Now, got your place bookmarked
there, Isaiah 54. Isaiah 54. Look at verse 5. Verse 5, Isaiah
54. I'm titling this message from
the words found in verse 5. Thy maker is thy husband. The church of the Lord Jesus
Christ, we have a husband. One who is in love with us. One
who has chosen us. Believers are married to the
Lord Jesus Christ. He's our maker. He made this
marriage. He decided when this marriage
would take place. Christ has chosen His church
to be His bride. He married His bride in the covenant
of grace when God Almighty gave to Him a people. He died to justify
them by His blood, called us out of darkness into His marvelous
light, made now new creatures in Christ Jesus, clothed in His
righteousness. What a husband we have! Clothed
in His righteousness, being His bride, made one with Him. You know, a husband and wife,
these two, the Scriptures say, these two shall be one flesh. There's no relationship closer
on this earth between people than a husband and a wife. They're
one together. And that's a picture of Christ
and His church. They are one together. Being
His bride made one with Him will never be separated from Him. Never be any separation. Never
be any divorce. He'll never leave us. He'll never forsake us. were
made one with Him. Christ and His church, believers,
you know what? They're happily married. Isn't
it great to have a happy marriage? I'm thankful that Bridget and
I have a happy marriage. A happy marriage! I tell you,
my friend, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is happily
married. Happily married! unto God Almighty
in Christ Jesus. You know, this marriage is a
pre-arranged marriage. You know, years ago, they used
to, the fathers and mothers, they would pre-arrange who their
son or daughter would marry. And they would see to it, they
would happen. This marriage of the Church to
Bride of Christ to the Lord Jesus Christ is pre-arranged. Matter
of fact, it's preordained of God in eternity. It's gonna happen. He's gonna marry his church.
He loved the church and gave himself for it. We're instructed,
husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church, gave
himself for his church. His bride, oh, he loves the bride. And you know what? The bride
loves the Lord Jesus Christ. He's our husband. What a husband! What a husband we have! This
truly is this marriage made in heaven. Christ is our husband. Now, in Isaiah 54, we see the
fruit of what the Lord Jesus Christ has bought for us with
His own blood, His redeeming work. You remember from Isaiah
53.10 where it says, "...it pleased the Lord to bruise him, to die
in our room and in our stead, and the pleasure of the Lord
shall prosper in his hand. The Lion of the tribe of David,
he has prevailed to put away sin. He has prevailed to fulfill
Scripture for us. He has prevailed to accomplish
our salvation. In chapter 54, we see the death
and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is the life and fruit of his redeeming blood. The death of Christ is the life
of his church. Our Lord said in John 10, it's
recorded, I am come that you might have life and have it more
Abundantly. I'm the good shepherd, he said.
I lay down my life for the sheep. I'm he that liveth and was dead.
Behold, I'm alive forevermore, and I have the keys of hell and
death. You see, without Christ crucified,
without Isaiah 53, would there be any fruit realized in Isaiah
54, where he says, build a bigger house? by nature desolate, dead,
barren, dry, but now made fruitful, so much so that he says, stretch
out the walls, remove the tent pegs, build a bigger tent, a
multitude of sinners saved by the blood atonement of Christ.
You see, without Christ crucified, what would we have? Without Christ
crucified, resurrected in glory, seated at the right hand of God?
Would we have any salvation at all? No! And Adam all died! Without Christ, we have no life. We have no salvation, no forgiveness
of sin. We would remain like that cast
out infant that's recorded in Ezekiel 16, cast out in blood,
polluted in their blood, cast out into an open field, helpless,
vile, and wretched. And without Christ and Him crucified,
we would remain dead in our sin, without help, without hope, without
Christ, without life, without salvation, without anything. but self in sin and destruction
and ruin. Now, with that introduction,
let's consider these first 10 verses. Sing, verse 1. Sing, Isaiah 54. Sing, O barren. That's what we
are by nature, barren in sin, dead in trespasses and in sin. By nature, we do not bear anything. Good, the only thing we bear
is the righteousness that is filthy rags. Break forth in the
singing, cry aloud, thou that didst not travail, we didn't
work to be sons of God. For more are the children of
the desolate than the children of a married wife, saith the
Lord. The visible church of the Lord
Jesus Christ at beginning when he was manifested in the flesh
in his ministry. Very small beginning, right?
