Isaiah 26:2: Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.

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1 Series: Isaiah Title: Exalting the Highway Text: Isaiah 62: Date: October 18, 2015 Place: SGBC, New Jersey Isaiah 62: 10: Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. 11: 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. 12: And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken. Christ continues giving his charge to his witnesses. But the message is what we are to say and do for sinners who are yet in bondage in their sins. So this is both to you who are witnesses and especially to you who have not yet cast all your care on Christ. CHRIST S CHARGE TO HIS WITNESSES Isaiah 62: 10: Go through, go through the gates; Christ assures us that he has established his holy city his church, his people are secure. The King of glory has opened and entered heavens gates. They shall not be closed to his people ever. Christ assures us that he has set watchmen on our walls given us preachers and witnesses which shall surely sound the trumpet. Christ assures us that he will no longer give our bread and our corn to the stranger. Our holy city shall not be overrun by the enemy. Christ assures us we shall eat and drink of his gospel of his Bread and his Wine together in his courts in his church. Historically, at that time, all of this was true of earthly Jerusalem. There was a steady flow of people coming into Jerusalem by way of the highway which led from Babylon to Jerusalem. It pictures Christ command to his church today. Go through, go through the gates. He is telling us who are already called into heavenly his church, into heavenly Jerusalem, to open the gates and make his church a welcome place for his sheep that will be coming in weary from this world. Isaiah 26:2: Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Isaiah 60: 11: Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. Our church and every local church every family of believers ought always be a welcome place for Christ s weary traveling people. The assembly and our homes should always be a place where weary sinners can stop and hear the gospel and be refreshed by God s grace. We ought always be welcoming to his to those who are lost, who may be his lost sheep, who Christ is about to call. Let us never shut the gates but keep our gates open at all times. If someone will shut the door, let it be those who oppose us. Also, here he commands us not to sit behind our walls but to go outside our gates, seeking his lost sheep Go through, go through the gates The gates of walled cities were places people gathered to hear important news. The gates represent places where we live and work and interact with folks on a daily basis. The gates are doors that Christ opens to

2 give us opportunity to speak a word in season to needy sinners. We do not force sinners to listen but if Christ opens a door of opportunity, Christ says, Go through, go through the gates. Another application for these gates are the gates of hell. Christ laid down his life that he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Heb 2: 14-15) So if the devil has one of Christ s lost sheep deceived in sin or false religion, locked behind the devil s gates, Christ says of his church the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Mt 16: 18) Christ says to us, Go through, go through the gates For lost sinners, by God s grace, let me attempt to penetrate the gates of hell that are keeping you from Christ. Let me tell you the story of a great mistake made by the natural children of Israel. They were bound behind the gates of Babylon. So God sent a Persian ruler to redeem them. That ruler opened the gates of Babylon. Then he sent messengers, singing the good news, saying, Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, the LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob. (Is 48: 20) All they had to do was believe the Lord and go through the gates and go forth from Babylon and they would have been free. Yet, they would not believe the Lord. They would not go forth. The LORD said, O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. (Is 48: 18, 22) Apply this to our day. In our day, God has sent forth Christ the Redeemer. Christ has redeemed all his spiritual Israel from all our enemies. Christ has opened the gates and the gates shall not be shut. Christ himself speaks through his preachers through his gospel and Christ says to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. (Is 49: 9-10) Do you believe on Christ? He says the gates are open, they will not be shut, go through, go through the gates. Will you prove to be like the natural children of Israel or are you one of his spiritual children? Has he awakened you inwardly this morning? Has he made you long to be free from the guilt of your sins? Christ makes his true people go forth when Christ speaks effectually into our hearts. Sinner, Go through, go through the gates The LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward. (Is 52: 12) PREPARE THE WAY Isaiah 62: 10: prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; Why must the way be made clear and exalted up before the people? Because, by nature, we imagine there are many ways to come to God s presence in heavenly Jerusalem. Proverbs 16:25: There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. The way of sinful, depraved sinners is the way of superstition, the way of moral reform, the way of religious vows and ceremonies, the way of free will and works. These ways all end in death. Christ says, Matthew 7: 13: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

