my house. the sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee, and they that despise thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet, and they shall call thee the city of the Lord, the Zion, the Holy One of Israel." Saul of Tarsus was on his way to Damascus, one more time, to imprison those who call on the name of Jesus Christ. And the Lord God stopped him on the way, and by the time he got to Damascus, he said, I sure would like to be part of you if you'd let me. He contended to them, and the sage adjoined himself to the church. There was a time when I despised this people, and I mocked and derided them. I laughed at them. I poked fun at them. Had nothing to do with them.

And one day I saw, this is the place of God's glory. And I said, these people, this is the city of God. God's there. This is the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. I want to be a part of this people. That's what the text is talking about. And then the Lord God promises excellency. In verses 15, 16, and 17, he promises to make thee an eternal excellency. Let me just read it. I've got to wrap this up. Whereas thou hath been forsaken and hated so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy to many generations.

Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles. That is, you're going to get the best of everything out of this world. It's for you. And thou shalt suck the breast of Kings. And thou shalt know that I, the Lord, you're going to know I, the Lord, am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.

For brass, I'll bring gold. For iron, I'll bring silver. For wood, I'll bring brass. For stones, I'll bring iron." What does he say? He says, I'll take your paltry nothing and make it useful and serviceable. I will also make thy officers peace and thine exactors righteousness.

All that simply means that we are excellent in God's eyes because the Lord himself is our Savior, our Redeemer. our mighty one, and he will see to it that his church benefits from all things in this world. In Revelation 12, you can read it later, you remember how Satan persecuted the woman and her child? The scripture says in verse 16, and the earth helped the woman. The earth helped the woman. And this is what it's talking about. in this world where we have tribulation continually. God in his providence arranges everything for our benefit, everything.

He makes his church the joy of many nations. He makes the officers of his church peace or peacemakers. He makes the pastors, the exactors, the bishops, the rulers of his people to be righteousness. The doctrine they preach is righteousness. They behave themselves in a righteous manner and they give righteous direction. And then one last thing. He promises exaltation. God promises that his church will be exalted with everlasting glory.

Violence shall no more be heard in thy land. Wasting nor destruction within thy borders. but thou shalt call thy walls salvation and thy gates praise." If you want to compare Revelation 21, it's almost identical with this. There'll be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more war.

The sun shall be no more light by day, neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee, but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and by God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down. You're no longer going to walk in darkness, no more darkness, no more doubt, no more ups and downs. Neither shall thy moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy morning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous.

They shall inherit the land forever. the branch of my making, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified." That's why he had built the walls of Zion. That's why he will present us to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that he may be glorified. Now all of this is the work of his hands.

A little one shall become a thousand, and a small won a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in his time. I'll bring it to pass. I'll bring it to pass. Now we'll come back another time or two and look at this chapter in a little more detail, but those are the glorious things God has spoken concerning the Bible.

Zion, City of God

What does the Bible say about the church of God?

How do we know that Christ will build His church?

Why is belonging to the church important for Christians?

What does Isaiah 60 say about the promises of God to the church?

How does God's sovereignty play a role in the church?

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Zion, City of God

What does the Bible say about the church of God?

How do we know that Christ will build His church?

Why is belonging to the church important for Christians?

What does Isaiah 60 say about the promises of God to the church?

How does God's sovereignty play a role in the church?

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

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