Very small. We had a very few disciples. There were just 12 apostles.
When the Lord gathered his church together after dying for their
sin and after his resurrection and but before his ascension,
it says in Acts chapter 20 that we're just, or Acts chapter 1,
there were just 120 followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. But
now, I tell you, there's a multitude, a numberless multitude out of
every kindred, tribe, nation. This is a fruit of his atonement.
Turn back here to John chapter 12 for a moment. John chapter
12. I want you to mark this. John chapter 12, look at verse
23. John chapter 12. Now, all of
you have taken All of you have taken a little dried up kernel
of corn. Just a little shriveled up kernel
of corn. Doesn't look like anything, does
it? And you take it in the spring of the year, and you prepare
the ground, and you take that little kernel and plant it in
the ground, and you cover it up, and you sit back, and the
rain comes, and the sun comes, and germination takes place. Out of that little shriveled
up seed comes a stalk. And out of that stalk comes the
bloom. And out of that bloom comes the
fruit. That's a picture of Christ in the fruit of His death. Now
look at John chapter 12, verse 23. And Jesus answered them,
saying, John 12, 23, The hour has come that the Son of Man
should be glorified. Barely, barely, I say unto you,
except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides
alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit. Through the death and atonement
of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is much, much accomplished. There
is much fruit. unto the praise and glory of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Since his resurrection, since
his glorious enthronement, a multitude of sinners have been called begotten
of God by the incorruptible seed, the word of truth. I give you
two examples of this. Turn to Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2. Turn over there. At first, just 120. when the
Lord ascended to glory, but when He sends them forth to preach
the gospel, in Acts chapter 2, when the gospel is blessed by
the power of God the Holy Spirit, look at verse 41, Acts 2-41. Then they that gladly received
His word were baptized, confessing Christ, and the same day there
were added unto them, unto the church, about three thousand
souls. Oh, what fruit from his atonement. Look at Acts chapter four, turn
over there. Look at verse four, Acts 4, 4.
How be it many of them which heard the word believed, and
the number of the men was about 5,000. The number of the men,
not counting the women and the children. There's eight to 10,000
in just a few weeks. Added, added. to the church of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, many more. Many more children. For more are the children of
the desolate than the children of a married wife. Now look at
verse 2. We do break forth in the singing.
We do rejoice that the Lord Jesus Christ is on the trail of His
sheep. He will have a people. Heaven's going to be occupied
with a heavenly people, a heavenly host. Therefore, look at verse
2, enlarge the place of thy tent, build a bigger building. Let
them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitation. Spare not,
lengthen the cords, strengthen the stakes thereof. The Lord
is telling us that the gospel that is to be preached in all
the world will be blessed of God calling out a multitude of
sinners unto Himself. He will bless His Word. Turn
just one page, Isaiah 55. The Lord said, I'll build my
church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Isaiah 55, look at verse 8. For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For
as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
than your thoughts, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the
rain cometh down in the snow from heaven, and returneth not
thither, there, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring
forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread
to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth out of my
mouth, that shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish
that which I please, and it shall, here's that word again, prosper,
prosper in the thing whereinto I will send it. The Lord is going
to have a multitude of redeemed, redeemed with His blood, called
out with the preaching of the Word, with the preaching of the
Gospel, God has ordained that as the instrument to call out
His people, to call out His elect. Look at verse 3, back in our
text, Isaiah 54, saying, O barren, God's going to have a multitude
of people purchased with the blood of Christ, build a bigger
house, knock out the walls, For thou shalt break forth on the
right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles,
and make the desolate cities to be inhabited of God." Desolate
cities shall be inhabited with the gospel church full of believers. Now this was certainly true in
the early establishment of the church. In Paul's day and in
the Apostles' day when the gospel was sent to other places, cities
like Galatia, cities like Corinth, cities like Rome, Gentile cities
were inhabited with a multitude of sinners saved by God's grace. The gospel was blessed of God,
sent of God. to sinners, Gentiles. You see
what it says in verse 3, for thou shalt break forth on the
right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles,
and thy seed shall inherit an inheritance of grace and make
the desolate cities to be inhabited. The Lord sent the gospel out
to desolate places. You remember from our study in
Revelations 2 and 3, when the letters were sent to the seven
churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia,
Laodicea. These were Gentile cities, desolate
places, and yet God had a multitude of sinners that he called out
with the gospel of God's grace. And God, even today, is still
sending out the gospel and blessing His people in different cities.
