Well, we begin a new chapter in the prophet Isaiah this morning, Isaiah 62. We are approaching the end of this amazing and wonderful prophet, one I've called Isaiah the Evangelist or the Evangelical Prophet because he speaks so much of Christ and the truth associated with him. And we will see that, Lord willing, again in the verses we look at this morning. I'm going to read the entire chapter of 12 verses from Isaiah 62, although our focus is going to be the first five verses of this chapter. Here, Isaiah 62. For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken, neither shalt thy land any more be termed desolate, but thou shalt be called Hebzibah, and thy land Beulah. For the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee. And as a bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. I have said, Watchman, upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace, they are nigh thee that make mention of the Lord. Keep not silence, and give him no rest. until he establish, until he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The Lord hath sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his strength, surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies, and the sons of the stranger shall not drink the wine 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 it in the courts of my holiness. Go through, go through the gates, prepare ye that the way of the people. Cast up, cast up the highway. Gather out the stones. Lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh. Behold, his reward is with him and his work before him. And they shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, and thou shalt be called sought out, a city not forsaken." What is your mind set upon this morning? If you were able to have the thoughts and the focus of your thinking revealed, what would it be said upon? What would be the thing that the people of the United States of America on this Sunday are setting their mind upon? What is your mind set upon this morning? For in light of the glorious truths Isaiah declared in Isaiah 61 concerning the Lord Jesus and those He died for, the chapter I finished last Sunday morning, what you see at the beginning of Isaiah chapter 62 in verse 1 is the mind of Isaiah set on something and focused on something because of these glorious truths. For Zion's sake, Will I not hold my peace? And for Jerusalem's sake, I will not rest until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. Oh, how different! Oh, how blessed! Oh, how beneficial your life would be, my life would be, our lives would be, brethren, if you and I could keep our minds set on that which you see the mind of Isaiah clearly set upon in this opening verse of Isaiah 62. And the reasons that support it, not only in what precedes this verse as we have looked at, but in what follows this verse. Now, it would not surprise me And I do not say this with joy, but it would not surprise me that many sitting in pews like the ones you are sitting in this morning have their mind's eye set upon something else. They do not have their mind's eye set upon what Isaiah has his mind set upon. But it is not my intention, however tempting it is, it's not my intention, however tempting it is, to go off on a tangent about all the idolatry associated with Super Bowl madness today. But how quickly will the temporary focus Will the temporary fun, will the temporary frivolity associated with another Super Bowl all be behind us for another year as few remember or even care to remember about who won the previous 41? For what will it profit every member of the winning team if they win a Super Bowl ring and lose their own souls. Whereas in radical contrast, whereas in radical contrast, what Isaiah has his mind set upon transcends time! Because He has His mind set upon the right thing. He is redeeming the ever so brief time He has in this world. For He has committed Himself, as we read, not to hold His peace until the glorious truths concerning the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ that He has written about in the previous chapter come to their perfect and glorious fulfillment. Now more than once I have referred to Isaiah as the evangelical prophet, or as Isaiah the evangelist. Because if you do not see that the truth that He has set upon is fulfilled in the glorious and saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will not see, you will not benefit from, you will not be a blessing in the times in which the Lord Jesus has sovereignly placed you. Because you cannot be the salt and light the Lord has called you to be, believer, in this generation, Unless that which animates your heart, unless that which blesses your heart, unless that which rejoices your heart and mind is that which animates and rejoices and blesses the heart of Isaiah as seen here. But what are the reasons that Isaiah says he will neither hold his peace or rest? For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace. And for Jerusalem's sake, I will not rest. But which Zion? And Jerusalem does this, not holding his peace and not resting until he sees what he wants fulfilled have reference to. of the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the hopes and promises that God has for His elect people, regardless of the time in which they live on this fallen earth, since the biblical gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Law and the Psalms and the Prophets of the Old Testament, since the Lord Jesus Christ And what He came to do and did is the focal point of the Scriptures. You must look and see the Zion and Jerusalem that Isaiah is committed to from its fulfillment, revelation, and meaning in the New Testament. You need the entire Bible, dear people, to understand the Bible correctly. You need the New Testament to