The text this morning is from the book of Isaiah chapter 62. Isaiah chapter 62 is our text and the entire chapter of 12 verses. Isaiah chapter 62. And you may follow along as I read this chapter of God's word. For Zion's sake, I will not hold my peace. And for Jerusalem's sake, I will not rest until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no longer be termed forsaken, nor shall your land anymore be termed desolate. But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land, Beulah. For the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you. And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem. They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord do not keep silent and give him no rest till he establishes, until he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his strength. Surely I will no longer give your grain as food for your enemies. And the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine for which you have labored. For those who have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord. And they who have brought it together shall drink it in my holy courts. Go through. Go through the gates. Prepare the way for the people. Build up. Build up the highway. Take out the stones. Lift up a banner for the peoples. Indeed, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the world Say to the daughter of Zion surely your salvation is coming 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 you shall be called sought out a city not forsaken. So the reading of God's holy, inspired and inerrant word. And we thank God for his word, do we? Do we not? What would we do without the Bible? I think of that so often. What would we do without the Bible? We'd be, of all people, most miserable and lost. Well, that's what I think. And I think many of you think the same thing. There's just a couple of questions I have to ask of our text before I get to the introduction. The first question is this. Who or what is Zion? Now, you see, that's very simple because we're told in the text who Zion is, aren't we? It's Jerusalem. You say, preacher, just look at the second phrase, the second phrase in the clause in verse 62, Jerusalem. Well, then I ask you, who's Jerusalem? So we know Zion is Jerusalem. Who is Jerusalem? Well, it's a metaphor. And you know what a metaphor is. It's not just talking about a geographical city. How do we know that? Well, if we look down verses 11 and 12, it becomes very, very clear. The Jerusalem of which he's speaking is a Jerusalem to which salvation comes. And in verse 12, they are the holy people and the redeemed of the Lord. Now, if you know anything about the historical city of Jerusalem, you know that they were not exactly a holy people. Actually, they crucified our Savior. That's not very holy, is it? but the Jerusalem of which he's speaking here is a holy people. They are the redeemed of the Lord. And we actually have them identified for us in the book of Revelation 5, verse 9, which I will read to you. Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nations, and you have made them a kingdom of priests, to our God, and they shall reign on earth." So when we read this chapter, when we think of Zion and Jerusalem, we must think of the people of God. Or, to put it very bluntly, we must think of the Church of Jesus Christ, if we are to understand this chapter. So that's the first question before I get to the introduction. The second question is this. Who is speaking? For Zion's sake, I will not hold my peace. And for Jerusalem's sake, I will not rest. Is this the prophet speaking? Or is it Yahweh speaking? Or is it the Lord speaking? Well, let's go back to chapter 60 to get some help with the answer to that question. Chapter 60. And we'll look at verse... Well, we can look at verses 16 through 22. I got to keep my eye on the clock unless I go too much on the questions before we get to the introduction of the sermon. But look at verse 16 of chapter 60. We read this. You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles and the bread and the milk of the breast of kings. You shall know that I, the Lord, am your savior and your redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob. Now, so immediately we learn something. We learned that the I could be the Lord speaking, because it is very clear that He is speaking. And as we read down through, if we had time, down through verse 22 of this chapter, it's very clear that the Lord is speaking. Verse 22, a little one shall become a thousand, a small one a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its place. So the I here is clearly the Lord. It is the Lord that brings glory to Zion. But then in chapter 61, verses 1 through 9, if we had time to read that, and you can read that this afternoon, but not while I'm preaching, you will find out that the I, again, is the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. But here you find something out that most of you already know. As soon as you read chapter 61, verses 1, 2, and 3, do you know who quoted that in the New Testament in Luke chapter 4? You can find that out too. But it was Jesus who said, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He took the scroll. He said, This day is this prophecy fulfilled in your hearing. So our Lord quoted this verse and said, I'm the one. He is the one. He is the Yahweh of the Old Testament. Well, there are two Yahweh's in the Old Testament, but I don't have time to show you that. But he is the Yahweh of the Old Testament. He is the one who is speaking. So with that in mind, And then in verses 10 through 12 of chapter 61, we find out that here the eye is the people of God. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness as a bridegroom decks herself with ornaments and as a bride adorns herself with jewels. For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. So the eye is Yahweh, the Lord, and the eye can be the people of God. So we come to Chapter 62, which is it? That's the question we have to answer, isn't it? To understand this text as we should. Well, let's see if we can get some help from the context of Chapter 62. And we do get help. Where do we get the help? Look down at verse six of this chapter again. Verse six. I have set a watchman on your walls, O Jerusalem. They shall never hold their peace day or night. You, you who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent and give him no rest till he establishes until he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth." Now, who sets the watchman on the walls, class? Is it the prophet or is it the Lord? Oh, you better answer that one right. It is the Lord who sets the watchman on the walls. So we go back to verse 1 and we can say, the Lord is the speaker here. We have to understand that before we can understand the passage. Now, I'm ready for my introduction of the sermon. There's a steep climb near Carlisle, Pennsylvania called Flat Rock Trail. It's rated as a moderate to difficult climb. It's about two and a half miles. There's no switchbacks to get to the top of this mountain, not like the Rocky Mountains. You understand we're out east, okay, in the Appalachians area. But it's a steep climb. And if you're able to climb this, you can view the Cumberland Valley. So imagine that you're told and that you can see a beautiful sight once you reach the top of the mountain on flat rock. But you're not an experienced climber like some of you here I know are. And you're a newbie at climbing. You can walk. And so you begin the trail with your friends. It's difficult. It's steep. It's rocky. And you get tired. And you wonder whether or not you're going to be able to make it. But your friends urge you on, so you keep going and going and going. And finally, with some exhaustion, you reach Flat Rock. And then when you get to Flat Rock, you see the lush hues of the Cumberland Valley. And over to your right, you see a dot. That's Carlisle, Pennsylvania. And it's such a beautiful view. Then if you're like me, you call your wife and say, I see you. I see you off there in the distance and what beauty it is. But it was hidden until you got there to the top of that mountain. And that I use that as an illustration to say here what we're doing and what we're doing right now is we're climbing the mountain and we haven't yet reached flat rock. But someday if you're in Christ you will reach that place where the beauty and the glory and the wonder of Zion will be revealed to you. It's there now. We just don't see it. We just don't see it. But the Lord here describes it to us in Isaiah chapter 62 in such a marvelous way. And so I want you to go with me this morning on this hike, if you please. So we can see something of the glory of Zion, the glory of the church of Jesus Christ. Now, why do I take you to this chapter? Well, three reasons. I'm still in the introduction. Three reasons. First of all, because to encourage you in the dark days when the church looks like she's not doing very well, we must understand who the church is and what she's really like. Secondly, to inspire you. Though you may see weakness in the church, I hope this will encourage you to labor for her and her expansion. And thirdly, to persuade you to think big thoughts and to do what you can to promote the Church of Jesus Christ in missions at home and abroad. So that's why I selected this passage. And I selected it because I didn't have much time to prepare, and I preached it before, and I love it. So with that in mind, we'll go on this journey. And there are three grand truths I want you to see from this passage this morning. The first grand truth is this, and that is the Church of Jesus Christ is a stunning righteousness. And we see that revealed to us in verses one through five of our text. Here's the picture of a loving husband reaches its height in verse five of our text when we read, For as a young man marries a virgin, So shall your sons marry you. Now that translation, so shall your sons marry you, is a little curious. Better to understand your sons possessing you. That's the idea rather than marriage here. But what we do have is the young man marries a virgin. And it says, for as a young man marries a virgin, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. Any of you men married? Do any of you men remember your wedding day? Do any of you remember the time when your bride walked in that door and you saw her for the first time on your wedding day? Do you remember what your emotions were? Do you remember what you thought? Here's what you thought, because I don't think you're any different from me. This is the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen in all the world, and she takes my breath away. Ah, yes, I see some of you smiling, and nobody's frowning. That's a good thing. That's exactly what you thought, you see. This is the way it is. Well, now, this is the picture that is given to us in the Bible by the Holy Spirit as to what Jesus Christ thinks of His bride. He sees His bride, and it takes His breath away. It's a he is stunned by