Even today, the Lord hasn't changed His method or His means to call
out a people that shall inherit the inheritance of grace, being
made heirs of God and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. Places
like Ashland, Kentucky. Places like Kingsport, Tennessee. Places like Dingus, West Virginia. places like Pikeville, Kentucky,
and many other desolate cities, the Lord is calling out a people
unto his glorious name. Break forth, sing, thy seed shall
inherit. Desolate cities shall be inhabited
with believers. Look at verse four, fear not,
fear not. Fear not. Now this has been a
repeated theme throughout our study in Isaiah. Fear not, fear
not. The Lord keeps saying, fear not.
Turn back to Isaiah 41. Fear not, Isaiah 41. Fear not,
verse 10. Isaiah 41, verse 10. Fear not. Fear thou not. For I am with thee. Be not dismayed,
for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea,
I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand
of my righteousness. Fear not, fear not, the Lord's
on the throne, fear not. Turn to Isaiah 41 verse 14. You
remember this? Verse 13 says, For I, the Lord
thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear
not, I will help thee. Fear not, thy worm Jacob, ye
men of Israel, I will help thee, save the Lord, and thy Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel. Fear not, fear not. Turn to Isaiah
43, verse 1. Isaiah 43, verse 1, fear not. Why does he keep saying this?
We're such a fearful, frightened, frail people. We need to be reminded
all the time, fear not, fear not. Isaiah 43 verse one, but
now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, he that
formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I've
called thee by your name, you're mine, fear not, fear not, fear
not. Isaiah 44 two, turn over there.
Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the
womb, which will help thee, fear not." He's made us. He promised
he'd help us, fear not. Thou Jeshurun, for I have chosen,
I have chosen thee, fear not. Now look back at Isaiah 54, look
at verse 4, fear not. You will not be ashamed, neither
will you be confounded. Married to Christ? In love with
Him? He said, you have no need to be ashamed. You have no need
to be confounded. For thou shalt not be put to
shame. For thou shalt forget the shame
of thy youth. and shall not remember the reproach
of thy widowhood any more." Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have
no need to be ashamed. Turn back to Isaiah 45. Turn
over there, Isaiah 45. Those who are makers of idols,
verse 16, they shall be ashamed and confounded. You see that
verse 16, Isaiah 45? All of them, they that go shall go to confusion
that are makers of idols, but Israel shall be saved in the
Lord with an everlasting salvation. You shall not be ashamed nor
confounded throughout eternity." Never be ashamed, never be confused
or confounded, resting in the foundation that the Lord has
provided. And now something else here I
want to point out in verse 4. He says forget something. You
see that word forget? Forget. Fear not. Fear not and
then forget this. Forget the shame of your youth.
Remember not the reproach of thy widowhood anymore. Forgetting those things which
are behind, reaching forth unto those things which are before.
Forget your former idolatry. Forget your former religious
experience. Forget it. Leave it in the past.
Turn over here to Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter
3, the Apostle Paul, he had a very notorious religious past when
he was Saul of Tarsus, persecuting believers, hating the Lord Jesus
Christ. But when he learned the gospel,
when the gospel was revealed unto him, he said, forgetting
those things which are behind, oh that I may win Christ and
be found in him. You see Philippians 3 verse 8,
Verse 9, being found in him, not having my own righteousness
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Verse 10,
that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and
the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable unto His
death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection
of the dead by all means, not as though I had already attained,
I hadn't arrived yet, either were already perfect, Paul said,
I'm not in glory yet, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend
or lay hold of that which I've been laid hold of by Christ."
