In the 62nd chapter of Isaiah
we read the following. For Zion's sake will I not hold
my peace and for Jerusalem's ache I will not rest until the
righteousness thereof go forth as brightness and the salvation
thereof as a lamp that burneth. and the Gentiles shall see thy
righteousness, and all kings thy glory. And thou shalt be
called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.
Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord,
and the royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more
be termed forsaken, neither shall thy land any more be termed desolate. For thou shalt be called Hephzibah,
and thy land Beulah. For the Lord delighteth in thee,
and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a
virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee. And as the bridegroom rejoiceth
over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. I have
set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never
hold their peace day nor night. Ye that make mention of the Lord,
keep not silence, and give him no rest till he establish, until
he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The Lord hath sworn
by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I
will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies, and
the sons of the strangers shall not drink thy wine, for the which
thou hast laboured. But they that have gathered it
shall eat it, and praise the Lord, and they that have brought
it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness. Go
through, go through the gates. Prepare ye the way of the people.
Cast up, cast up the highway. Gather out the stones. Lift up
a standard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed
unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold
thy salvation cometh. Behold, his reward is with him
and his work before him. And they shall call them, the
holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, and thou shalt be called,
sought out, a city not forsaken. For Zion's sake will I not hold
my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest. Behind this chapter, behind this
message Indeed it could be said behind the whole prophecy of
Isaiah, but especially we see in this chapter, behind this
chapter there's a great urgency to this message. A great urgency
to the proclamation of the gospel, of the wondrous news of God's
blessing of a people who were once forsaken and once desolate. There's a great urgency that
the sound of the truth should go forth and that it should be
proclaimed unto the end of the world. To the daughter of Zion,
behold thy salvation cometh. A great urgency that they should
know that though they were once forsaken, though they were once
desolate, though they were once cast out, Though their corn was
once their enemy's meat, Though the stranger once drank their
wine, For which they had laboured, Though they were in a desperate
state, Their captivity is no more. their release is before
them, their salvation has come. Go through, go through the gates,
prepare ye the way of the people, cast up, cast up the highway,
gather out the stones, lift up a standard for the people. Thy
salvation cometh, and his reward is with him and his work before
him. This people shall be called the
holy people. the redeemed of the Lord, those
who are set free, set at liberty, those who have been sought out,
a city which is not forsaken. Yes, this urgency behind the
message, behind the declaration of this fact, this wonderful
truth, this wonderful gospel of God's salvation rings out
throughout the chapter. For Zion's sake will I not hold
my peace, I won't be quiet. For Jerusalem's sake I will not
rest. I will sound forth this message. I will shout it out loud until
the righteousness thereof of Zion goes forth as brightness,
and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. I'll sound
it out until the Gentiles see Zion's righteousness, and all
kings her glory. and that she will know that she
is now called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name.
That people amongst her shall know that they have a name, a
new name, they're not called forsaken, they're not called
desolate. But they are called the holy
people, the redeemed of the Lord. I'll not rest till they know.
I'll not rest until they're gathered in. I'll not rest until they've
heard. I'll not rest until Jerusalem
is established. The Lord says, I've set watchmen
upon thy walls, O Jerusalem. I've set preachers, I've sent
them forth, and they will never hold their peace, day nor night.
They'll keep on preaching this truth, they'll make it known.
