Now let us hear prophet Isaiah again. We are very close to the end of our consideration of this evangelical prophet Isaiah. We are in the final chapter, Isaiah 66. We have considered the opening four verses of this portion of God's Word, and we are going to consider verses 5-14 this morning, and so let us May you hear now as I read publicly these verses. May even their reading be a blessing to your heart. Isaiah 65, verses 5-14. Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word. Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified. But he shall appear to your joy, they shall be ashamed. A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompense to His enemies. Before she travailed, she brought forth. Before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such a thing? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as I am travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth, saith the Lord? Shall I cause to bring forth and shut the womb, saith thy God? Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her. Rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her, that she may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations, that she may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then shall you suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforted, so will I comfort you, and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb, and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants. and his indignation toward his enemies. Based on the Bible, how many biblical categories of men are there in the world? Now, remember when I use the word men, I am using it in its general sense of referring to both male and female. How many categories of men, male and female, are there in the world? Now, notice I use the word biblical categories, because the Bible makes numerous references to the various nationalities of men, but by biblical categories I am referring to how many divisions of men are there in the world today, regardless of their nationality, or their gender, or their social position. If you are an accurate reader and student of the Bible, there are only two categories of men. in the world. Now these two categories are described in various ways in the scripture, and Isaiah gives an example of how these two categories of men are described biblically. In verse 4 of Isaiah 66, the verse I ended with last Sunday afternoon, you have a description of one category of mankind in the world, and then in verse 5, It begins the section I want to direct your attention to this morning. You have the second category of men in this world described. In verse 4, you have a description of the non-believer, of the unsaved man, of a man who is still dead in trespasses and sins. A man who is soberingly on the wide road to destruction. And how is this category of mankind described by Isaiah in Isaiah 66? For I also will choose their delusions and will bring their fears upon them, because when I called, none did answer. When I staked, they did not hear. But they did evil before mine eyes and chose that in which I delighted not. Unsaved man, lost man, dead sinner man displays all these truths about himself by the fact that they do not want to hear. the Word of the Lord. They do not want to hear what the Scriptures of God say. They rebel against and reject what the Lord God declares through His Word. That is a sobering category of one category of men in this world today. You are either in that category or in radical contrast to this category of mankind, there are the true believers. The saved of the Lord, those who have been born again by the Spirit of God. And how is this category of mankind described by Isaiah? In the first part of verse 5 of Isaiah 66. Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word. Here is the second category of the two most important biblical categories of men in the Scriptures. This category of men are those who hear the Word of the Lord, and they do not reject it, and do not rebel against it, but they, as Isaiah pictures it here, tremble at it. Not in the sense that you're afraid of the Bible. Not in the sense that you're afraid of the Word of God. But, you realize and you accept it for what it is. It is the Word of God. This is the amazing thing. Dear people, when you pick up the Scriptures, when you read the Scriptures, when you meditate on the Scriptures, when you study the Scriptures, you are not reading the Word of Man. You are reading the Word of God. If there is no other book like the Bible in existence, this is the only written Word of God. And not to be moved by that reality is to show verse 4, but to hear the Word of the Lord, ye that tremble at His Word. It's not something to be ignored. It's not something to be ridiculed. It's not something to be rebelled against. It is something to be believed. It's something to be listened to. It's something to be meditated upon. It's something to seek, to search out and say, have I listened to what this book says? It says repent and believe. in the Lord Jesus Christ. Have I done this by faith? See, regardless of all the other distinctions, either in the Scriptures themselves, or that men develop to describe men, well, he's rich, he's poor, he's black, he's white, he's American, he's Canadian, whatever these distinctions are, All men, regardless of how they are slotted into all these other distinctions, can all be put into one or the other of these two categories. Men who believe and tremble at the Word of God, and those who do not believe and do not tremble at the truth of the Bible, the Word of God written. And so my prayer and my hope is that you are in this blessed second category. You tremble at the Word of God. You want to hear it. For then you have the blessing and benefit of applying the truths of the Word of God. For example, take the earliest example of these two fundamental categories of mankind in the case of Cain and Abel. Cain rejected the Word of the Lord and persecuted to the death his brother Abel. Abel accepted present to the Lord whatever he thought was acceptable, Abel knew that the Lord alone could reveal and declare what was the only acceptable way of approaching Him through an acceptable blood sacrifice, a truth declared and illustrated repeatedly throughout the scripture from Genesis through to Revelation. Now, an unbelieving man's opposition to this truth did not end with Cain killing his brother Abel. It has continued on throughout human history up to and including today. Jesus himself makes reference to this fundamental division between all men when he warns about the seeds sown on stone. in Mark 4, verses 16 and 17. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground, who when they have heard the word, immediately received it with gladness, and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time. Afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. Immediately they fall away. Suffer, affliction, Suffer difficulty because of what the Word of God declares? Not me. Suffer persecution because I hold fast to the truths declared in John 14.6 and Acts 4.12? Not me. Therefore you are not one who trembles at the Word of God like Peter and the other apostles when they were asked by Jesus if they also wanted to go away with those who could no longer accept what Jesus was teaching. We don't want to accept anymore what you're saying, Jesus. And they went back and followed him no more. And Jesus turned to his disciples and said, Do you also want to go away? And what did Peter answer? For the disciples in John 16, 68, then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. Despite the difficulties of this life that believing and trembling at the Word of God will bring, the true believer cannot give it up. Like Luther, here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen. Where else can you go, believer? after you've seen the Bible for what it is, the written Word of the true and only God, who is the truth. And it is His Word to you, believer. For when the non-believer says he rejects the Bible as the written Word of God, he is simply displaying his unbelief. When the non-believer says he cannot understand why a believer believes and rejoices in the fact that he does believe what the Bible declares, he is simply displaying his unbelief again. For how can a non-believer be blessed by the Bible and benefit from the Bible if he rejects what it declares and teaches, and even displays the very characteristics that show he is still dead in unbelief? Because unless the Lord grants a dead non-believer faith to see and believe what the Scriptures declare about his true condition in sin, he will reject Christ Jesus as his only hope. Should you find yourself in such a wretched condition this morning, cry out to the Lord to deliver you from your soul-destroying unbelief. Because what follows after the opening words of verse 5 that describe a true believer. You have edifying and beneficial truth for every true Bible-believing Christian. Because what does the Lord declare to His elect after describing them in the opening words of verse 5? Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at His word. Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for My name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified. Here He is, describing the very thing that Abel and other believers, even in Jesus' day, have suffered and continue to suffer at the hands of unbelieving people, even unbelieving people who pride themselves on being God-fearing religious people. For why did the parents of the man who was born blind, whom Jesus healed, answer the religious authorities the way they did in John 9.21? But by what means he now seeth, we know not. Or who hath opened his eyes, we know not. He is of age, ask him. He shall speak for himself. Why did they answer the religious authorities this way? Because of what John records in verse 22 of John 9. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, that he should be put out of the synagogue. Rather than embracing the truth of who Christ was, the religious authorities were saying, if you confess him as the Messiah, we'll kick you out of the church. What is the response of the religious leaders to being instructed correctly concerning Jesus by the blind man that Jesus had healed? John 9 verses 30 to 34. The man answered and said to him, Why, here it is a marvelous thing, that ye know not where from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners, but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began, was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind? If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. The very words of Isaiah being fulfilled. For what does Isaiah say here? Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my namesake, they are confessing Christ and they are being cast out because they confess Christ. They hate you. They cast you out for My namesake, even to the point of thinking that they were honoring the Lord by doing so. Let the Lord be glorified. For compare what the Lord says through Isaiah here with what Jesus declares in John 16, verses 1-3. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogue, Yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God's service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." You see, the time will come when they will put you out of the synagogue. They will even think that by putting you to death, they are doing God's will. When a person persecutes a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, he is displaying what he really is, regardless of how religious he is. He's a non-believer. Think of Paul before he believed. He was breeding out threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord Jesus until the Lord blinded him on the Damascus Road so he could see by faith the glory of the Lord in the face of Jesus Christ. Now, you might be saying, I thought you said that there was beneficial and edifying truth after Isaiah describes a true believer's attitude towards the Word of God. All you have described are the difficulties associated with this belief. Well, it is against this sobering and true backdrop of what true believers have to face in this world because of their confession of Christ and belief in His Word that the Lord reveals and declares beneficial and edifying truth for you, believer, because what follows? What follows after Isaiah describes the conduct of non-believers, even non-believing religious people, towards those who tremble at the Word of God? Verse 5 again, hear the Word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word, your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, let the Lord be glorified, but, see here's the contrast, but, he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. He shall appear to your joy and they shall be ashamed. You contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints and the day is coming when the Lord you have confessed is going to appear to your joy and your blessing and to the shame of everyone who has rejected the truth of the Word of God. In this world You will have tribulation, believer, if you stand upon the Bible. If you stand upon the truths of the Bible as to who God is, who man is, who Jesus Christ is, what truth is, what sin is, and the only way sinner man can be made right with the true and only Holy God of the Scriptures in this world, you will have tribulation if you stand on all these truths. But the God whose truth you believe and confess will appear for your joy and the unbeliever's shame. See, regardless of what you hear in this world, believer, and what you hear from this world, believer, you cannot lose. If you are a true, confessing believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you cannot lose. And the non-believer cannot win if he dies in his unbelief. The benefits and the blessing of true belief are not just for this life, believer, for he shall appear to your joy. The blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ will be for your joy, believer, and it will be for the shame of every non-believer. The consequences of not believing the Gospel cannot be minimized or escaped. For He shall appear and you shall be ashamed. That is true for every non-believer. even if they pride themselves in their religious rituals and are not trusting in Christ alone for salvation. For He shall appear and ye shall be ashamed. And dear people, the Lord has not left Himself without witness in this world as to the truth of His being able to bring about these two radically different destinies for the believer and the non-believer. For the testimony of the Word of the Lord to clearly deal with those who reject their need of His sinless Son, as their only means of acceptance with Him is declared in verse 6 of Isaiah 66, whereas the ability of the Lord to build and bless His church is seen in verses 7 to 14. Dear believer, if you do not get your understanding of reality, if you do not get your understanding of the way things really are, from the Scriptures. If you do not get your understanding of history from the Scriptures, you will not be blessed. The fact that you are surrounded by unbelief in this culture will overwhelm you and it will cast you down. But if you base your understanding on the only infallible source of truth you have with respect to God, man, and human history, found and declared in the Bible, then you will be able to withstand all the error that you are immersed in and surrounded by. as you contend for the truth of the Word of God. Now, verse 6 declares the fact that the Lord is going to deal with those who reject His message of salvation. Verse 6, a voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompense to His enemies. Now, sadly, and Soberingly, there are many today, even the majority, who think that their indifference to and their rejection of the biblical message of salvation is a small thing. It's not that serious. It's not that important whether or not I believe and confess the Lord Jesus as Lord and Savior. That's not that... There's far more important things in this world than to search out my soul and to know if I truly repented and believed in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the prevailing attitude. Maybe you know those in your own family who are of that condition. Oh, you say that this gospel is the most important thing in the world. It's not. Look at the world. How many are confessing it? How many are believing in it? They base their understanding of things by what they see with their eyes and not what they hear of the Word of God. Oh, how it would benefit these unbelievers if they considered what the unbelief and rejection of the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ resulted in for the Jewish nation that rejected the Lord Jesus Christ? A voice from the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. when it was surrounded by the armies of Rome who were bent on destroying it. A voice from the temple when it was set on fire by the Romans or as is recorded by Josephus who records the words of a Jew who went about uttering these words both before and after the siege against Jerusalem in the first century. until he himself was killed by a stone from a Roman catapult. A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and against the temple, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, a voice against all the people, woe, woe to the city and to the temple and to the people, woe to myself also. And as John Gill comments, the Lord's voice was in all this, and His hand in the destruction of those people. It was according to His appointment, direction, and order, and righteous judgment for their sins, they being His implacable enemies, that they would not have Him rule over them. And if I would add, rejected the truth that the Lord Jesus was the Messiah and the only one who could save them. You want to know, dear people, what it means historically? If you want a testimony of how serious a thing it is to mock and reject the reality that you need to confess and believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, you want a historical reality, then I tell you, go back to 70 A.D. Go back that after the Lord had been crucified on that cross, after the Lord had given forty years, almost a whole generation of His apostles preaching the gospel, and they still opposed the message. They persecuted Christ unto the death. They persecuted His apostles when they went from city to city. They raised up opponents to the very message of salvation. Do you want to know how serious a thing rejecting the Gospel is? Realize that not a stone was left unturned in 78 days. Oh, it is not a small thing, my dear people, for any man, woman, boy or girl to reject the saving Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, a voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompense to His enemies. Because when unbelieving religious men reject the truth that only the Lord can save them, what's the only thing that's left? What is the only thing that's left? I mean, it's a very simple equation. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. And so if men this, if men persecute this, if men do not believe this, very simple biblical truth. What's the only thing left? Judgment and destruction. That's all that's left. There's no third option. Because what did Jesus say? He was not for me. He's against me. You cannot sit on the fence. He was not for me. He's against me. Oh, what a blessing it would be if the religions of the world today, rather than fighting over the present earthly Jerusalem, would face what happened to the Jerusalem that existed in Jesus' day, that rejected Him and His message, and would see that the only Jerusalem that should be focused on is the new Jerusalem that Christ alone can bring to pass. As Isaiah describes so vividly in verses 7 and 8, before she travailed, She brought forth, before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion prevailed, she brought forth her children." Now, when you think of a nation created by man, it's not created in a day. All you need to do is consider the founding of this nation and its lengthy battle for independence from Britain. But nothing and no one can hinder the Lord from building His church as quickly as He desires to. And remember from Revelation 19.10 that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. So consider what Isaiah is declaring in these verses from the truth that the Lord declared He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. The new Jerusalem will not be failed to be built by the Lord. He would build His church. He will build the New Jerusalem. And the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And where, dear people, do you see the truths of what Isaiah is declaring in verses 7 and 8 displayed and fulfilled with respect to the Lord Jesus Christ and the building of His church on the day of Pentecost? On the day of Pentecost. The building of the New Testament church is about to begin. The opposition that the apostles will have to face for their preaching that salvation is found only in the Lord Jesus has not begun yet. Because what do you read after the preaching of the first New Covenant sermon recorded in Acts chapter 2? What do you read in chapter 2 of Acts? Three thousand men are saved by the Lord. Three thousand men are saved when one message is preached. This is the Lord building His new covenant church. Before she prevailed, she brought forth. Before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. Before the New Testament church had to face the persecution of the religious leaders, 3,000 were converted unto Christ. And I'm sure, dear people, that the unbelieving Jews, prior to the day of Pentecost, thought that they were done with the Lord Jesus Christ. Thought that they were done with Christ and His message of being the Messiah and the only Savior of men. But by the end of the book of Acts, the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is being preached throughout the world and in the capital Rome. Who have heard such a thing? Who have heard such a thing? Who have seen such things? I am sure that if any one of you here this morning had been able to speak to the Jewish Sanhedrin in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost before the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostles in Acts chapter 2. He would ask for time with the Jewish Sanhedrin and he went in and he told them that within 40 years Jerusalem would be no more. The temple would be no more. But the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the man that you would hand it over to Pilate to crucify, would be preached throughout the world. If you had gone into that Sanhedrin on that day of Pentecost, before the Holy Spirit was poured out in power and said to these Jewish religious leaders, you know what? In 40 years, the very temple you worship isn't going to be here. and the very gospel of the man you handed over to Pilate to crucify is going to have been preached throughout the Roman world. I have no hesitation in saying they would have looked at you like you had lost your mind. But what happened by the end of that day? Three thousand men converted after one message was preached. See, that's not the power of men, dear people. That's the power of God. The gospel I ask you, what happened? Exactly what the Sanhedrin would have called you crazy over. For what did Jesus say? He said He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. And what does the Lord say through Isaiah in verse 9? Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth? Saith the Lord. Shall I cause to bring forth and shut the womb? Saith thy God. Jesus did not just die on the cross to make salvation a possibility. He died on the cross to make salvation a reality. for all those He died for, from every kindred and tongue and nation on the earth. Revelation 5 verses 9 and 10, and they sung a new song saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof. For Thou hast slain and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation We shall reign on the earth. If you set your sights only on being satisfied in this world, I can tell you right now, prepare to be disappointed. But if you set your mind on things above, on the coming new Jerusalem that the Lord purchased with His own blood, then you will be able to face this real world biblically. For what does the Lord say through Isaiah 10? Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her. Rejoice for joy with her, O ye that mourn for her." What does the psalmist say in Psalm 137 verses 5 and 6? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her coming. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth. If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy, the Jerusalem that is above should be the chief joy of believers, not anything on this earth. The thing that should bring believers joy on this earth is when they hear of those the Lord is adding to His church. But to that hymn, mercy drops around us or falling. But for the showers we plead. But for the showers we plead. But for the showers we plead. Because every true conversion to Christ brings the return of Christ that much closer. It brings the new Jerusalem that much closer to its perfect realization. And why should this be something you are not ashamed to be focused on, believer? to think on the believer, to meditate on the believer, because the Lord tells you this is what you are to do. Verse 11, that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations, that ye may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. See, what's God telling you through Isaiah here, believer? He's saying, find out. Find out what the Scriptures declare and teach about the New Jerusalem, believer, and