her. Some of you guys that aren't married probably want to get married someday just for that wedding day experience, you see. But even if you never get married, we who are the bride of Christ, this is what our Lord Jesus Christ thinks of us. We must see Jesus. Then in verse two, if you'll notice, verse two, our Lord Jesus is saying, The Gentiles shall see your righteousness and all the kings, your glory, and you shall be called by a new name, which is which the mouth of the Lord will name. He says you'll be a crown of glory. So now, you know, every. Every room. Once every man to say, I got her and you didn't. And our Lord Jesus is saying this is my bride. And why is she so beautiful? Well, because of her righteousness, the Gentiles shall see your righteousness and all the kings, your glory. That's what the Lord says, and not only that. We read here, if I can read it right, he says he's not going to rest. He's not going to rest. Verse one and the gruesome sake, I will not rest. until her righteousness goes forth as brightness. So the Lord is saying, I'm going to stay up all night, but I want everyone to know how beautiful and glorious my bride, the church is. I'm not going to rest until that is known. And even Gentiles and kings shall see this, the text says. Now, I don't know a whole lot about kings. I know a little bit about Gentiles. because I am one, but usually kings and presidents and prime ministers are interested in doing what? They're interested in displaying their own glory, to tell everybody how great they are. You choose me and I'll solve all your problems. That's the promise they make, isn't it? But here, all of a sudden, the kings see the bride of Christ and they see Her righteousness. We sing about it in the church's one foundation, mid troil and tribulation and tumult of her war, she waits the consummation of peace forevermore till with the vision glorious, her longing eyes are blasting and the great church victorious shall be the church at rest. Well, you see, the church has a stunning righteousness as as indicated by how Uh, how, how, how, how God himself, how our Lord Jesus Christ sees the church of Jesus Christ. But there's more. She's stunning because she's the crown of his glory. Look at verse three. You shall also be the crown of glory. In other words, what the text is telling us is this. If you want to see the glory of God, you've got to look at the church. Now, God is all glorious. We know that when Isaiah saw God on his throne high and lifted up, that he was overwhelmed and he said, I'm a man of unclean lips. But here the text is saying that God's glory is also seen in the church of Jesus Christ. Remember what Paul tells us in Ephesians 5, 27, that he might present her to himself a glorious church, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. If you want to see the glory of God, look at the church and notice, he says, as I recall. Yes, it does say that you shall be a crown of glory. Ever seen a queen with a crown? That indicates their glory. The church is the crown, the crown of the glory of God. Ah, there's more. She's so stunning in her righteousness that the Lord says She can never be forsaken. Look at verses four and five of our text. You shall no longer be termed forsaken, nor shall your land anymore be termed desolate, but you shall be called Hepsa, Hepseba, that is my delight, and your Lamb Bula, that is married. For the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your son shall take possession of you. And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. Well, you see. Back in verse two. We find out another reason why she can never be forsaken, and that is because she's called by a new name. And that's a glorious statement, a new name. We used to sing a song in the church I grew up as a new name written down in glory. I didn't know what that meant, but it was a fun song to sing. But now I understand from this text a little more of what it means. A new name. What is this new name? Well, the new name is what we heard in the scripture reading this morning. There's a new covenant, a new covenant. You see, in the old covenant, it was a covenant of works. You do this and you live. You don't do this and you die. And Israel said, well, do it. And the Lord said, oh, if they only had a heart to do it. But they couldn't do it. And they broke the covenant repeatedly, time and time and time and time again until they finally crucified the king of the covenant, Jesus Christ. And so the Lord said, your city is going to be left to you desolate. That nation as a nation was set aside. Ah, but then there's a new people. under a new covenant. And that new covenant sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ. And that new covenant is a people that will never, ever, ever be forsaken again. Because the new covenant comes with grace to change the heart. And grace to make a new people. Grace to make a new nation. And this is the glory. This is the glory that the new covenant has. No more forsaken and the new name. There's a new name written down in glory, and it's the name of the new covenant found in Jesus Christ. Well, there's more about this stunning righteousness. Verse five is such a stunning righteousness. In verse five, we read that. So last the last clause, so shall your God rejoice over you. So he's rejoicing. God rejoices over the church of Jesus Christ. Now, I know it would be wrong to say God gets excited unless you think he's like some charismatic preacher in heaven, and he's not. But he is a God who is perfect in joy, perfect in love, and he is delighted. It's one of his glorious affections. He's delighted, just simply delighted. Now. You have a question, don't you? Here's your question. The question is this. How can you be excited about us? Because those of you who are in Christ, you're very conscious of your sin, aren't you? Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said in Matthew chapter five, verse one. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. We're conscious of our sin. We're conscious of all of how sinful we are. And now you say, well, you're saying that God rejoices over us as sinners? Yes, because that's what the text says. How can he do that? Well, look back, and I've already read these verses. Just look back at chapter 61, verses 10 and 11. Here is the reason that God rejoices. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. Now, here the prophet is speaking for us, the people of God. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of what, class? Righteousness. Oh, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments and as the bride adorns herself with jewels, for as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown to spring forth, so the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. The reason God rejoices is not because of anything in us, dear friends. It's because of Christ. It's because he fulfilled the law. It's because he gained our righteousness for us, and because that righteousness is given to us as new clothes. And so God looks at us, and there could be nothing more delightful to him than to see his church clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And that is how we are to see ourselves. Yeah, at the same time, to see ourselves as sinners. There are some who take One extreme or another. Some would say, if you ever have joy, there's something wrong with you because you ought to be a puddle glum all your life as you think about your sin. Well, that's wrong. There are others who say, well, you should never think about your sin because you're clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Well, that's wrong. Let's look at both. And the fact is, God sees us as righteousness because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. I love this. I love this. Well, that's the first grand truth, and I take the longest on that one just so as to comfort you. But let's think of some applications before I move on to the second grand truth, if Christ delights in his church with such joy and gives us such this great gift of righteousness. Then we should do all we can to to labor and extend her influence in the world in which we live. We need to make strides as best we can for church planning, for sending out missionaries, for seeing that the gospel goes forth, because wherever a church is planted, there's another place where God rejoices. And then another application from this first point, and that is we need to bathe in the goodness of Christ's love. Yes, the church may look like a sorry mess. Many times she does. But she's beautiful in the eyes of Christ. She is beautiful. Let us never forsake her and do all we can to promote her beauty and her glory. This is how God sees the church and a third application. I've already covered it, I got ahead of myself, but that's all right. About how we don't see ourselves like this, but the gates of hell will not prevail against the church of Jesus Christ, it's impossible. It is absolutely impossible. And so we can rejoice in her. Well, the second grand truth, not only does she have the church have a stunning righteousness, the church also has abundant provisions. You know, when you go to a wedding many times, not every time, but most of the time when you go to a wedding, the ceremony comes. And I always said it's the solemn ceremony and then the joyous celebration. Let's not mix the two. But make sure the ceremony stays solemn because you're making vows before God and then have all the joy that you can ever imagine as you go to the reception. And you know that at the reception many times there's pictures that are taken of the bridegroom, the family, and the best man, the best maid of honor, and all the groomsmen, the maids of honor, and so forth. And so you wait. So you go to the hall, wherever it is, and you wait for the pictures to be taken. And while you're there waiting, there are the hors d'oeuvres. There's the shrimp cocktail, the cheese, the fruit, the drink. And then once the bride and groom enter, then you have the dinner of salad and prime rib garlic mashed potatoes and delightful vegetables. You've got to wait for lunch, but you can think about it. So all that, all that, all that comes, all that comes with the wedding. Then you have the variety of desserts and finally the wedding cake. And of course, you've got the mints and the nuts and so forth. So at a wedding, there's all this provision that's made. Well, here we are. We're sort of what we are right now in a position where we're waiting. We're waiting for the marriage feast of the Lamb. Are there any are there any orders that the Lord has for us while we're waiting for the great feast? Ah, there are. And we're going to find them here in verses six through nine of our text. And what are they? Well, look at verses six and seven and you'll figure it out yourself. Here's what the Lord is providing for us while we're waiting. He says, I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem. They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord do not keep silent