I've been apprehended by Christ. Now look at verse 13. Philippians
3. Brethren, I count not myself
to have arrived yet apprehended, but this one thing I do. Here's
one thing I do. Forgetting. Forget the shame
of thy youth. Forgetting those things which
are behind. You reckon Paul had in his mind his former legal
self-righteousness and how he hated Christ and hated the gospel
and persecuted believers unto death. He had some things to
forget, didn't he? Forgetting those things which
are behind, let's leave them in the past. Let's not dig them
up and bring them forth. Let's not go back there and try
to find any refuge to hide in. It's just a refuge of lies. Forgetting
those things which are behind, and let's reach forth unto those
things which are before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith, I press toward the mark of the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. So let's forget
the shame of our youth. And your widowhood, the reproach
of our idolatry. Let's forget it. Let's not bring
it up anymore. Let's press forward, looking
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Because, look at verse 5, Isaiah
54 verse 5. Because, here's the reason why.
We have no need to fear, nor be confounded, nor be ashamed. We have great reason to forget
our former idolatry, because, verse 5, Thy Maker, Thy Maker,
notice, capital M-A-K-E-R, Thy Maker, your Creator, your God,
He's your husband. The Lord of hosts is His name.
The Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, that's who He is. The
God of the whole earth shall He be called. He is our husband. Here's the reason why we shall
not fear. The Lord is our Maker. Can't you say with the Apostle
Paul, I am what I am by the grace of God? Turn over here to the
book of Psalms and find Psalm 100. Psalm 100. Psalm 100. If you don't want to turn, just
let me read it to you. The Lord is our Maker. I am what
I am by the grace of God. Psalm 100. He's our maker. Look at verse three. Know ye
that the Lord, He is God. It is He that has made us. He
made us to believe the gospel. He made us new creatures in Christ
Jesus. He made us. And not we ourselves. We didn't make ourselves. We
hear people say, well, I'm a self-made man. You're a fool. What we have, we have by His
grace. The wisdom we have is by His gift unto us. He had made us, not we ourselves.
We are His people and a sheep of His pasture. He made us. The Lord, thy maker, thy maker. He's my husband. The church of
the Lord Jesus Christ is well married. We are His workmanship
created in Christ Jesus. He made us. The Lord of glory
is our husband. We are one with him as he loved
the church and gave himself for it. No closer relationship than
a husband and a wife. The two are made one. That's what happens when two
are married. They're no longer two, they're one. And that's
a picture of Christ and his church. He married us and we are one
with him. It says in John 17, I in them
and thou in me that we may be made one. We're vitally connected. Just as your head, how vital
is your head to your body? You take your head away from
your body and dissolve that union, there's death. The head of the
body is the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is a vital union between
Christ and His Church. What's true of Him is true of
them. The Lord of Hosts is His name. The Lord of Glory is His
name. Look what it says there. The
Lord of Hosts is His name. He's the Lord of the people,
a people that's purchased with His blood. We're bought with
a price. He's the Lord of hosts. He's the Lord of the people.
God bought us with His own blood. We are no more our own. We're
bought with a price, a great price. And then look what else
it says. This is the description of our
husband. He's our maker. He's our Lord. God has made that
same Jesus whom you crucified, Lord and Christ. We confess Him
as Lord, don't we, in all things, in salvation, creation, and providence?
Our husband is our Maker. Our husband is our Lord. Our
husband is our... He's our Redeemer. We're bought
with His blood, washed and justified in His blood. Now you remember
from our study in the book of Ruth, about the Kinsman Redeemer? You remember his name? Boaz.
Boaz. You remember in, under the law,
the one who had the right to redeem, to be a near Kinsman
Redeemer, he must be near kin. He must have the power to redeem,
the ability to redeem, he must have the willingness to redeem.
And certainly all those are true of the Lord Jesus Christ. For
He is near kin to us, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh.
The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. He identified with
us in our humanity. He identified with us in our
sin. He took our sin upon Himself.
He has the power to redeem. All power is given to me in heaven
and earth. Does He have the will to redeem? Oh yes. Yes, he said no man takes my
life from me. I have power to lay it down I
have power to take it again this commandment have I received to
my father? He has the right to redeem the
power to redeem and he has the ability to redeem. He has a will
to redeem Can his will be changed? Because his will be frustrated
No, you see the description of our husband who is our Savior. He's our Maker. Look what it
says there. He's our Lord. He's our Redeemer. He's the Holy One of Israel.
