Isaiah chapter 62. I'm taking the title with a message
from the words found in verse 4. The Lord delights, the Lord
delights in His church. Thou shalt no more be termed
forsaken. It shall not be said of thee
anymore that you're forsaken. Neither shall thy land any more
be termed desolate. no longer desolate, no longer
forsaken, but thou shalt be called my delight, my delight is in
her. And thy land married, married,
we're married to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we're not looking
for Beulah land, we're looking for Christ, our Lord, our bridegroom. For the Lord delighteth in thee,
and thy land were married to the Lord Jesus Christ. No more
are we called forsaken or desolate, but rather blessed with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus Christ. He's blessed
us so abundantly. But rather, Hephzibah and Beulah,
that is, my delight is in her, The Lord Jesus Christ delights
in His bride, His church. The church is married to the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is our husband. He is our
head. We are His body, His flesh, His
bones. We are His bride because we're
one with Christ. were united to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Hold your place there. You remember
back over here in Isaiah 54, Isaiah 54 verse 5. For thy maker is thine husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name, thy redeemer, the Holy One of
Israel, the God of the whole earth shall he be called. The
maker, our creator. is our husband. He loved us with
an everlasting, everlasting love. Our Lord, we're so one with Him. He says, I in them, and thou
in me, that we may be made perfect in one. I in them, John 17, and
thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, that the
world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them,
as thou hast loved me." Now you think about that. He loves us. Thou hast loved them. The Father
loves us as He loves His Son. We're one in Him. Blessed are
they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We're going
to study that in Revelation 19. The Lord Jesus Christ loved the
church and gave Himself for us. He delights in us. All that the
Father has given to Him, He delights in His church. He's married us
with an everlasting, eternal love. Now, I want us to study
here in this Isaiah 62, Isaiah 62, and try to look at all these
verses if we can, and look at the way, very carefully, the
way the Lord Jesus Christ considers and views his covenant people
and what we are unto the Lord, his body, his bride, his beloved. To the believer, the Lord Jesus
Christ indeed is precious to you who believe. To the believer,
the Lord Jesus Christ is altogether lovely. But think about this.
This is also true of the church and every member in that body.
We are precious to the Lord. Consider that. We are precious
to the Lord. Look at the last line in verse
5. As the bridegroom rejoices over
the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. He delights in us. He rejoices over us. We are his
jewels. It says that Malachi 3, let me
read it to you. And they shall be mine, saith
the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my jewels, I will
spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. We are sons of God. Behold what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should
be called sons of God. Herein is love, not that we love
God. He loved us. and sent His Son to be the sacrifice
for our sin. Now, let's look at these descriptions
the Lord gives here of every believer, every saint of God
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 1. For Zion's sake... Now, Zion here is always a picture
of God's church, God's family. For Zion's sake, I will not... God said, I will not hold back.
I will not be silent. I will not hold my peace. He's
going to speak out on our behalf. And for Jerusalem's sake, again,
a picture of God's people, God's church. I will not rest. I will not hold back. I will
not rest until. The righteousness thereof go
forth at brightness. The righteousness he's speaking
of here is the righteousness that the Lord has established
for us by honoring the law of God for us. Until righteousness
thereof go forth at brightness. Clear as the noonday sun. It's not dark and obscure. The
righteousness we have in Christ is brightness. Brightness. And the salvation thereof as
the lamp that burneth." Those two things we have in Christ
Jesus, don't we? Righteousness established, and
we have everlasting and eternal salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a prophecy concerning
the mediatorial priestly work of the Lord Jesus Christ for
His church, His Zion, His Jerusalem. In Hebrews 12, We read, but you
are come unto Mount Zion, unto the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
describing his church. The Lord our God and Savior will
not hold back anything in the arsenal of his grace to establish
for us everlasting righteousness and eternal salvation. That's
what we have in Christ. He is the Lord our righteousness.
This is exactly what the Lord did for us in time. This is a
prophecy concerning what He would do when He came. But this is
exactly what He did for us when He came. He did not hold back. He was not silent. He did not
rest until He had finished and completed our salvation and established
for us everlasting life in Christ Jesus. You remember he prayed,
John 17, Father, I thank you. You've given me power over all
flesh. I've finished the work you gave
me to do. He didn't hold back, did he?
