Since this was in our message Thursday, I wanna pick up here. Let's read down from verse four down to verse eight. I mean, it's verse nine, sorry. Four to nine. Lift up thine eyes round about and see. All they gather themselves together, they come to thee.

Thy sons shall come from far and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see and flow together, and thine heart shall fear and be enlarged. Because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Aphah, all they from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and incense. and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Keter shall be gathered together unto thee. The realms of Neboth shall minister unto thee.

They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, as the doves to their windows? Surely the Isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, 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 thee. Now, the Lord's declaring here that he's gonna call his elect from all over the world. He has a people all over, this world.

He was saying it in Isaiah's day and then on the day of Pentecost the Lord called a multitude of people and he's been bringing this scripture to pass ever since Christ came. He's been calling his people through the preaching of this word and that's what he's going to continue to do until he calls the last one and he's not going to lose any. And so We have this promise from the Lord. He's gonna have a place where the gospel's preached. And he's gonna have a people sitting under that gospel and sending that gospel forth because he shall call his people. He shall call his people.

Now, first thing we see here is God declares what they will find when they come. He declares what his people will find when they come. He says here in verse seven at the end, they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar. They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar.

All through the scripture, we find a believer building an altar and offering sacrifices to worship God through the altar. That's all through the scripture. As soon as he got out of the ark after the flood, he built an ark and he started worshiping the Lord. Abraham, soon as the Lord called Abraham, when he got out into the plain, he made an altar and he started worshiping the Lord. Isaac did it, Jacob did it. God told Jacob, arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there and make thee an altar unto God.

It's the place that God has put his name. It's the place in this whole wide world where God tells his people, here's where my name will be declared. And he's telling us in the text, this is where my people will come to. This is where they'll come to.

God told Moses to make an altar after the pattern that he was shown in the mount. Now, you know, we saw it recently, God's altar is his son. His altar is the Lord Jesus. God made his elect accepted in the beloved in Christ our altar. He said they're gonna find acceptance upon my altar. That's how they're gonna come and find acceptance on my altar.

Let's go to Hebrews 13 again and see it. Hebrews 13. In verse 10, he says, we have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the count. Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without the gate.

Let us go forth, therefore, unto him without the camp bearing his reproach. The writer's doing what the Lord said would happen. He's sending the gospel forth, and the Lord's making his people go outside of religion, false religion, and go out of the camp to Christ. Now, we'll look at this next word, what he says. And he says, for we have no continuing city but we seek one to come. Our text is talking about Zion, true Zion, the city of God. That's what we're looking for.

And he said, by Christ therefore, by our altar, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name, let us help one another, communicate to one another with such sacrifices, God is well pleased.

You see, it was by Christ going outside of religion, being rejected by religion, and by him going to the cross and suffering outside of that camp, under the fire, that fierce fury of God's wrath. He's the burnt offering, but he consumed the fire for his people. He put out the fire for his people. And that's how we're made holy and righteous. It says that he might sanctify the people with his own blood. He suffered without the gate. That's what he accomplished. He accomplished that. God only accepts a sinner who comes to him through the Lord Jesus because Christ is the only way any sinner has acceptance with God. The only way any sinner. He said, by Him, therefore.

And when we do thank God, that's our sacrifice, the fruit of our lips. When God has quickened you and given you faith to know Him and see that He has saved you, that's when we start thanking God. And that's the sacrifice we make to God. It, even the thanksgiving, is only accepted through Christ. Look there, Hebrews 13, 15. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.

That is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. When the Lord made that altar in the tabernacle, he also made an incense altar where they kept that incense burning continually. because that typified Christ our intercessor. He's our intercessor. It was made out of Shittam wood. That's incorruptible wood. Christ is, he became a man that cannot be corrupted. And then the Lord said, and then you put horns on that altar. Horns represent power.

Christ is the power of God. He's the one that had power with God by his obedience. By his faithfulness to God, by his blood, he had power with God and prevailed. He saved his people. And that altar of incense, it had pure gold. It was overlaid in pure gold. He's God. Everything he did for us is eternal because he's God.

And then on each side of that altar at the top, they put a crown of gold, and Christ is the king of his people. He's ruling everything that comes to pass in this world. And he's doing it especially, particularly for his people. Number one, to get his people under the gospel, to fulfill the scripture we're reading in Isaiah 60. It's Christ that does it. He brings his people under the gospel.

And he's able to save to the uttermost. It doesn't matter how bad a sinner he is. He's able to save to the uttermost because he ever lives to make intercession for us. When he calls us and we begin to thank God, even our prayer come to God sanctified, holy, by Christ our Savior. He's the intercessor.