He exhorts ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence. And give the Lord no rest till
he establish, until he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Preach
this message. Pray that the Lord would bless
it. Pray that he will use it and
gather in his people. Cause them to be gathered, cause
them to hear. cause them to know that they
are not forsaken, that they are not desolate, that the Lord has
not cast them out, but that their salvation cometh, that their
Saviour has wrought a great salvation, that His reward is with Him and
His work before Him. He's done the work, He's done
everything to set you free. He's wrought salvation, He brings
with Him righteousness. And all those in Zion who look
unto Him, who believe on Him, all His people, all those whom
the Lord gives a new name, shall be called the holy people, the
redeemed of the Lord. They've been sought out, sought
out with this message, sought out by these watchmen. sought
out by these messengers, sought out by the gospel. Oh, there's
a great urgency. There's no time to be lost. There's
no time to be lost. They must hear. The world must
hear. This world of darkness and sin
and death, this desperate barren wilderness must hear. That God's salvation has been
wrought. That Zion's salvation cometh. That God will not rest till he
establish, until he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. This world
must hear. A world that doesn't want to
hear. A world that shuts its ears. A world that hates Zion. A world that would tread it underfoot. A world that would seek to cast
down Jerusalem and crush its walls and slay its inhabitants. A world that has no time for
Zion, for its people and for their God. a world which is in
darkness, a world which is dead in trespasses and sins, a world
which hates God, has no time for this people, their God and
His message. Yet nevertheless, whatever the
reaction of man, whatever the state of this fallen world, God
says, for Zion's sake, for my people's sake in the midst of
this people, for the sake of those for whom my son's blood
was shed when wicked men took mine only begotten son and nailed
him to a cross and crucified the savior. crucified the Son
of Man, the Son of God, whom I sent into this world as a saviour
of sinners. for the sake of him and because
of his blood and because he died to take away the sins of his
own and to take away their sin and because he accomplished salvation
he went to the uttermost he suffered all that he could suffer he did
not turn away because he did not turn from that purpose for
which he was sent, even though all men railed against him, even
though they put him to death, even though they cried out of
Christ, crucify him, crucify him, we will not have this man
to reign over us, even though all men have said in their hearts
of the Son of God, away with him, even though you and I from
our hearts have rejected him to the uttermost and said I will
not have Christ to reign over me, I will go my way, I will
have my things, I will not bow down to his name, even though
we've despised and rejected him every one of us, nevertheless
God says For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace and for Jerusalem's
sake I will not rest until the righteousness thereof go forth
as brightness and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. the righteousness, the salvation
of those that hated God, of those that slew His only begotten Son,
of those who from their own hearts despised Him and all that He
was and all that He said, of those like you and me who despised
His gospel and shut our ears to it. He says of us, He says
of those, those in Zion, those who hated Him and yet those whom
He chose to save. He says of them, I will not rest
until their righteousness goes forth as brightness and their
salvation as a lamp that burneth. Oh wondrous grace that ones who
were so black, so evil, so desperate, so lost in sin, could one day
be said to have righteousness which goes forth as brightness
and salvation that burns as a lamp. For we know that our sins are
corrupt and we are black from head to toe, filthy. We know that in our flesh there
dwelleth no good thing. And we know that the word of
God is true when it says of us that even our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags. Even our good deeds, even the
best that we do is before God as a filthy, a disgusting rag. Then how can it be? that such
a day could come that God could say of such ones that he will
not rest until their righteousness goes forth as brightness. Wonderful
gospel that can take sinners such as these, such as you, such
as me and make us righteous before a holy and a righteous God. that
can say of such ones that they shall be called the holy people,
the redeemed of the Lord. That God can take filthy sinners
and make them pure and make them perfect. How so? Because one shed his blood. One died that they should not
die. One shed blood that he should
cleanse them from their corruption. one shed blood that he should
take their punishment due because of their sins and swallow it
up himself and should say of their sins that they are blotted
out and should say of them that the ones they who were guilty
are no more guilty because the price of their sin has been paid
and their sins and their corruptions have been blotted out and when
I look upon their record book I see nothing against them. When
I look at them, I look at them in Christ and I see righteousness. Righteousness, yes, one has come
and has shed his blood to cleanse them and when God looks at them,
he looks at that blood and he looks at his son and he sees
a perfection in his son, which he sees in them because they
are in him. they who were once forsaken,
they who were once desolate, they who were once lost in sin
are now those upon whom the Gentiles look and in them they see their
righteousness and all kings look and they see their glory and
they know that they are the ones who are now called by a new name
which the mouth of the Lord shall name and they have a crown of
glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem they've been
saved by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords they're in
Christ and that people who were once nothing he looks upon as
royal, as his own, as having crowns of glory, as being princes
who reign with him. What a transformation, what a
message, what a gospel. What a gospel. With such wondrous
news to be brought to those who are in such desperate states. No wonder God says that I will
not rest, I will not hold my peace, until, until Jerusalem
be established, until Jerusalem be made a praise in the earth.