The prophecy here is talking about the coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ in the fullness of time. What did He do? He didn't
come down here to try to make an effort to save His people.
He didn't come down here to try to establish righteousness for
His people. He did it. He accomplished it. He didn't put us in a savable
state. He saved us when He justified us with His blood. Look at verse
2. And the Gentiles shall see thy
righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be
called a new name." A new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall
name. We have a new name. We have a
new name in Christ. The Gentiles and kings here,
sinners, shall be made to see the righteous one and the holy
one, the Lord Jesus Christ, as all in all in our salvation. And we have, and he gives us
a new name. Being made one with Christ in
that eternal covenant of grace and married to him, we take his
name. Now when a young maiden, a young
lady, marries someone that she loves and they fall in love with
one another, the young woman takes the husband's name. And
she just loved that name. She loves her husband's name.
Being made one with Christ in that eternal covenant of grace
and married to him, we take his name. Now, I won't have you turn
and read this, but in Jeremiah 35, it talks about the righteous
branch. He shall be called. He shall
be called. You remember, we've looked at
this many times, that one. He shall be called the Lord our
righteousness. That's Jeremiah 23.5. And then when it goes over to
Jeremiah 33.16, there it said, She shall be called the Lord
our righteousness. You see, that's His name. He
shall be called the Lord our righteousness. Jehovah said,
Canoe. And She shall be called. The Lord our Righteousness. That's
our name. In Christ, we have a new name.
The believer resting in Christ gladly takes his name, wears
it boldly. We're not ashamed to own him
as our Lord, our Savior. We're not ashamed to own him
as our husband, as our God and Savior. And he has given us a
new name and that he has made us new creatures in Christ Jesus. Remember that scripture, 2 Corinthians
5, 17. If any man be in Christ, He's a new creation. Old things
are passed away, behold all things have become new. It's a new name
because we've been made partakers of a divine nature in Christ
Jesus. Remember in our study in the
Revelation, In chapter 2 verse 17, let me read it to you. And
in chapter 3 verse 12, he talks about that name, that name written. He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh,
I will give to eat the hidden manna, and I will give him a
white stone, and in that stone a new name. What is that new
name? It's Christ. The Lord Jesus,
which no man knowest, say, being he that receives it. We have
received by faith the Lord Jesus Christ, and what's true of Him,
how many times have I said this to you? What's true of the head?
It's true of the body. Christ is our head. We are His
body. What's true of Him is true of
us. Where He is, we are in Him. Now, who says so? which the mouth
of the Lord shall name." He named us. He's in love with us. He chose us. Now look at verse
3, "...and thou shalt also be crowned with glory." He crowns
us with eternal glory. "...in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem." A royal diadem, that word diadem means
crown. a royal crown in the hand of
the Lord, in the hand of the Lord, a crown of glory, a royal
diadem by the hand of the Lord, from the hand of the Lord, a
crown of glory. We are called in Isaiah, excuse
me, Psalm 59, we are called the people of his pasture and the
sheep of his hand. We're the sheep of his hand.
Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord. He said,
my sheep hear my voice, I know them, I give unto them eternal
life, and no man can pluck them out of my hand. I want to be
in his hand, don't you? God is not in our hands. We're
in his hand by his grace. That's where I want to be. Christ
has crowned us with all spiritual blessings. You remember? unto
Him who loved us and washed us from our sin in His own blood. He made us kings and priests
unto our God. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen. In Christ Jesus, He's blessed
us. He's made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption, that according as it is written,
He that with glory Let Him glory, where? In the Lord. In the Lord
Jesus Christ. You see, His beauty is ours.
When God speaks from heaven and says, this is my beloved Son
in whom I am well pleased, talk about you. God is well pleased
with the Lord Jesus Christ and all those in Him. You see, He
is our beauty. He has given us His beauty. He's
given us his grace. He's loved us with an everlasting
love. Therefore, with love and kindness,
he's drawn us. to himself. Look in Isaiah 61
10. You see it right there above
the page there? Isaiah 61 10. I will greatly
rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my
God. For he hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe
of righteousness as a bridegroom, decketh himself with ornaments
as a bride adorns herself with jewels. Oh, he's decked us out
so wonderfully. Garments of salvation we have
on a robe of righteousness. Christ is our righteousness.