And then it says there, He's the God of the whole earth, shall
He be called. Now where does He reign? Where
does His dominion start? Where does His dominion end? He reigns everywhere. His dominion
is everywhere. He does according to His will
in heaven and in earth, in all places. He is King and God of
all the earth. This is the one that I'm married
to. The Lord Jesus Christ. He's my
maker. He's my Lord. He's my Redeemer. He's my God. and my Savior who
rules and reigns over all the earth. Makes me to think about
this. What a husband we have. If you think about it. What a
husband's been provided for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What a husband we have! He sought us when we were unlovely.
He called us to Himself when we were ungodly, for Christ died
for the ungodly. He commanded His love toward
us, and while we were yet sinners, He died for us. He redeemed us
when we were dead in sin, quickened us together, having forgiven
us all trespasses. What a husband! You see, the
Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, well married. Our husband provides
everything for us. Food, he's a bread of life. Shelter,
we have a refuge in Christ Jesus. He's given us clothing. His righteousness,
clothed with the garments of salvation. Oh, my friend, what
a husband we have in Christ Jesus. Now, let's read on, Isaiah 54,
verse 6. When for the Lord hath called
thee, the Lord has called thee. as a woman forsaken, grieved,
and a wife of youth when thou wast refused." Now, get a hold
of three words here. If you've got a pencil or pen,
underline these. The Lord called us when we were forsaken, when
we were grieved, when we were refused. You see, there's nothing
there that merits salvation, is there? He called us when we
were forsaken, forsaken, grieved, and refused, saith the Lord. Now look at verse 7, for a small
moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies I will
gather thee, when we were forsaken, grieved, and refuged, when we
were lost and undone, sheep had gone astray, our great shepherd
crossed our path, our husband sought us out with the gospel,
called us out of darkness into his marvelous light, called us
to fall in love with him." You see, by nature we don't love
him. But by grace, being called of him, being made willing in
the day of his power, we say with the beloved lover in the
song of Solomon, my beloved is most sweet, he is altogether
lovely. He made us to love him. As he
called us when we were grieved, when we were forsaken, when we
were refused, the Lord still loved us. The Lord crossed our
path with the gospel and called us to himself. Look at verse
7 and 8. For a small moment have I forsaken
thee, but with great mercies I will gather thee in a little
wrath. A little wrath now, small moment. I hid my face from thee for a
moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on
thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." Sometimes it seems and appears
that the Lord has forsaken us, has hid His face from us. You
ever have times of doubt and fear, but it's never truly the
case. The Lord will never finally or
fully forsake us. It's only for a small moment.
It's only a little wrath that the Lord would chastise us out
of love that he might gather us to himself with, look what
it says there, everlasting kindness. Will I have mercy upon thee?
With great mercies will I gather thee. I will have mercy upon
thee. And I will get thee with great
mercies, with everlasting kindness. God said, I'll draw thee to myself. Great mercies. It's not by works
of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy,
He called us. What is this everlasting kindness?
What is this everlasting kindness? Well, it's His love, isn't it?
His love, His eternal love. He loved His own with an everlasting
love, therefore with lovingkindness does He draw us to Himself. Jeremiah
31. You see what this is teaching
us here? The Lord must strip us. before He clothes us. He must break us and wound us
before He heals us. He must convict us before He
converts us. He must teach us that we're lost
before He makes us to know the Good Shepherd who laid down His
life for the sheep. He must put us in the dust before
He raises us up. lifts us from the dunghill as
beggars from the dunghill to make us princes in Christ Jesus. Now look at Isaiah 54 verse 9. This is like the waters of Noah. For as I have sworn that the
waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, that is, the
earth will be no more destroyed by water. So have I sworn that
I will not be angry with thee, nor rebuke thee." Noah, this
salvation we enjoy in Christ, is likened to that typical salvation
in the days of Noah. in which the Lord Jesus Christ
is a fulfillment of that picture of that ark. What is that ark
a picture of? Here we see all the floodwaters, wrath of God. And out yonder floating on that
water, there's a boat. Noah and his family inside the
ark. What is that a picture of? Picture
of Christ, our ark. The wrath of God fell on that
ark. Those inside the ark were saved. The wrath of God has fallen
upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He took the punishment for our
sin and those in Christ Jesus have a sure refuge, a hiding
place in Him. Noah says in Scripture, Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was saved from the
wrath of the flood being in the ark. Christ is our ark. God made a covenant with Noah.
