READ: ISAIAH 60:1-22 TEXT: v18 [THY GATES PRAISE]
Violence is not heard any more
in thy land, Spoiling and destruction in thy borders, And thou hast
called `Salvation' thy walls,
And thy gates, `Praise.'
In a previous chapter (26:1) we came across the idea, also mentioned here, of this city whose walls are salvation
Better walls around a city could not be found
We can safely say, even with a full knowledge of all the devil's
artillery/schemes, that he can never penetrate these walls
With all his hellish cunning/malignant hatred, he will never succeed/hellish plans to take/city and reign within its walls
Jesus said: I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her (Matthew 16:18)
Let that encourage you in the battle
Forget this and your heart will quail at the sight of the devil's cannons and battering rams as they approach the city
Once you begin to fear, then you will be susceptible to his terms/surrender and the devil will have won by default
When the moment/battle comes and you see the infernal gun power being
loaded into the great cannon, be rest assured that the walls will
withstand the constant shelling:
It came to pass, as Potiphar's wife
spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by
her, or to be with her (Genesis 39:10)
There was a constant shelling in Joseph's life, yet the
walls/his salvation withstood every evil attack and although she robbed
him of his reputation, she could not touch his character or his
salvation
Let this thought also steel you in the fight
Remember, we are not merely to defend but positively contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints
We can make raids into the devil's territory, bind the strong man and
spoil his goods and all because the walls/our city are salvation
Our text brings in another feature of this city
If it's walls are salvation, then its gates are praise and this is another wonderful picture with plenty/instruction
3 main thoughts:
1) PRAISING CHRISTIANS ARE STRONG CHRISTIANS:
A/ Must be implied/text
Pretty useless: stout and impregnable walls and yet a flimsy gate
Need to be careful here: Our salvation is totally 100% in Christ
Already quoted: Matthew 16:18
We are saved through what Christ has done and what we can do
Salvation is totally of the Lord (Jonah 2:9)
Yet there is no room for lazy Christians/Kingdom of God
(Consider the many imperatives/epistles etc,)
A lazy Christian will not have any satisfaction or victory or joy
But even a fully working obedient Christian cannot rely upon himself or his efforts to save/keep him
We must observe the wise balance/Scripture
B/ But we may say that a Christian who is always and truly praising God (note the cravat) is a strong Christian
How do I know?
To be truly praising the Lord (as opposed to the empty jingle or
cliché ridden substitute that often appears) such must be in
spirit and in truth (John 4:24)
These two proviso's cannot be dismissed
[i] A praising Christian has grasped: greatness/God esp as revealed in His word
Else why would the praising Christian praise God?
Is some perception that He is worthy/accolades we give
[ii] A praising Christian/grasped: willingness of God/bless
He sees that what God does, He does willingly
His view: greatness/God shows God's hand cannot be forced
God does not speak through gritted teeth
God does not act under pressure and so when He gives, He does so willingly
So we praise Him
Who would praise an old skinflint who only gave because he could do nothing else?
[iii] A praising Christian grasped: promises/God
He trusts God with his future
Pretty easy to praise God when all/garden: rosy
(Assuming, we remember to do so) but it is a different thing to praise him when the sea/rough and the clouds: thick/dark
Do we praise God even in adversity?
Strong Christians do:
JOB DID He loses his business/family:
Then
Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon
the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's
womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD
hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD (Job 1:20-21)
Not blind/reality of what had happened but midst/great personal tragedy…He worshipped/blessed God
PAUL and SILAS DID: Backs lashed etc,
At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them (Acts 16:31)
SAMUEL RUTHERFORD DID: Exiled etc,
"I'll bless the hand that guided
I'll bless the heart that planned…
When enthroned
where glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land"
C/ Be a praising Christian tonight
A thankful spirit is a good spirit to have
A thankless/grumbling spirit saps your strength
Blinds you to the sovereign hand/God which always works all things together for your good
Grumblers never see the silver linings in the clouds
Never (like David) encourage themselves/the Lord (1 Samuel 30:6)
Soon
grow weary/well doing and become most ineffective in that one
requirement of them:
To glorify God and enjoy him for ever
But let's
move on:
2) PRAISING CHRISTIANS ARE WELCOMING CHRISTIANS:
We notice how praise is associated with the gates
Figure cannot be lost upon us
Our first entrance/city will be through the gates
Otherwise: thieves/robbers (John 10:1)
A/ Best advert for Christianity are Christians who praise God
This thought does not undermine preaching/word etc,
No desire to replace the centrality/pulpit with its emphasise on preaching/word with musical displays etc,
(If
nothing else… must query how much of such displays is actually
acceptable to God as worship? Amos 5:23: Take thou away from me the
noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols)
Point should not be lost
Often what brings people in to hear/word is the praising life style of a Christian
Such a witness/evidence: reality of God's salvation ploughs the ground for sowing/seed
B/ One man/particular who had a great ministry is this regard: Billy Bray (Cornwall)
What a testimony! Effective soul winner
Men are attracted to this kind/person
Billy Bray, although impoverished, called himself "The King's Son" and
in everything he gave thanks/God as enjoined (1 Thessalonians
5:18)
C/ The Devil hates praising Christians
So dangerous to his kingdom
Cannot compete
Worldling's joy is fleeting:
Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness (Proverbs 14:12 )
Not so the Christian:
All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast (15:15)
3) PRAISING CHRISTIANS ARE ENCOURAGING CHRISTIANS:
Although salvation's city is not a prison…yet gates do serve to keep people in
A safety device which works both ways
A/ Praising Christians do more to keep fellow believers encouraged in their pilgrimage/Heaven than is probably realised
Again: primacy of the word/God cannot be undermined:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 and Ephesians 6:17 are fundamental verses but the
praising Christian is walking evidence of the practicalities of the
same word
Surely if God could display Job to discourage the devil (Job 1:8) the same act must then encourage the believers?
As one gets discouraged and recedes…the other get encouraged and advances
B/ Without being artificial, cultivate a spirit/praise in your heart
[i] Take particular note of all the Lord's goodness' toward you
The spiritual realm will keep you going for a while! (Ephesians 1:3)
[ii] Also the temporal: Every good/perfect gift etc, (James 1:17)
[iii] Remember how such cost God dearly
Come to us through the Cross/Calvary
Nothing like the Cross to make us thankful
[iv] Put all your discouragement's into perspective
They are a lot less than both what you deserve and what others have gotten
While we can speak of our discouragement's so that all can weep with
those who weep (Romans 12:15) yet do not so speak of them as to
discourage others
Sound the note of praise/hope in your lament
[v] Speak encouraging words when you speak to other Christians Not only the outwardly discouraged
Behind many smiles etc, lurk many fears
Words are cheap in two ways
One is bad…but the other is priceless beyond compare
[vi] If necessary, show the depth of your praise by practical giving
Do as unto the Lord and He will repay you a hundred fold
C/ The wicked know how to encourage one another/sin
Surely the people/God can out-march/outwork and out-love the children of the Evil One?
THE END