It's so urgent to get this message across, so urgent to tell these
people who think they're dead, that I've wrought salvation,
that the warfare is over, the battle is finished. There is
this urgency behind this message, similar to that of a messenger
coming from the battlefield when an army has been at war for so
many days, so many months, so long with so many casualties.
And the people at home think that the war will go on forever.
And the messenger comes desperate from the battlefield with this
urgent message to convey that the war is over. The battle has
finished and we've won. There's a victory. There's peace. There's no more warfare. What
a message to hear. How urgently it should be conveyed.
Because what a desperate state. Those that need to hear it are
found in. Zion here. described as that
city which was once termed forsaken and that land which was once
termed desolate but which now shall be called Hepthibah and
Beulah for the Lord delighteth in thee and the land shall be
married. It was once forsaken and once
desolate oh what a state this city was in what a state this
people were in desolate forsaken have you felt to be there? do
you know what it is to be forsaken? to be desolate oh do you know
what it is to be forsaken alone cast out rejected, despised,
treated as nothing, trampled underfoot. Zion here was desolate
and was forsaken. It's a place and an experience
into which all Zion's children are brought before they come
to know that wonderful release which is in the Gospel. and it's
a place which in their experience so often as they journey through
this barren world they will feel something of the state in their
soul of feeling desolate and forsaken as they cry out to a
God the only God who can save them should you come to know
something of the truth and something of the gospel Should you come
to know something of your state before a holy God, that before
Him you are indeed forsaken and desolate in a dark and an evil
world, that your heart is wickedness continually, that out of your
heart there flows only evil continually, that in your flesh there is no
good thing. When you feel your state before God, And when you
feel the wrath of God from heaven above sounding against your sin,
and you feel cast down in your soul, you'll know what it is
to feel desolate and forsaken. When you come to seek out the
things of God, when you come to seek the Lord's people, when
you seek out the truth, when you take a Bible and read the
Bible, And when you speak to others of what you find in it,
you will find that this world has no time for it. This world
has no time for that Bible which you read. This world has no time
for that truth which you wish to speak about. This world has
no time for the Son of God who came for the salvation of his
people. you'll find yourself cast out
and forsaken by the world around you they don't want to know they
don't want to know of this religion of which you speak they don't
want to know of Christianity they don't want to know of Jesus
Christ they don't want to know about sin and righteousness they
don't want to know about heaven and hell they don't want to know
and you find yourself forsaken by the world when the conviction
of sin comes upon you and the amusements and the distractions
and the riches of this world cease to have the same draw that
they once had upon you and you begin to find yourself miserable
when you go and you do the things which others do which brings
them apparently so much joy and which you find to be so empty
when you don't go about in the same state of riot that they
go in and when you don't laugh at the things they laugh at and
when you'd rather not go with them to those places or listen
to their conversation or take part in their amusements they
despise what you've become and they despise that which you speak
of and soon you find yourself forsaken desolate because those
who speak of Zion's ways and those who speak of Christ and
His Gospel whether they know Him or whether they are simply
seeking Him. When you go this way, you find
that this world does not want to know. There's no room in it
for those who will speak of these things. There was no room for
Christ when He came into this world. There was no room in the
inn that He should be born. The Son of God, the King of kings
was born in a filthy stable. the best that his parents could
find for that night when Mary gave birth. The world had no
room for him when he came. It had no room for him when he
walked this world. He found no place to lay down
his head. The son of man has no place for
his head. The world would not have him.