Now because of all that, He's given us a new name. He's established
righteousness. He's given us salvation. He's
given us a new name. He's crowned us with a royal
crown. Made us kings and priests under
our God. Verse 4, Thou shalt no more be
considered termed. Thou shalt no more be termed. or considered forsaken, neither
shalt the land any more be termed desolate, but thou shalt be called
my delight, and thy land married, for the Lord delighteth in thee,
and in thy land, and thy land shall, shall be married, married
to Christ, no longer forsaken, no longer failed, but rather
We are the Lord's delight. We see here what we are by our
sinful nature. Our sinful nature is what? Forsaken
and desolate. Forsaken and desolate. Remember,
was it last week we studied Isaiah 59? Where it says, your sin have
separated you between you and your God. But sin being put away,
we're now reconciled to the Lord Jesus Christ. We see what we
are by nature, forsaken, fallen, and failures. without God, without
hope, and without Christ. But we see what we are in him,
no longer forsaken, no longer desolate. We see here what he's
made us by his grace. The Lord delights in us. He calls,
he delights to call us his own. He delights to own us as his
people, his children. He delights to save us by his
grace. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated. It's not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but God that shows mercy. He will
have mercy on whom he will. I quote this verse all the time,
and let me just read it to you. 1 Peter 2, 9, he said, you are
a chosen generation. Now, who did the choosing? He
did the choosing. When did he choose his own? From
eternity. And he said, you're a chosen
generation, you're a royal priesthood, you're a holy nation. A peculiar,
purchased people that you should sow forth the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Precious
in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. You see,
he chose us, he chose us, he has chosen us unto salvation.
Our Lord said that in John 15, you didn't choose me, I chose
you and ordained you. Who did the choosing? He did.
Why did he choose us? The cause is not found in us.
The cause is found in him. He delighted to do so in the
reasons found in himself. He's hid these things from the
wise and prudent, even so Father, He's hid these things from the
wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babe, even so, father,
for so it seemed good in his sight." Why did God choose us? Well, the reason's found in Him.
Why did God love us? I mean, we're unlovely. We're
ungodly. Why did God love us? Because
He would. Because He chose to do so. He
loved us with an everlasting love. Why? He delighted to do
so. Sovereign love. Hail sovereign
love. Jacob have I loved. Esau have
I hated. He'll love whom he will. He's
blessed us with all spiritual blessings. Why? For the reasons
found in him, not in us. He's called us out of darkness
into his marvelous light. Why? Because it pleased him to
do so. You see, the cause of salvation
is never found in us. It's always determined, dependent,
and accomplished upon Upon who? Upon Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he's saying here.
No longer shall you be known as desolate or deserted, barren
and stripped, a wasteland, but thou shalt be called married
unto the Lord. You shall be fruitful, fruitful
in the Lord. And again, we see what we are. by our sin, barren and fruitless,
but in the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, He's a true vine. We
are the branches because He is the true vine. We bear fruit
from the vine. It's the fruit of the Spirit.
We don't bear fruit. A branch doesn't bear fruit of
itself. How about some apple trees over
there? And they've got a few apples. But the vine, the branch,
didn't bear the fruit and produce the fruit. It comes from the
vine, from the tree. The Lord is that true vine. We
are the branches. We are the branches. And we bring
forth fruit because we're connected in one with the vine, with grapevine
back here in the backyard. And I pulled some grapes from
that grapevine today. But those grapes didn't produce
themselves. They only produce because they're
connected to the vine. This is what Christ has made
us in Him. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and we are complete in Him. We were
secretly married to the Lord Jesus Christ and that eternal
covenant of grace, which is ordered in all things, and in time it
was made manifest unto us that we belong to the Lord. You see,
He called us with His Word. He called us to the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And by His grace, He drew us. He affects us irresistibly. He
drew us. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of His power. How does He make us willing?