Now, back in our text, Isaiah 60. And I think this is so It's so wise and beautiful and it's just amazing, really. But the Lord declares what he will do with his people when he draws them to Christ and unites them in his church. He says here in verse 7, Isaiah 60 verse 7 at the end, he said, and I will glorify the house of my glory. That's what he calls his church. That's what he calls us, the house of his glory. and he's gonna glorify the house of his glory. He made us a house. That's what he did, he made us a house.

Go to 1 Peter 2. Our savior comes and abides in his people. He takes up his abode in his people and he makes us his house. 1 Peter 2, 5. You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, here it is again, acceptable to God on God's altar, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Christ made us his temple through the Holy Spirit. Go to Ephesians 2 right there, Ephesians 2. He made us his temple When he preached the gospel to us, he entered in, and we personally became his temple. He unites us so that all of us together are his house, but then he is in his people and makes us personally his temple.

Ephesians 2.21 says, above all, or he's far above all principality and power and might, every name that's named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come and he's put all things under his feet. I'm in the wrong chapter 2. I'm sorry. I knew I was sitting there thinking I'm going to get to my verse here in a minute. Ephesians 2 verse 21.

In whom, in Christ, all the building is fitly framed together, just like you frame a house, fitly framed together and groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord. in whom you also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit. So collectively, he builds us together to be the house of his glory, and then individually, he's in us as the house of his glory.

I'll give you this one if you wanna look at it. It's 1 Corinthians chapter six and verse 19. 1 Corinthians 6, 19. He says what? Know ye not that he which is joined to a heart is one body, for two saith he shall be one flesh, but he that's joined to the Lord is one spirit. He's one spirit. And look down at verse 19.

Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which you have of God, and you're not your own? For you're bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God. We worship God in spirit because he's come in and made us his spiritual house. And we have a new spirit, and so we worship him in spirit. And all of this worship, spiritual sacrifices, are acceptable to God on the altar, Christ Jesus.

Brethren, that's what, when he called us into his house, he glorified his house because of what he did for you, because of everything Christ is to us, all his beauty, his righteousness, his holiness, what he adorned us with, that's how God glorified the house of his glory. He did it, every bit of it, every bit of it.

Go back to Isaiah 60. When he draws us, he declares that it's Christ to whom we come to. It's Christ to whom we come to. He says in verse nine, surely the owls shall wait for me, for me. And he said, in the ships of Tarshish first to bring thy sons from far, 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 thee. The Lord describes it here as his people coming to us, but really it's his people coming to him. He gives us the gospel to preach, And he draws his people, and when he saves his people, they're coming to Christ.

They're coming to him. That's who we came to. That's who everybody that he saves comes to. He glorified us personally by saving us with the gospel. And then he glorified us by giving us the glory to preach this gospel through which he saves others. I want to show you that in John 17. You remember the apostles, they said, the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the father. Well, God gave him the glory in eternity of being the gospel.

And then he came forth and separated himself and did all the work and finished it. He gives us the gospel when he saves us. He glorifies us first by saving us by what he's done through the gospel. Then he uses you, he glorifies you by using you to preach the gospel, to preach him.

Look here, John 17, 17. Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth. Speaking to the father. Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth. The gospels, what he's talking about. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world to preach. That's what he said. Christ came to be the gospel and he sent us to preach the gospel. Sent his apostles, here it is. And for their sakes I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified through the truth. He was separate from sinners, holy. And he went about doing the work the Father gave him to do and finished it. Went to the cross and finished it.

And so when he gives us the gospel, the good tidings, the glad tidings we hear is the gospel of peace. It's how that he reconciled us to God. And that makes us surrender. That makes us stop fighting God. It makes you to bow down and know that that Christ has saved you, and then he gives you the glory of together as his church sending this gospel into the world.

And he says there in verse 20, John 17, 20, neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. We've been united together, framed together for that purpose, to preach him, and he says, that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world. I love that because that's what our text is saying. All these different nations, he's saying he's gonna draw all these elect, redeemed children in all the nations. He said, I did all this that the world may believe that you sent me. Well, how's he gonna bring us to believe? How's he gonna make us believe? through the glory of the gospel.

So he says in verse 22, and the glory which you gave me, the glory of being the gospel, I've given them the glory of preaching the gospel, preaching Christ. And he says that they may be one even as we're one, I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou has sent me and has loved them as thou has loved me. He separated himself to be the gospel, then he gives us the glory of preaching him, and when he calls his child, no matter where we are in the world, it's the same gospel that saves. And he makes his child to know, wherever we are in the world, that God, that he loves us like God loves him. He loves his people the same as God loves him.

And he makes you know that. This is not talking about everybody without exception. He's saying in our text, when he said, I'm going to call Sheba, he's not talking about everybody. He's talking about his elect. And he makes us know, because who God loves, God saves. He doesn't, what would his love mean if he didn't save those he loves? Everybody he loves, he saved. And it's through this gospel that he makes us one.