And in the end, the world did away with him. and so too it
is with any that follow him or any that seek him out or any
that pick up the word of God to find out who he is and to
find out what his salvation is the world soon gets to know and
they say away with you we don't want to hear they're forsaken
not only this but those who will seek out the truth find themselves
forsaken and find themselves in a desolate state as the world
and its religion rejects them. There's much religion in this
world. There's much profession of Jesus' name. And yet the religion
of this world will not have those who are born in Zion. They will
not have those who speak of God's salvation. They will not have
those who speak of a king and a sovereign God and of sovereign
grace. They will not have those who
speak of a God who saves his own. They will not have those
who speak of a salvation which is not by works, not by the will
of man, but by the grace of God. They will not have them. They're
cast out. Do you feel cast out? Do you
feel desolate and forsaken? Not only cast out by the world,
but cast out by the religious in this world. They will not
go where you go. They will not worship where you
worship. Zion's children find themselves
in this state. Zion's children will follow the
truth where it leads them. And they know in their hearts
that they cannot compromise that truth. They pick up the Bible. And soon they discover that there
are various versions of the Bible, but only one. Only those based
on the original texts will they receive. They begin to discover
that there are modern corruptions. And they soon know in their heart
that these are not the word of God. There's too many differences. And they seek out that which
is, that which they can trust. But the world's religion looks
on and says, oh, you're old fashioned. You won't keep people looking
into that one. You with your authorised version,
you with your old hymns, you with your old paths. Times have
moved on. The world has moved on. If you
want to get people in meetings today, you need to adapt. You
need modern English, modern hymns, modern music, modern methods
of drawing them in. They won't listen to preaching.
People aren't interested in hearing a man declare the truth. They
want other things. They want worship. They want
music. They want to sing. They'll look at drama. They'll
look at audiovisual displays. But don't bore us with the truth. You stand for the truth and you'll
find yourself forsaken and desolate. There are many meeting places,
many congregations around this world. There are those who have
moved with the times, who keep their numbers, but have lost
the truth. Above whose doors Ichabod is
written, for the glory of the Lord has departed, whatever the
words, whatever the claims. But those who seek the truth,
those who seek out a people who seek the truth, those who will
go where the truth leads them, find themselves in twos and threes,
desolate, alone, forsaken not just by the world outside but
by those whom they thought would receive them by those whom they
thought would go with them by those who spake much of Jesus
much of salvation by those whom they thought would be their brethren
these turn aside and say not that way you'll never keep people
that way with your old versions and your old message and your
preaching. You'll never keep them. So they
find themselves forsaken. They feel themselves to be desolate
and alone, isolated, for sticking to the truth, for seeking out
the old path, the old way, for seeking where the ways described
in the scriptures will lead them. Ways which lead unto God. but
ways which take a pathway through a place which this world has
forsaken. Yes, if you follow after the
truth, if your heart cries out for the living God and His righteousness,
you'll know what it is to be forsaken. But not just by the
world and by its religion. When the Spirit teaches you your
sin, when He sets it before your face, when conviction rings out
in your heart and those things you once did so easily, so freely,
without a thought, now come before you and you feel so guilty, so
disgusting, so wrong. In such a state you not only
feel that man has forsaken you, but you feel that God himself
has forsaken you and the very one whom you seek the very one
for whom you've given up this world and its ways the very one
whom you seek to find seems afar off You've begun to seek Him,
you've begun to listen to His Gospel, you've begun to read
the Word of God. You know you're a sinner in desperate
need of salvation and righteousness. And the world, when they talk
to you, rejects you and despises you, and those who were once
your friends have turned aside. You've gone to the churches and
the people in the churches have said, no, we don't want that.