He makes Himself irresistible. We have to have the Lord Jesus
Christ. He gives us love in our heart for Him. And we embrace
Him with the hand of faith. We look to Him with the eye of
faith. We are bought with his precious
blood. Now look at verse five. He gives us some more information
here. For as a young man marrieth a
virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee. Married to Christ. As a bridegroom rejoiceth over
the bride. I've stood down front here and
other places and married people. And I've always, when I'm standing
up there with the bridegroom and when the bride comes down
the aisle, I tell you that bridegroom just has one eye, it's fixed
on her. He's looking at her. And the
bridegroom rejoices over the bride. Look at verse 5. So shall
thy God rejoice over thee. Think about that. Think how blessed
we are. God rejoices. He chose us. He loved us. He died for us.
He called us. He made us new creatures in Christ.
He gives us a new name. He's done everything for us.
He rejoices over us. And then verse 6, he says, I've set a watchman. I've set
a watchman over you. You see verse 6, I've set a watchman
upon thy walls. Now those old ancient cities
were walled cities. Jerusalem was a walled city.
And upon those walls stood watchmen. And they were to sound the alarm
if the enemy came. Or they were to sound the good
news if friends came. I have set a watchman upon thy
walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace, day or
night, ye that make mention, make mention of the Lord, and
keep not silent. Now these watchmen here, and
give no rest, verse 7, till he establish, until he make Jerusalem
a praise of the earth. We only know about the precious
things of the gospel through the preaching of the word. God
has ordained the watchmen, as watchmen here are ministers of
the gospel, to declare the message of Christ and him crucified as
all of our salvation. Remember in Revelation chapter
4 verse 8, the four living creatures which had six wings about them
and they were full of eyes within, And they rest not, day or night,
saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and
is, and is to come. That's the description of these
watchmen here. You see, they don't hold. They don't hold.
They're not silent. They don't hold their peace.
They speak out day and night. And they make mention of the
Lord, that He is holy, that He is glorious, that He is our salvation. God's servants have not shunned
to declare all the Word of God, all the Word of Truth. In Isaiah
40, you remember that chapter where it talks about the forerunner
of Christ and the preacher of the Gospel? That threefold message,
all flesh is grass, the Word of the Lord shall stand forever,
and behold, you're God. Behold your God. That's our message.
We're not to hold back. We cry day and night, make mention
of the Lord. Don't keep silent. As the Apostle
Paul said, for though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to
glory of, for necessity is laid upon me. Yea, what would it have
done to me if I preached not the gospel? Now, we don't have
to preach, but we have to preach the gospel if we do preach. Now look at verse 8 and 9. The
Lord hath sworn by his right hand, by the arm of his strength,
Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for your enemies,
and the sons of strangers shall not drink thy wine. The corn
and wine here is emblems of the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ
is our cornbread. He's the bread of life. The Lord
Jesus Christ is the wine, and wine always a symbol of redemption. for which thou hast labored.
But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the
Lord. And they that have brought it
together shall drink in the courts of my holiness." Now, I don't
know and I understand what all is being said there, but I do
know this, the Lord has sworn by His right hand of power, and
by the arm of His strength, His corn and His wine, His corn of
the gospel and wine of the gospel, is for his people, not for his
enemies. The Lord said, I'll build my
church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
His church shall drink and eat that which the Lord hath wrought
out and provided for them, and enjoy that forever in the courts
of his presence, of his holiness, his presence. God shall supply
all your need according to His riches in glory through the Lord
Jesus Christ. Look at the last line of verse
9, in the courts of my holiness. That's His presence. We feast
upon the gospel, the cornbread of the gospel, and the wine of
the gospel in the presence of the Lord. He is our holiness. Go through, go through the gates,
verse 10. Prepare ye the way of the people.
Cast up, cast up the highway. Make the way plain. Cast away
every obstacle. Gather out the stones. Lift up
the standard for the people. You see kind of some highway
construction going on here, don't you? Go through, go through the
gates. Prepare the way for the people.
Cast up, cast up the highway. Prepare the highway. Gather out
the stones, stone of stumbling, remove it, and lift up the standard. Lift up the standard for the
people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed
unto the end of the world. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed
unto the end of the world. Say to the daughter of Zion,
Behold, thy salvation cometh. Behold, his reward is with him.
