Isaiah 62
Notes
Transcript
Isaiah 62
Isaiah 62
Good evening church. Tonight we are going to continue our study of the Prophecy of Isaiah. We are going to share a time of worship tonight through the reading of God’s Word, breaking bread together in communion, and continue our worship through both song and prayer.
Lets open in prayer and ask for the Lord’s blessing on our fellowship tonight.
1 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.
2 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.
I understand that for much of our study I have been using the terms Zion and Jerusalem interchangeably, and now that becomes confusing as the prophet writes that God has said, for Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest. Zion is a term in the Bible that sort of evolves, or expands rather over time. Early in the Old Testament it most often refers to geography, or a place, such as the City of David or the City of God.
When the Temple was constructed the meaning expanded to include the land or area around the Temple. Then we see further meaning as in places the reference become more spiritual and includes the Israel, the people, or the people of God. We see references to the Kingdom of God. And in some sense all the people of God, to include the New Testament church.
So here it really is for the sake of the people and the place, I will not rest Until the City is restored to a place of glory and honor above all others, and God’s people have the attention of the world.
What I really like about this though is the end of verse 2…You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the Lord will name. Have you ever noticed all of the times that God gives people in the Bible a new name? On Sunday we were talking about Abraham, and I said at the point in time that I was referring to, God had not yet changed his name, as it was Abram. And then we have Jacob, or heal catcher, who God changed his name to Israel...
The Apostle Paul who we’ve have been reading and teaching through many of his letters in our New Testament study. He had the name of Saul, or Saul of Tarsus before God changed his name to Paul. One of the disciples was named Simon, and the Lord changed his name to Peter. I love it. I think it reinforces a couple of things, the biggest being that it is a picture of the total and complete new creation that we are in Christ when we submit our lives to Him. I think it shows how much God loves us as our Heavenly Father, that He want to name His kids, and I think it also demonstrates how differently God sees us, that how we see ourselves.
Oh, and this doesn’t just apply to a handful of people that we read about in our Bibles from thousands of years ago, it applies to you and me! There are two verses in Revelation that talks about this also applying to those that overcome.
17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’
And then in chapter three it says…to those in the faithful church...
12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
I think that is so cool. Some of you have nicknames. Well, some of you have nicknames that you like, others that you don’t like. Some of you might have nicknames and not know about it. We read about a couple of Disciples called the sons of thunder. In Acts chapter 4, we read that Barnabas was actually a nickname...
36 And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus,
He was such a Barnabas, such an encourager, he was always bringing people together. Probably a wonderful counselor, friend, mediator. He was more of a Barnabas than a Joses.
Imagine God giving you a name from His own mouth. What will we call some of you in Heaven? What will God name you based about how He sees you child? Here is something else I love about this. The God of all of creation, the God of Heaven and Earth, not just knows your name, but has the perfect name for you. God doesn’t see you as Israel, or as the church, He sees you, individual you.
Verse 3
3 You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the Lord, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God.
4 You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, Nor shall your land any more 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.
This is awesome too! We read about receiving crowns as rewards and laying them as the feet of Jesus, but have you ever thought about yourself being a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord?
Jerusalem, you shall no longer be termed Forsaken or desolate, but shall be called Heph-si-bah which means My delight is in her. AND your land Beulah (meaning married) Not forsaken, but claimed, protected, having the commitment of a covenant. Not a hand shake, or agreement, or a signed lease together. But the commitment of marriage. This will do away with Israel’s on again, off again relationship, is will put a end to the church being separate in that the work that the Lord has started in us, will be made perfect, it will be complete. The wedding has happened.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
This mention of marriage is complete here in Isaiah. So God’s blessing will be full and complete in the Millennium. No longer forsaken, no doubt or question…His Delight is in her.
5 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.
The people of God are going to fully know and be enlightened about the depth of God’s love for them. I don’t think we have a clue. There are so many places in the Bible that express it. I think most so through the cross. But this description is amazing. The whole picture of the language here of being married. The picture of the church being the bride of Christ. What Paul writes in Ephesians
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—
19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
If it passes knowledge, then we don’t have a clue. Think back to the day that you realized that Jesus loves you wasn’t just a song, it was real. Or think back to the day that you felt most loved by God, most secure in your relationship. Nope, it’s greater than that! So great it passes knowledge.
6 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,
7 And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
This is such an interesting picture. What do you think of when you think of a watchman? A guard? Like a night watchman? A spy, a snoop? These watchmen never hold their peace day or night. Meaning they are never asleep on the job. They are never slack. Never just call it in. They are vigilant. But they may not be the type of warriors that you are expecting...
You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Do you know what I think of when I read this? Mom, mom, mom, mom! How do you respond to that? Frustration? Anger? Annoyance? WHaaaaat?!!?
Or the guys begging at some of the street corners in Bangor. If you’re like me when you’re doing a project it is never just one trip to Home Depot. I go and get what I think I need. AND it’s super easy to not make eye contact with the guy holding the sign out there the first time I drive buy. But then when I go back and get the things I forgot, he’s still there…and it’s a little harder to completely ignore him.
But then when I go back to get the stuff I really should have just bought the first time, now its just embarrassing? But then it’s like we know each other, he’s sent me a friend request. I try to time it to be the third of forth vehicle back at the light, but the light changes so, it just me and him....Hi pastor Brian!
This is like God saying these watchmen are my prayer warriors. Don’t stop, don’t keep silent, do not relent! When you see me at the light, step in front of my truck every time, lay down in the road if you have too. Give ME no rest till I establish and make Jerusalem a praise in the earth!
We need to be those watchmen for Jerusalem today.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.
For their good, and for ours. I want to be counted in that God that the Lord prospers.
Jesus encouraged us to pray like this in Luke 11:5-8
5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;
7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?
8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
So keep knocking, keep asking, keep seeking.
Verse 8
8 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.
9 But those who have gathered it shall eat it, And praise the Lord; Those who have brought it together shall drink it in My holy courts.”
Just a continuation of the idea that they will no longer be forsaken or plundered. Verse 10
10 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!
Near fulfillment and far fulfillment here. Remember this was written before the Babylonian captivity, but speaks of the Jews returning to Jerusalem upon their release from captivity, and it speaks to those returning in the Kingdom age. SO this all speaks of incredible blessing to come for Jerusalem. Lets look at the end of this...
11 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.’ ”
12 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 no longer called forsaken, but given a new name by God. Redeemed, called Sought Out. But, before that happens, before this salvation will come, there is a day of reckoning. When a blood bath will cover this earth. When God’s vengeance, His wrath will be poured out on a Christ rejecting world in the tribulation coming before the Millennial reign of Christ when all of this comes to pass.
In chapter 63, the Lord gives some description to that day of vengeance. As He pours out His anger…So, what I want to do is save that for next week.
I want to spend some time reflecting on God’s love for us. That He will chose a name for you. That Jesus came and died for you so that you could be one of the ones that overcome. I’m going to have Pastor Jim come back up and lead us in a couple of worship songs. Then we are going to spend a few minutes praying together, and we will end with communion. So, guys you can stop the live stream and the recording at this point.
Communion