understand the Old Testament correctly. Therefore, in light of what is written in the New Testament, that which Isaiah is writing about cannot have reference to earthly Jerusalem. And this is easy to see, because the present earthly Jerusalem, or even the Jerusalem of Isaiah's day, would not be the place, is not the place, cannot be the place, where what Isaiah is saying, he would not hold his peace, or would not rest until it was fulfilled, was fulfilled. Verse 1 again, for Isaiah's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest until go forth his brightness, and the salvation thereof is a lamp that burneth." Now Isaiah died physically before the fulfillment of what he said he would not rest or hold his peace was fulfilled. But he, as all the Old Testament saints, looked for what Isaiah was looking for by faith. For what is said of Abraham in Hebrews 11. What is said of Abraham in Hebrews 11 verses 8-10, By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed and he went out, not knowing whether he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promises in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. Why? Verse 10, He looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Now this city was the same city that Isaiah was saying he would not rest or hold his peace regarding until it was revealed in all its brightness and glory. Now since Isaiah names the city, we know its name. Jerusalem. But which Jerusalem? Because Abraham wasn't looking for the earthly Jerusalem. Abraham wasn't looking for a city built by man. He was looking for the heavenly Jerusalem, whose builder and maker is God. Because men built the earthly Jerusalem, but only God could have built the heavenly Jerusalem where righteousness will For what does Paul say about the earthly Jerusalem in Galatians 4.25? For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to Jerusalem, which now is, that is, the earthly Jerusalem, and is in bondage with their children. See, the earthly Jerusalem of Paul's day was in bondage, and the present earthly Jerusalem is still a place of bondage. Not freedom, because it is the place that the soul-destroying world religions of men fight over! As I said before, dear people, anybody who sees the Crusades as Christian don't know what they're talking about! A Christian's not concerned about physical real estate! Because his eye is set upon the city whose builder and maker is God. Because what is the Jerusalem and Zion that Isaiah and all true saints have their minds' eyes set upon? Galatians 4.26, But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. Hebrews 12.22, But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. See, that's the fulfillment of what Isaiah is talking of here. Isaiah can't have the eyes of his heart set upon earthly Jerusalem because the Jerusalem he is thinking of is the Jerusalem where righteousness goes forth as brightness and salvation as a lamp that burns. And where's that, dear people? It's in the New Jerusalem. This Jerusalem can only be the new Jerusalem that true believers are a part of and will enter into at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 3.12. a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my new name." The very things that Isaiah writes of here in these verses. John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband, Revelation 21.10. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It was this Jerusalem. that Isaiah, as the Old Testament evangelical prophet that he was, declared that he would not stop preaching about and praying for as long as he had breath. He died not seeing the fulfillment of it, but he died still preaching about it. He died still praying for its coming. Yet how many, or how few in the church today are following the example of saying there are any prophets in the church today like Isaiah, or that all men are called to publicly preach like Isaiah, and qualified men in the New Testament age are called to. But, brethren, if you are walking in the spirit and faith of Isaiah, as well as all the other Old Testament saints, you will hold fast to the truth that the only hope for this fallen and depraved world is for what Isaiah declares. He would not hold His peace for until it was realized. You are looking for a new world order, not brought about by rebellious and fallen men as they continue to try and rebuild the tower of Babel. You are looking for the new heavens and the new earth that only the Lord Jesus can bring about. You do not see, brethren, your best life Now, despite what the popular heretic Joel Olsteen preaches, you are looking for the city whose builder and maker is God, like Isaiah was, and like the believers recorded in the New Testament were as well. Because what does Paul declare? That you and I, if we confess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, are to set our minds' affection upon. Colossians 3.1 to verse 4. Colossians 3.1 to verse 4. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Where Christ sits on the right hand of God, set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall he also appear with him in glory. What does Paul declare that the grace of God does? in Titus chapter 2, starting to read at verse 11. What does he declare that the grace of God does? Well, first it brings salvation, verse 11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Secondly, the grace of God and worldly lusts, verse 12 of Titus 2, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present age, and the grace of God teaches us to be looking for something. And what are we to be looking for, dear brethren? Verse 13 of Titus 2, looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Dear people, I do not know when, the Lord Jesus Christ is going to return to establish His eternal Kingdom in the New Jerusalem, in the New Heavens and the New Earth. But I can tell you one thing, dear people. It is this truth that the true saints of God throughout their earthly pilgrimage here have been looking for and setting their minds upon. For notice what Hebrews 11.39 says, And these all, now who is the all? And these all, it's a reference back to all the Old Testament saints that were written about in Hebrews 11. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided something, some better thing for us, that they would without us should not be made perfect. perfection going to be realized? Hebrews 12.22, But ye are come unto Mount Zion, unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. That perfection, my dear people, is going to be realized where? In the New Jerusalem! the city that God has prepared for His people. And what you see here is Isaiah said he would not hold his peace or rest until the righteousness of this Jerusalem would go forth as brightness and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And what does Peter write about regarding the New Testament saints surrounded by those who mock and ridicule the return of the Lord Jesus for His glorified and perfected Nevertheless, in spite of all these things, nevertheless, we according to His promise look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. And where is that righteousness going to dwell? Their people in the New Jerusalem, in the Heavenly Jerusalem. See, if you are following the example of the testimony of the saints throughout the Scriptures, you hold forth the truth of the glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ without apology, without embarrassment, and as well, you are praying for it, even as Isaiah does here, because Paul prays for it in the New Testament as well. If any man love not the Lord Jesus, let him be anathema. Maranatha, Maranatha is our Lord. Come, O Lord, come. And what is Isaiah doing here in verse 1 of Isaiah 62? For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and that salvation thereof is a lamp that burneth. Isaiah and Paul, my dear people, were both on the same page with reference to the Lord fulfilling what He said He would do. For consider verse 7 of Isaiah 62, "...and give Him no rest till He establish, until He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth." Earthly Jerusalem? No. Heavenly. And the utter falling And the other folly of not having your mind focused in the same direction on the same thing as Isaiah and the numerous other saints recorded in the Scriptures had their eyes set on, or even worse, mocking and ridiculing this blessed hope of all true believers as seen by what Isaiah declares in verse 2. Or as seen by what Isaiah declares in verse 2 of Isaiah 62. What does he say is going to happen? And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory. And thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. When the Lord returns for His glorified bride, when the new Jerusalem descends from heaven as a bride adorned for her husband, every non-believer who has rejected the Lord Jesus Christ Every non-believer who has dismissed the truth of the Kingdom of God and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, or even mocked it, will then realize the utter folly of their rebellion and their unbelief. But then the door will be shut. Today is the day of salvation. If you find that the thought of the new heavens and the new earth and the new Jerusalem is not something that rejoices your heart, then cry out to God that He might have mercy on you. But how few believe the warning Jesus gave. How few believe the warning Jesus gave when He was asked the question that is not ours to ask, because the Lord did not answer it. But instead warned those who were hearing His answer to the question as to what was far more important. What I'm referring to is Luke 13, verses 23-30. Then said one unto Him, Lord, are there few that be saved? Oh wow, that's an interesting question. That could engage our minds in wonderment for many times. But Jesus doesn't answer the question. He warns. He warns his hearers. He warns you. He warns me. He warns us. And He said unto them, Strive to enter into the straight gate. For many, I will say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. But once the master of the house is risen up, and is shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without it, and knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us. And he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not, whence ye are. Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But ye shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. days, dear people, is coming. And the Lord Jesus Christ is going to return. And every man, woman, boy, and girl who hasn't been looking for that blessed hope on that day will realize the utter folly. Oh, I've been hearing about the return of Christ since I was this tall. I've been hearing preachers preach about the return of Christ since I was a baby in my mother's arms. But notice, Isaiah was preaching about it, too. And he didn't stop preaching about it because he knew it was going to happen. And Paul didn't stop preaching about it. He said, Maranatha, O Lord, come. Because he knew What a blessing it will be for every blood-bought saint to see Him as He is. To see the One who died to save you from your sins. And my dear people, I mean this with all sincerity. I mean this with all sincerity. Does it really matter? who does or who does not win the Super Bowl today? Does it really matter? But does it matter what your thoughts are on the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and of His everlasting Kingdom? I ask you, does that matter? Notice, Gentiles and kings will see you, believer, clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ, and