Called By A New Name
Our Bible passage, introduction to Sunday 14th April service and hymns are below.
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Our principal verses are:
Isa 62:1 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.
Isa 62:2 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.
Isa 62:3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
Isa 62:4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
Isa 62:11 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.
Isa 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.
Called By A New Name
Suppose we lived in Isaiah’s day. What outward factors and conditions would contribute to our comfort and peace? What circumstances might indicate temporal blessing and prosperity? Living in a fortified and gated city, perhaps, protected by armed guards. Fertile fields close by with fruitful vineyards to provide supplies of food and wine. An honourable reputation, strong, local alliances and proven friends affording a sense of national and regional stability. Long life, good health and large families that bode well for the future.
Spiritual blessings
By such representative images the prophet anticipates the gospel age and comfort and peace of a spiritual kind. He foresees spiritual blessings given to the church which describe its privileges under the Messiah’s rule. Isaiah’s purpose is to encourage God’s remnant people to remain faithful to the divine promises and await their fulfilment in Christ. Zion and Jerusalem are names for God’s elect people and represent the church. Isaiah tells us he must speak of these things. Neither he nor other prophets and preachers of God’s grace can be silent until Christ’s salvation is fully revealed.
A new name
Isaiah informs his age that in the days of the Messiah God’s people will have a new name. This may be the name ‘the church’ into which New Testament believers were gathered or ‘Christians’ after the One we follow, or perhaps, it refers to our adoption, ‘that we should be called the sons of God’. There are many names, old and new, by which the redeemed of the Lord, Christ’s Bride, is known. Whatever this name is, it given by the Lord indicating His personal interest and involvement with His people. Whatever it is, it is a new name for a new creation.
In whom the Lord delights
Hephzibah means ‘my delight is in her’ and Beulah means ‘married’. This signifies that the Lord Jesus delights in His espoused Bride. The Old Testament remnant often felt desolate and forsaken but Isaiah reaffirms the Lord’s faithfulness. The Lord delights in His people and glories in all those He has justified and made holy. According to the terms of the everlasting covenant Christ has adorned His Bride with ornaments of beauty, and cleansed and covered her in pure white garments of righteousness. The Lord Jesus delights in His betrothed and joyfully anticipates His wedding day when He will present her to Himself.
The power of the gospel
Christ’s watchmen in the city of Zion are gospel preachers. The bread and wine are spiritual gifts and graces bestowed by the Lord to sustain and refresh His church. God’s powerful right hand, being ‘the arm of his strength’, will ensure the divine purpose of conversion is fulfilled by the Holy Spirit. All for whom Christ died will be gathered by gospel preaching. The open gates of the city speak of access and the flow of believers into the kingdom of God. Those gates are still open.
A standard held high
A highway shall be there. This is a well signposted road, cleared of stones and easy to travel. This may be understood of true gospel preaching and of lifting up Christ as a standard, or ensign, to whom needy sinners are directed to come. Isaiah has spoken previously of this highway, saying, ‘an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein’.
A message declared
It is Christ’s voice that is heard speaking when the gospel is preached. His is a call gratefully received and obeyed by all those effectually enabled by the Holy Spirit. This call goes forth through all the world according to the apostolic commission of the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s servants do not ‘offer’ salvation based on freewill. They declare the coming of the Lord Jesus for His people with saving power. ‘Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.’
Holy of the Lord
The Lord’s people gathered under the gospel shall be known as ‘the holy people’ by those who understand and discern God’s justifying work. They are ‘the redeemed of the Lord’ being the objects of Christ’s saving work. They shall be called ‘sought out’ because God the Holy Spirit seeks them out from the ends of the earth, from the pit of sin and the ruins of Adam’s fall. They are a city not forsaken because they are forever secure in the palm of God’s hand and shielded with His love.
Looking and listening
Isaiah sets forth the gospel in clear terms. Using references to righteousness and holiness, redemption and salvation he builds upon earlier revelations of the Messiah. He expands the vision and firms up the view of Christ for these Old Testament saints. By passages like these ‘all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem’ were prepared and informed of what to expect from Christ’s coming. They possessed ‘the faith of God’s elect’ and waited patiently for Jesus Christ that they might hear their new name.
Amen
Our hymns are below.
Hymn 1
Gadsby selection 856
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.” Rev. 5. 6-12
J. Hart C.M.
1
We sing thy praise, exalted Lamb,
Who sitt’st upon thy throne;
Ten thousand blessings on thy name,
Who worthy art alone.
2
Thy bruisèd, broken body bore
Our sins upon the tree;
And now thou liv’st for evermore,
And now we live through thee.
3
Poor sinners, sing the Lamb that died;
What theme can sound so sweet?
His drooping head, his streaming side,
His piercèd hands and feet;
4
With all that scene of suffering love
Which faith presents to view:
For now he lives and reigns above,
And lives and reigns for you.
5
Was ever grace, Lord, rich as thine?
Can aught be with it named?
What powerful beams of love divine
Thy tender heart inflamed!
6
Ye angels, hymn his glorious name,
Who loved and conquered thus;
And we will likewise laud the Lamb,
For he was slain for us.
Hymn 2
Gadsby selection 418
Praise to the Redeemer. Phil. 2. 7-9; Eph. 3. 19
A. Steele C.M.
1
To our Redeemer’s glorious name,
Awake the sacred song;
O may his love (immortal flame!)
Tune every heart and tongue.
2
His love, what mortal thought can reach,
What mortal tongue display?
Imagination’s utmost stretch
In wonder dies away!
3
He left his radiant throne on high!
Left the bright realms of bliss!
And came to earth to bleed and die!
Was ever love like this?
4
Dear Lord, while we adoring pay
Our humble thanks to thee,
May every heart with rapture say,
“The Saviour died for me.”
Almighty God has placed watchmen upon the walls of Zion and preachers in the church of Jesus Christ. These watchmen and preachers defend and support the Lord's people by preaching the truths of God's word, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the doctrines of free and sovereign grace.
14 April 2024