satisfy and delight your soul with these truths, not the temporary passing pleasures of this life. Go to the book of Revelation, not to try and figure out all these foolish, prophetical schemes of man. Go to the book of Revelation and say, this is what it says about the New Jerusalem. No more death. No more pain. You feed your soul on that. You meditate on it. You suck, as it were, as a child, as a little baby, such nourishment out of the breasts of its mother. You suck all the blessings that God has for you, believer, in His Word. Because if you're in Christ, what is every promise of God? Amen and yes. You can claim every promise in the Scriptures if you're a Christian. And that's what you're going to do. For think of it this way. Think of it this way. What is going to bless your soul, believer? Thinking back on all that you have to leave behind when you come to die, or looking ahead to all that you have to look forward to because of the Lord Jesus Christ. What's going to bless your soul? Why are non-believers so often cast down? Because all they do is look back. They look back on what they did or what they once did, but then, well, what about looking ahead to Christ? Well, I don't know Christ. Looking ahead to the promises that are for a believer? Well, I'm not a believer. Well, that's why you're cast out. Oh, dear people, if we could only apply by faith the truths of Scripture. If only you and I would feed our souls in the truths of the Scriptures. Verse 12, For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then shall ye suck, ye shall be born upon her sides and be dandled upon her knees. The Lord's plan of salvation is so great and so glorious It doesn't just include the redeemed of Israel, it includes all the redeemed of the world from every country and from every century. John 10, 16, and other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Think of it from this perspective. How many people get excited because of the size of an audience at some sporting event or concert? If I'm not mistaken, we're down to the final two now in basketball, in college basketball. And all the excitement and all the crowds that will be there encouraging and yelling for their favorite college team and hoping they'll win and all the excitement and all the glory associated with that ever so brief event. But I ask you, who of us here this morning can even begin to comprehend what the New Jerusalem will be like and sound like, made up of all the redeemed of the Lord from all time? No concert on earth can compare to what that will be like. Revelation 7 verses 9 and 10, After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, I ask you. You know, you get a few more people in here, and the volume of the hymn singing goes up. I ask you, try and comprehend. Every redeemed sinner from all time, from every nation gathered in the new Jerusalem crying with a loud voice, saying salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. Dear people, I can remember a man in college. I can't remember the hymn, but I can remember we were in chapel, and it was full. And the students there were singing. It was crowning with many crowns. The difficult one, the difficult version. And he had to sit down. He had to sit down. The truth of that one hymn, just sung by a small chapel. I ask you, dear people, I ask you, dear people, what will it be like to hear salvation to our God, which sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb? sung by every redeemed sinner from all time. Oh, feed your soul on the imagery of the Bible, believer. If you are going through trial, if you are going through difficulty, feed your soul on the imagery of the Scriptures. Notice verse 13. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you, and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. Who can even begin to contemplate what the comfort the Lord supplies His people with in the New Jerusalem will be like? You have a sick child, you have a sick husband, a sick wife, you try and comfort them, you try and help them, and sometimes you just get burdened and overwrought yourself and you don't know what to say. You get frustrated, you get annoyed. But not in the New Jerusalem. The comfort of the Lord will be everlasting. especially in light of verse 14. And when you see this, your heart shall rejoice and your bones shall flourish like an herb, and the hand of the Lord shall be toward His servants and His indignation toward His enemies. That's the warning at the end of this verse. But believer, feed your soul on the truth of the first part of the verse. And when you see this, when you enter into the New Jerusalem, your heart shall rejoice and your bones shall flourish like a herb, and the hand of the Lord shall be made known toward His servants. And your bones shall flourish like a herb, Isaiah is bringing up the imagery that you're going to live forever. Whatever physical problem you have now. He uses the illustration here of bones. How many elderly people have problems with weak bones? What's it called? Osteoporosis or weak bones? Not there. What problem do you have in your physical body right now? You know, you're young. There's some young people here and they don't have any problems. When they get older, they'll start getting them. Think of that. What problem do you have? Not there. When you receive your new glorified body, you will flourish like a herb. Just to give you one personal example, I have contacts. I can't see. I made the mistake of putting my son's contacts in yesterday and I couldn't understand why I couldn't see the mirror. Because his eyes are better than mine. But the day is coming when I won't need contacts. The day is coming when you won't need medications. The day is coming, believer, when your body will be perfectly redeemed because of what the Lord has done for his people. Believer, feed your redeemed soul by trembling at the truths of the Word of God, for you tremble with anticipation. Have you ever seen a child excited about something? You know, they're going somewhere, or their birthday is coming up, or they're about to get a gift from somebody. They're so excited, they're so wrought up, they're so caught up, they're visibly trembling. You're a child of God, believer. Tremble. the promises and the truths that the Lord Jesus has obtained for you. Tremble with the anticipation that all that the Lord has promised for His people will come to pass in the new Jerusalem. Let us pray.