Read about it in Genesis chapter 9. Put a rainbow in the sky and
God told him they would flood the earth no more, destroy the
earth no more with water. And our merciful Lord has made
an everlasting covenant of grace with His church. In Christ Jesus
there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in the Lord
Jesus Christ. He took my sin, took my wrath.
Took my judgment. Now there's no condemnation for
those in Christ Jesus. Look at verse 10 in closing.
For the mountains shall depart. These mountains we see around
us, these hills we see around us, one day will pass away. The mountains and the hills will
be removed. But my kindness, my mercy, my
love shall not depart from thee. You see, he's our husband. He'll
provide for us, but my kindness shall not depart from me, neither
shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, who
has mercy on thee. The earth as we know it is reserved
unto everlasting destruction. Let me read this scripture to
you, found in 2 Peter 3. But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
a fervent heat, the earth also and the works therein. You think
how many things have been built upon this earth? The works therein
shall be burned up, dissolved. But we are given assurance of
two precious promises given in this verse 10. The mountains
and the hills shall be removed, but my kindness will never depart,
neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed. These are
two of the exceeding great and precious promises given to us
in Christ Jesus. His kindness, His love toward
us in Christ will never be Is His love ever diminished toward
His own? Does He ever love us one day and then we act foolishly
and He says, well, I don't love you anymore. No, He loves us
in spite of all that we are. In spite of all that we do. It
does not change His love for us. His kindness, His love to
us in the Lord Jesus Christ will never diminish. will never depart. It says in Romans 8 that nothing,
nothing, and the list is exhaustive, isn't it? Nothing shall separate
us from the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not death, not nakedness, not peril, not sword, not trouble,
not life, not death, nor anything, it says, shall separate us from
the love of God, His kindness, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. neither neither his kindness
will never be removed his love never be removed neither neither
this shall the covenant of my peace be removed now what is
the covenant of peace you know what that is the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ that's the covenant of peace this covenant
made with the Lord Jesus Christ. God gave him a people in that
covenant of grace. The Lord Jesus Christ has made
the surety of the everlasting covenant. The Lord Jesus Christ
is the sacrifice of that covenant. The guarantee of the covenant.
He's the husband of the covenant. And it shall never be removed. The covenant of peace, the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ will never be removed. It'll never
be improved, will it? That's not a new version of the
gospel. The gospel is the old gospel. The ancient gospel. The gospel
of God. It'll never be removed. It'll
never be improved. It'll never be updated. Updated. There'll never be an updated
version of the gospel of Christ. It'll never be changed. He said,
I'm the Lord, I do not change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
today, and forever. It'll never be altered. Never
needs an improvement. The covenant of my peace shall
never be removed. Who says so? Who says so? Sayeth the Lord. Now have mercy
on thee. How's this peace made? The Lord
Jesus Christ made peace with God with his own blood. This is that everlasting covenant
of peace. Turn, one more scripture and
I'll let you go. Hebrews 13, Hebrews 13. Now the God of peace, Hebrews
13, 20. For the mountains shall depart,
the mountains shall depart, the hills be removed, but my kindness
shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace
be removed, saith the Lord. What is this covenant of peace?
Let's read about it. Hebrews 13, verse 20, you got
it? I hope you've got this underlined,
circled. Now the God of peace that brought
again from the dead the Lord Jesus, our Lord Jesus Christ,
that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting
covenant. It'll make you perfect. Every way every good work to
do his will what is his will this is the father's will Everyone
that seeth the Son and believeth in him shall have eternal life
to do his will working in you This covenant works in you that
which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to
whom be glory forever and ever." That gets right back to Revelation
5, doesn't it? To Him be glory forever and ever.
Now what did the church say? What do you say? What does it
say there? Amen. So be it. It is true. The covenant
of peace, His everlasting kindness, shall never depart.