they will see, then, the utter folly of setting their minds' eye on the fleeting, passing trinkets of this life, that they are all going to be consumed in the return of the Lord Jesus for His glorified bride! How many are rejoicing today that they were able to obtain a ticket to the 50-yard line of Super Bowl XLII, and their soul is on the wide road leading to destruction? They have no hope! They're not even looking for the blessed hope and glorious return of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. I ask you, what is a greater blessing to your soul? Oh, think of what the name of every non-believer is going to be on that great day. Matthew 25, 41, Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Apart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. But you, believer, shall be called by a new name. which the mouth of the Lord shall name. You are an adopted child of God, to whose gift of saving faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. You are not forsaken of the Lord, but the Lord shall call his church Hebzibah, and the new Jerusalem Beulah. Verse 4 of Isaiah 62, Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken, neither shall thy land any more be termed desolate, but thou shalt be called Hebzibah, and thy land Beulah. For the Lord delights in thee, and thy land shall be merry. Hebzibah means my delight is in thee. or my delight is in her. Beulah means married. I ask you, brethren, is there any greater blessing than to know how the Lord God is going to respond to you when He returns? The non-believer is going to hear the most sobering words that can ever be heard by human ears. Depart from me, I never knew you. But for every blood-bought saint the Lord has died for, they will hear, I delight myself in you, glorified bride. For what did Christ do for His church? He loved His church. He died for His church 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 and without blemish. And what does Isaiah declare in verse 5 of Isaiah 62? For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee. And as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice. over thee. My dear people, there are some verses of scripture you just have to sit down and say, these are just too wonderful to behold. These are just too amazing to read. That God would rejoice over me. Oh, the utter folly And the utter foolishness of this world is seen in many ways. But one of the preeminent ways it is seen is in the attitude it displays towards the true regenerate church of the Lord Jesus Christ, towards a true believer who confesses that Christ Jesus is his only hope, who looks for his coming, and who stands amazed at the attitude that the Lord displays towards him because of what Christ did by dying for his people. For what are you in Christ, believer? What are you in Christ, believer? You are accepted. You were accepted in the Beloved. Forgive me if I just back up a bit, but I mean, is a Super Bowl ring as precious as the words, accepted in the Beloved? Can anything compare to those words, accepted in the Beloved? but not only accepted in the Beloved, He delights in you! But not only He delights in you, if these things weren't in Scripture, dear people, I couldn't read them. But they're here. He sees no iniquity in you. I see my iniquity all the time. But the word says, he sees no iniquity in his people. Numbers 23, 21. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the shadow of a king is among them. Oh, the wonder, the wonder of the Lord's view of his people because of what he has done for them. Oh, this very challenging, one of the most challenging books in the Bible, not the book of Revelation, the book of Song of Solomon. Thou art all fair, my love, there is no spot in Thee. Oh, who can count the number of different ways the Bible describes how precious to the Lord are those He died to save and redeem from their sins. Verse 3 of Isaiah 62, Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. What utter folly is exhibited by men who think anything in this life Anything in this life can compare to how a true, believing saint in the Lord Jesus Christ is seen by their Lord. For I ask you, dear people, just very simply, how many in New England? How many in New York will be rejoicing over who wins the Super Bowl today, thirty days from now? Six months from now? A year from now? But what is true for every blood-bought sinner who is united to Christ through the Lord's gift of saving faith? Psalm 1611, Thou wilt show me the path of life. In Thy presence is fullness of joy at Thy right hand. There are pleasures forevermore. What utter folly is seen by those who persecute true believers, for who are they persecuting? They're persecuting the Bride of Christ. They're persecuting the Beloved of the Lord. They're persecuting the One that He who touches you touches the apple of His eye, Zechariah 2. Oh, believer, if you want to bless and benefit your soul, if you want to be a light shining in a dark place, I preach this to you and I preach it to myself. Don't find your enjoyment in the passing pleasures that unredeemed men find their passing pleasures in. Find that pleasure in petitioning the Lord to glorify His church as He has said the truth that the Lord is coming to receive His glorified bride unto Himself. And regardless of what the world may think of you, regardless of what the world may say to you, regardless of what the world may even do to you, rest and feed your never-dying soul, believer, on what the Lord thinks of those He died You won't need anything that the world says you need, because you will be resting your never-dying soul in that alone which can satisfy it today, tomorrow, and forever. Oh, that I would remember what I preach, and oh, that you might as well. Let us pray.