Behold, his work is before him. The Lord will have this gospel
message proclaimed unto the end of the world through his watchman. He told us to go into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature. We are to prepare the way, or
that is, we are to declare the way. What is the way that we
declare? The Lord Jesus Christ said, I
am the way, the truth, the life. No man come to the Father but
by me. That's the way we declare. Prepare
you the way or declare the way. And then gather out the stone
from the way. Obstructions, stumbling blocks,
ceremonies, traditions of men. Cast those things aside. Look
to Christ. Lift up the banner. Lift up the
standards. Christ, His person, His work.
Behold God's salvation. Behold God's Savior. He said,
look unto Me. Lift up the standard. Lift up
the banner. The last part of verse 10. The
banner there is Christ. Our Lord said, if I'd be lifted
up, I'd draw all unto Me. Now notice in verse 11, three
times He says, Behold. Behold the Lord hath proclaimed
unto the end of the world Say to the daughter of Zion, God's
church, behold, again, he said, thy salvation cometh. Behold, his reward is with him.
and His work is before Him. The Lord coming back. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer,
came the first time to put away our sin. He's coming back the
second time to receive us unto Himself forever. And that's what's
being said there in verse 11. It's talking about His second
coming. Behold, thy salvation cometh.
Remember Revelation 1, verse 7, Behold, He cometh. Behold, thy salvation cometh.
Behold, thy Savior cometh." The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back.
He said, if I go away, I'll come again and receive you to Myself
that where I am, there you may be also. Behold, thy salvation,
the Savior is coming back for us. Behold His reward. is with Him, and His work is
before Him. Behold His reward. Christ is
our exceeding great reward, knowing that of the Lord you shall receive
the reward of the inheritance, for you received the Lord Christ. Behold, His reward is with Him. We are His reward. And his reward
is our inheritance. Heirs of God and joint heirs
with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he closes verse 12 with the
description of five things. And they shall call them the
holy people, and they shall call them the redeemed of the Lord,
Thou shalt, and they shall call them, and thou shalt be called and sought
out a city not forsaken. Now let's go over those five
things quickly. He says, God's people shall be
known as the holy people. The holy people. Not by their
power or by their morality, but truly made holy in the Lord Jesus
Christ. What did we read over here a
moment ago? Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it,
that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should
be holy. Holy. Without blemish. Now, we're not holy in ourselves,
are we? Isaiah 64, 6, that all of our righteousnesses are filthy
rags, but we're holy in Him. And then secondly, he says, the
redeemed of the Lord. We're called the redeemed of
the Lord. We have a kinsman redeemer who has a right to redeem. the
ability and power to redeem, and He has the will to redeem
us. He is our Redeemer. We're bought with His blood.
He loved the church and bought us with His own blood. And then
it says of them, His church, His Zion, His Beulah, His delight,
thou shalt be called sought out. Now, He sought us out. Now, we
were all All we like sheep have gone astray. We didn't find the
Lord. He found us. You see, He sought
us out of the pit. He found us in a pit of ruin,
in a pit of sin, and He lifted us out. You see, it all gets
back to saying the same thing that salvation is of the Lord,
isn't it? Thou shalt be called the holy
people. Thou shalt be called a bought people, a purchased
people, a redeemed people. Thou shalt be called sought out.
Boy, he sought us out. My pastor preached a sermon years
ago talking about the good shepherd who laid down his life for the
sheep. He said the good shepherd's always on the trail of the sheep.
He's always out seeking the sheep. A city not forsaken. This is that city that's not
forsaken. Not forsaken. You remember in
Hebrews 13, he said, I'll never leave thee. I'll never forsake
thee, a city not forsaken. He will never fail us. He will
never forsake us. The grace of God will not fail
us nor forsake us. The grace of God will not fail
us or forsake us. Neither will the God of grace.
fail us or forsake us. The grace of God and the God
of grace will never leave us nor forsake us. The God of all
grace who has called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after that you've suffered a while, make you perfect, establish strength
and settle you to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Isn't that a good verse?
Circle that verse and look at it this week. Holy people redeemed, sought
out, not forsaken. Not forsaken.