He fitly frames his people together. through the gospel. And he says here now, you got a little good 2 Corinthians 5. It's exactly what Paul's talking about right here. And I'm showing you here, he does two things with this gospel. One, he gives you the glory of knowing you're his and saved by him, by his righteousness. Then he gives you the glory of preaching him. Look here, 2 Corinthians 5, 18.

I've heard preachers say this, and I wanna say this too, because it's important. I'm the one preaching, but we're all preaching. When you hear me say for us to send the gospel, we're all preaching the gospel. And that's what I mean when I say to use us to send the gospel forth. Every local assembly has one pastor that's doing the actual speaking, but they're all together sending that gospel forth. And that's what he's showing us here.

Look here, 2 Corinthians 5.18. And all things are of God, this whole work is of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and given to us the ministry of reconciliation. He saved us by it and he gave it to us to preach. And he says, To wit, here it is, this is what the gospel is.

God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. And the reason he does not impute sin to us is because Christ put all our sin away. Look at verse 21. For he hath made him sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

That's what he reveals when he saves us. Then when he sends you to preach, this is what he does. He says, verse 19, the second part, and he hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. He saved us by it and he committed it to us to preach. And he says, verse 20, now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. That's what he's saying in our text. That's what he's saying I'm gonna use my church for. You're gonna be my ambassador. and I'm gonna unite others through the gospel. He said, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be you reconciled to God. This is the gospel. This is what, this is so beautiful that he saved us by the word of reconciliation. He is the reconciliation. Then he saved us through the preaching of it. Then he uses us to preach it and saves others through it.

Now here's the question I have. Are you one of these that he says is gonna come? Look there, he said in verse eight, Isaiah 60 verse eight, who are these that fly as a cloud and as the doves to their windows? This is what he says to everybody who's hearing this gospel. Who are they? Are you one of them? The only way you know who they are is they come to Christ. Well, what did we see? If you're one, if you're one of these, God declares what you're gonna find when you come.

He says, verse seven, they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar. Only way we can be saved and God accept us is coming to Christ through faith in him, because he did it all. And then look, he declares what he will do by adding us to the assembly. This is how you know who these are. He said at the end of verse seven, I will glorify the house of my glory. I'll add another one of my trophies of grace, another one of my children that I've made beautiful in Christ's righteousness and his holiness.

And then he declares who will come. He declares who will come, verse nine, or who we will come to, rather. Verse nine, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel. If you're one of these, you're gonna come to Christ. And we're still coming, aren't we, brethren? Every one of us here are coming to Him every day. And He declares, why you came if you're one of these? Verse nine, because He's glorified thee. He called you. He drew you. He robed you. He created you anew. He planted you in His house. He glorified you. and he declares what you shall do. Verse six, at the end, they shall show forth the praises of the Lord.

Everybody he calls, they got one praise and it's to him. They gonna praise him. That's how you know you found the church where the gospel is preached because every message that they preach is giving God all the glory and all the praise. That's how you know you've come to the gospel. And everybody that he brings and brings to Christ and accepts in Christ, they did it because he drew them, glorified them, and every one of them is going to praise only the Lord. Give him all the glory and all the praise.

We got a lot to thank him for, don't we? It's amazing that he would use us in this way. He don't have to. but he's chosen to. And it's all by his power and grace that we believe and that we know the gospel and that we're able to continue feeding upon him and preaching his word only by him. So let's thank him, brethren.

Our heavenly father, what great grace and favor you've shown to your people to send your son and then to accomplish our redemption and then to to come and tell us what you did for us and give us hearts to believe. Lord, how thankful we are for the gospel. We're thankful, Lord, that your son is the gospel. And we're thankful, Lord, that you saved through the gospel. Lord, we thank you for uniting us for this purpose to preach your gospel.

Lord, make it our preeminent our preeminent desire above all else to be used by you to send the gospel into the world. Lord, don't let us ever be taken away by any kind of wind of doctrine that's false. Keep us looking to you only and use us to spread this gospel. Lord, we don't have anybody else to give praise to but you. You've done it all and saved us.

Lord, we pray you'd work this work in our children, our loved ones, our neighbors. Lord, we pray you would gather your people. We know you shall. We know you are. And Lord, we ask you, call in all your sheep, Lord. This is our desire. Christ be honored. Your holy name be glorified. Lord, thank you, and thank you for forgiving our unbelief and our doubting and our being cast down because of what these eyes behold. Lord, you're on the throne, you're working, and your purpose cannot be frustrated. We pray, Lord, that you'd keep us knowing that. Thank you for forgiving us, Lord, for Christ's sake, in his name we pray, amen.