And you find yourself stumbling about and alone. and those that
you thought would receive you reject you but you know that
if this is the truth then God surely he will receive and yet
he seems so far off you find that man's forsaken you and you
feel that God's forsaken you have you been there? is that
true for you? or does that sound extreme? does that to you sound extreme?
oh it's not always like that Surely their salvation is open
to all. Surely I just need to call out
on Christ and I'll be there. And yet here, God's wonderful
message of salvation comes to those who know what it is to
be forsaken and desolate. Some in greater measure than
others. Some felt more acutely than others, yes. some it may
be days, some months, some years but however long the state all
come this way, all discover the corruption of their nature and
all discover that this world will not receive the message
which promises them hope and salvation this world will not
receive those that follow after that saviour that God makes known
in his gospel the religion of this world will not have them
in its midst and it seems at times that God stands afar off
and yet God has promised God has promised to all that come
to this place to all in this state To all in this place he's
promised that all those, all who call upon my name shall be
saved. Those who have a broken spirit,
a contrite heart, a broken spirit, those who come unto me in such
a state, I will not cast out. I will not turn away from these,
for they are mine. I've brought them to that place.
I've taught them their need and I've taught them that I might
show them the wonders of my gospel in Jesus Christ. The word is
neither. Even in thy mouth and in thy
heart, that is the word of faith which we preach, that if thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference
between the Jew and the Greek. For the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Have you been here? Have you cried out? Have you
called? Perhaps you feel the Lord hasn't answered you yet.
But he promises that whosoever shall call upon his name shall
be saved. But it follows, how then shall
they call on him in whom they have not believed? You cannot.
And how can you believe on him of whom you have not heard? You
cannot. And how shall they hear without
a preacher? You will not. And how shall they
preach except they be sent? They cannot. As it is written,
how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace and bring glad tidings of good things. But they have
not all obeyed the gospel. Preachers have been sent. They
have brought the message of the gospel of peace. And people have
heard. But some here were the outer
ear only and do not obey, do not believe. Isaiah said, Lord,
who have believed our report? He preached, he declared the
wondrous message that he preaches in chapter 62. And so many rejected,
so many passed by. But there were those who heard,
those in Zion who were forsaken. and desolate and they heard they
heard the report and when they heard faith came and hearing
by the word of God because faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the word of God I say, have they not heard? Yes, verily their
sound went out into all the earth and their words unto the ends
of the world. This gospel has sounded throughout
this world in urgency. It sounded. Have you heard it? Have you heard in your heart? Did not Israel know? Moses said
I will provoke you to jealousy by them there are no people and
by a foolish nation I will anger you. Israel heard and they put
Christ to death. So the gospel went forth to the
Gentiles and shamed them because the Gentiles heard and the Gentiles
believed on him whom the Jews nailed to the cross. Esaias is
very bold and saith, I was found of them that sought me not. I
was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. Is that you? Did you seek him not? Did you
not ask after him? But to Israel he saith, all day
long have I stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and
gainsaying people. Oh, don't be the fool. Don't
be a disobedient and game-saying people. Don't say in your heart,
these things are not so. Don't say in your heart, I will
not believe on Christ. I will leave it for another day.
Don't shut your ears to the truth. Hear him whom God sends. Hear
the message whom God sends. Hear Christ and his gospel. who says, I will not hold my
peace. For Jerusalem's sake I will not
rest until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness
and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. Are you
desolate? Are you forsaken? Do you know
that state? John Newton did. We sang in the
hymn earlier Newton's words I seem forsaken and alone I hear the
lion roar And every door is shut but one And that is mercy's door
That is mercy's door The world may shut its door to you Religion
may shut its door to you But mercy's door is never shut. Oh, it may seem when you're barren,
desolate, when conviction of sin is upon you, that God is
afar off, but I tell you, mercy's door is never shut. Whosoever shall call upon my
name shall be saved. They shall be. And what a promise
God makes of the wondrous gospel here to those who hear. to those
whose hearts are opened by the Spirit of God, to those who are
born again by the mighty operation of God, to those upon whom the
Gospel comes in power, who hear not in word only, but in power,
in the Holy Ghost, in much assurance, have you heard, not just the
words, but can you hear God speak in power, when he says to his
people, that the Gentiles shall see not thy sin, not thy corruption,
but thy righteousness. The kings shall see thy glory. You shall have a name that the
Lord shall name. You shall have a crown of glory,
royal diadem, and you shall no more be termed forsaken, no more
desolate, but you shall be called Hepzibah and Beulah. The Lord
delights in thee. and thy land shall be married.