3 If we would travel from this sin-cursed Babylon to heavens Mt. Zion then there is but one Way, one HIGHWay, one narrow, straight way Christ Jesus the Lord. Acts 4: 12: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. The Lord Jesus alone has prepared the way to come to holy God. The Son of God became the Son of Man that he might graciously live and die representing all his people as the one Man in their place. He suffered that he might perfect obedience for his people. Thus Christ became the perfect Captain of our salvation. It is Christ s obedience to God in whom we are made perfectly obedient to God. In order to justify his people from our sins Christ bore the sins of God s elect, our curse and our death on the cross. Justice was satisfied for his people by Christ. The sins of his people were taken away by Christ By arising from the grave, he declared to his people that our sins were put away he was raised again for our justification that we might be sure he satisfied justice and put away our sins. He entered into God s presence exalted and glorified as the Head of his church, opening a new and living way into God s presence he is that Way! From the gates of hell he frees us to the gates of heaven he delivers us. But Christ is the only Way! Now, lets try to gather out a few of the stones that might cause some to stumble in the way. When you hear Christ s command to come out of Babylon, to go through the gates, to believe on Christ the Way, some may ask, What do I need to do? Is there something to qualify me to believe? Christ s command to believe on him is our qualification to believe. Christ gives what he commands. When his command comes effectually he gives faith and repentance. There is no pre-qualification necessary on our part. By Christ s finished work, All things are ready! Simply believe on Christ! Some stumble over the stone of their knowledge. Men say, I m not sure I know enough. I know this doctrine and that doctrine. It is not what you know but who. John 17: 3: And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Psalm 9:10: And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. Anything we put between the sinner and Christ is works; it is something the sinner can glory in. Jeremiah 9:24: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. Some stumble over the stone of faith. Sinners will say, I am not sure I believe I am saved. I am not sure I believe my sins are forgiven. The Lord asked two blind men if they believed he was able to give them sight.

4 Their answer was, Yea, Lord. That is faith! It is believing Christ is able. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:12, I am persuaded that He is able. The biggest stone of all is a false refuge. Some say, I ll put this off till another day. But what is your life! Some say, I had this experience in my past. or I am of this religious tradition or denomination. The worst of all is self-righteousness. The stone of stumbling in all of these excuses is Christ himself! Romans 9: 30: the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31: But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32: Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33: As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. LIFT UP THE BANNER Isaiah 62: 10 lift up a standard [a banner, an ensign, a flag] for the people. A standard is a flag, a banner, an ensign. The purpose of a standard is so that his people will know where to rally unto. Our only ensign is Christ himself. Isaiah 11:10: And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. This is what I want you to have Christ s glorious rest! Rest from your sin, rest from your troubled conscience, rest from your vain works, rest from will-workers his rest shall be glorious! Come to Christ our Banner! CHRIST S EFFECTUAL WORD How shall Christ s witnesses be strengthened for this work and how shall his word be made effectual in the hearts of his lost sheep? Isaiah 62: 11: Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Daughter of Zion, wherever in the four corners of this world we are proclaiming his word Behold, thy Salvation cometh. Christ is our Salvation. As we preach his gospel, he alone will come to strengthen his witnesses and to make his word effectual in his lost sheep. Isaiah 62: 11: Behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. Reward does not mean a reward men earn by mercenary labors. It means, Behold, his salvation, his gifts of grace such as wisdom, righteousness, holiness, redemption are with him and in him, to give to those who believe on him. Isaiah 62: 11: And his work before him. The work Christ effects in all his people will be accomplished before him by his presence! Recently, referring to the one message we are to preach (a similar exhortation as our text today) we read almost the exact words of verse 11, back in Isaiah 40: 10. Then in Isaiah 40: 11 we are told what Christ s reward and effectual work is Isaiah 40: 11: He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

5 And this will be the end of those he calls and sanctifies out of this world to faith in him Isaiah 62: 12: And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken. Amen!