and give Him no rest till He establishes, until He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. So you see, the Lord is acknowledging that we don't see it yet. But He says, here's the provision I've made for you. I've set watchmen. Who are these watchmen? Well, we're told who they are because the watchmen are not holding their peace. And they're making mention, they're making mention of the Lord. And they don't give the Lord any rest until He establishes Jerusalem. These are the praying people. The Lord provides prayer as we wait, as we seek His face patiently, praying and seeking His face for the glory of the church to come. It is prayer. That's the provision he makes. Well, no surprises. Here's the fundamental reason for the Church of Jesus Christ to give herself to prayer. Do you want to see the church prosper? Do you want to see the church become the praise of all the earth? And what do we do? We pray and pray and pray. I don't know about you, but one of the We try to make it a point, even though we're not able to be here on Sunday mornings, to be here on Sunday nights for the prayer meeting. We've got to pray, just have to pray, want to pray. I want to pray for the glory of the Lord to be seen in this church and all the churches. And this is the provision which God makes. The Lord hears and answers our prayer. As you know, I'm involved in a church plant up up the roadways here in Wisconsin and a non-negotiable. I says, if you don't have a prayer meeting, I won't come and help you. Period. That's it. I will not be there if you do not have a prayer meeting. Because they thought that'd be a little too much. Well, it may be too much, but. You know, I we can't do anything different without the Lord's assistance and prayer. Are you praying? And how are you? It's a wonderful experience for me to be here and to hear the men lead in prayer in this church. And I write down their names every week, and I could tell you who prays every week. And there's usually six, seven, eight, nine, sometimes 10 men that lead in prayer. Well, that's a provision that the Lord makes, and I know the ladies pray, have special prayer meetings. God bless you. He'll hear you. He will hear you. He will hear you. Well, that's one provision. That's better than the hors d'oeuvres at a wedding. A second provision is food. Prayer and then food. Look at verses 8 and 9. We learn about food. The Lord has sworn by his right hand, by the arm of his strength, surely I will no longer give your grain as food for your enemies. And the sons of the foreigners shall not drink your new wine. for which you have labored. But those who have gathered it shall eat it and praise the Lord. Those who brought it together shall drink it in my holy court." Food is very important. I don't need to tell you that. Many of us have just finished feasting this week, haven't we? And we've enjoyed whatever you have. We had two Thanksgivings, Thursday and Saturday. The big one was yesterday. There's so much extra food that I don't know how we're going to eat it, Ren and I, the rest of the week. But back in the old covenant days, when the people deserted the Lord, they lacked food. They lacked food. Because the Lord took his blessing away from them. And they went hungry until they would see his face again. But ah, you see in this new covenant, in this new covenant, There is plenty of food. The symbolism is beautiful. There'll be sufficient nourishment for the people of God. Do you know how blessed you people are? You have faithful pastors who teach you the word of God. That is such a blessing, such a blessing. Such a blessing. And it's the ministry of the word of God that feeds God's people, the apostles understood this, and so the apostles said, we will you we need seven men to serve the tables and take care of the widows. It's a very important ministry, but we must give ourselves to what prayer. And the ministry of the word. That's what the apostles did, and that's what New Covenant preachers pastors are to do pray and preach pray and preach and feed the people of God. Well so don't miss meals. A third grand truth a third grand truth church has a stunning righteousness verses 1 through 5. The church has abundant provision And finally, the church has strong protection versus 10 through 12. We see this. You know, what does a bride want from her husband? What did you brides want from your husband? I don't know what you might say, but I'm thinking of one particular bride. And I counseled the premarital counseling for a lot of different young couples and even one old couple through my years of pastoral ministry. And I will never forget this young couple that I counseled many, many years ago. And I asked her, as I would often do, I said, what do you see in this man? We all knew that she was his intellectual superior, without a doubt. We all do that. And so I said, well, what do you see in this man? And her reply was, I feel safe with him. And we all agreed he was six foot, 200 pounds, strong, not an ounce of fat in him, gentle, helpful, considerate. And she said, I feel safe. And dear friends, that's exactly the kind of protection that we have in our Savior. We can feel safe in Him. And that's illustrated here in this text. Look at verse 10. Go through, go through the gates. Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway. Take out the stones. Take out the stones. You know, if I'm going to walk up a path, I like the stones to be taken out. That was a problem with walking up to Flat Rock. There were too many stones in the path. Ah, but the Lord says, I'm going to protect you. I'm going to make the path so that you can walk it. And I'm going to walk with you. Take out the stones. Take out the obstacles. And what are the obstacles that we face? Well, I don't know what obstacles you face, but there could be the obstacle of legalism, thinking that somehow we have to do better for God to love us more. Perish the thought. Or there is the obstacle of apathy. Well, I just don't know if things are ever going to get better. If you've read Chronicles of Narnia, you know about puddle glum, don't you? And there are some puddle glums in the world. There's the obstacle of despair, the obstacle of scandal, the obstacle of heresy when they all is lost. No, it's not. No, it's not. We have a great protector. And he will protect and see his church through, we must understand that. And these obstacles, notice what they're replaced with in verse 10. Take out the stones, lift up a banner for the people. A banner for the people. What does that mean? The ESV translates this, lift up a signal for the people. And if you, in that day there will be a root of Jesse who shall stand as a banner or a signal to the people. That is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our banner. Jesus Christ is our signal. Jesus Christ is the one who personally will protect his people. And not only are we the obstacles removed, but then there are promises that are given in verses 11 and 12. We read this. Indeed, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the world, say to the daughter of Zion, say this to her. Here's the promise. Surely your salvation is coming. Behold, his reward is with him and his work before him. John Calvin, Albert Barnes, Dalich all translate this word salvation as savior. So we read it this way. Surely your Savior is coming. And E.J. Young, the great commentator on Isaiah, says it could mean that. But he's a calm and quiet guy, of course. See, your Savior is coming. Your Savior is coming. This is the promise that's given. Yes, salvation is coming, but it's coming because of our Savior. Jesus Christ is coming again. He is coming again. And who? Answer me this. Who can stand before Jesus Christ and never thwart his promises? Can anyone do that? No. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. None can stay his hand or say to him, what are you doing? And Christ keeps building his kingdom on earth. Nothing stops it. You remember what happened in 1989 when the Iron Curtain fell, don't you? What did we discover? Russia, the Soviet Union, had all over its great empire pockets of Christians. And the point of atheistic communism was to simply stamp out Christianity. How utterly they failed. Couldn't do it. And look what's happened in China. Marvelous work of God. Some have called it the greatest revival since Pentecost. That's been happening in China. We had the privilege of hosting a Chinese gal in our home this weekend, who's a student at City University and a member of a house church, 100 people. Loves the Lord, loves the hymns. How do you explain that? It is the only explanation is our king, our Savior, who brings salvation to his people. And remember that new game, new name that is given to the to the people of God and verse 12 says, and and they shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord. And you should be called sought out a city not forsaken. This is who the church is, the redeemed of the Lord. Are you in her? Are you in the church? If you're not, you're in an awful position. But if you're in her, who the glory and the blessing that is yours outside of her. Only judgment. Only judgment. I don't want to be outside of the church. No way. Here's the glory of the church. She has a stunning righteousness because that righteousness has been given to her by God himself because of the perfect obedience and the sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ. The church has abundant provision. Make sure that in the interim, before the glory is finally consummated, that she has people who will pray. A church is who will pray and pastors who will preach and people who will listen and people will grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. And she has this this strong protection from her savior who will bring salvation to her. So rejoice if you're part of the church. Just rejoice, because all these things apply to you. All these things apply to you. You've been blessed with the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And this is a reason that churches need to look around, seek and pray and say, who can we send here? Who can we send there? Who can we see to it that more of God's glory is established on the earth? Hmm. Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. And as I said, if you're not a Christian, then I urge you to come to Jesus Christ. There's no hope. There's no glory. There's no joy outside of Christ. None. None at all, but in Christ, you have forgiveness, you have righteousness, your sins are forgiven, and you have a new name and you have a banner set up over you, a signal, and that signal is Jesus Christ. Oh, Lord God, we thank you. For this chapter in Isaiah, which encourages us to think of the glory and the wonder of the Church of Jesus Christ is amazing to us, for we know our sin. We know that in ourselves we have nothing to offer you. And yet this is the glory you've given to us through Christ. And we thank you for it. Help us to live in light of it. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.