As a young man marries a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.
As a bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice
over thee. He'll look upon you as his bride. because he set his love upon
his people from all eternity. And if you're one of his, he
loved you from before the foundation of this world. He loved you before
this world was brought into being. He loved you before you were
born. He loved you before you shook
your fist in his face and went your way. He loved you before
you were corrupt in sin. He loved you before you said
away with Christ, I will not believe on him. he loved you
before he brought you under conviction he loved you before you found
yourself forsaken and desolate and he loves you when he opens
your ears and says unto you thou shalt have a new name you are
my bride i gave my son my son died in your place and you are
his bride He died for you, He washed you clean, He cleansed
you with His blood. And I will not rest until you
hear and you know. And I will not rest until you're
brought in, saved with an everlasting salvation. I will not rest until
you know my righteousness. I will not rest until you're
added to my city of Jerusalem, until Jerusalem is built up with
all those for whom Christ died. I will not rest until Jerusalem
is established and made a praise in the earth. The Lord have sworn
by his right hand and by the arm of his strength. he will
not rest until these things be so i will no more give thy corn
to be meat for thine enemies and the son of the stranger shall
not drink thy wine for which thou has labored but they that
have gathered it shall eat it and praise the lord and they
that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts
of my holiness you will be with me he says you will be with me
and i will not rest until you are go through go through the
gates prepare ye the way of the people cast up cast up the highway
gather out the stones lift up a standard for the people let
them hear O hear this day, behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto
the end of the world, say ye to the daughter of Zion, you
me if we know Christ, say ye to the daughter of Zion, behold
thy salvation cometh. And behold, his reward is with
him. The Saviour cometh, the one who
saves, the one who brings your salvation, he comes. And his
reward is with him, his work before him, he sees what he did
upon the cross, and he sees those for whom he died. Sinners like
you and me, sinners who were once forsaken and desolate, but
no more. for God will not rest until you
know until that people know that they shall be called the holy
people the redeemed of the Lord and that they shall be called
no longer forsaken, no longer desolate no longer rejected and
cast out but they shall be called sought out a city, not forsaken. Have you heard the Lord's voice
crying unto you? Have you heard Him declaring
this wondrous salvation, this wondrous gospel, that His people
are no longer forsaken, that Jerusalem is not a city forsaken,
but that she is sought out, that she is His bride, that she is
His love, for whom Christ died. He loved her and gave himself
for her. He washed her in his blood. He made her righteous with an
everlasting righteousness, the very righteousness of God. Her sins are no more. In your soul you may feel the
effects of sin. You may feel guilty. You may
feel God could never look upon you in love. But God says to
the guilty, God says to those with no strength, God says to
those who hated him and hate him, God says to those who are
nothing but sin, that you shall no more be termed forsaken or
desolate. but I delight in you, you are
my bride and your righteousness shall go forth as brightness
and your salvation as a lamp that burns. Have you heard that
voice? Have you heard that gospel? Have
you heard that message preached? Urgently, because it's urgent,
you need to hear today. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not next year. Not when you're
older and wiser. But today. Today is the day of
salvation. Harden not your heart. You need
to hear. Be no more forsaken. No more
desolate. But may you know, if God be pleased
to open your ears to this truth, may you know that God's people,
perhaps you, perhaps me, if we come to hear this truth, may
you know that He says of that people, that they are the holy
people, the redeemed of the Lord, and they shall be called, sought
out, a city, not Forsaken. Praise God.