Dear Brothers and sisters, Prayer will be at the Brown barn.

As we enter Isaiah 25, having spent weeks dealing with the prophecies of the judgment of God directed at the city of man, we now get a glimpse of what life is like within the walls of the City of God. We learn more about the mountain – the “mountain of the Lord’s house” that we saw back in chapter 2. We learn more about the righteous responses that God can cause to spring forth when His judgments are witnessed in the earth. Having been told of the coming reign of Jesus Christ in the last verse of chapter 24, we see here in this chapter what it looks like when the government is upon His shoulder (Is. 9). We have here examples of spontaneous praise to the Lord even as we saw in chapter 12 – praise from Isaiah as he contemplates the judgments of God (v.1); praise among the nations for the gospel that comes to them in the dawning light (v. 9); and in chapter 26, praise from the remnant who are seeking a city whose builder and maker is God.

This, dear brothers and sisters, is the “city of our God; His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King…Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Your judgments. Walk about Zion, and go all around her. Count her towers; mark well her bulwarks; consider her palaces; that you may tell it to the generation following. For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death” (Psalm 48).

Be in prayer for our brothers and sisters laboring in Columbia and Ecuador this week. Pray for those speaking and also for those translating; that the unction of the Spirit would rest upon both.

Mike Davenport

Songs are as follows:

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God #151
A mighty fortress is our God
A bulwark never failing
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe
His craft and pow’r are great
And armed with cruel hate
On earth is not his equal

Did we in our own strength confide
Our striving would be losing
Were not the right man on our side
The man of God’s own choosing
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He –
Lord Sabaoth, His name
From age to age the same
And He must win the battle

And tho’ this world with devils filled
Should threaten to undo us
We will not fear for God hath willed
His truth to triumph thro’ us
The prince of darkness grim
We tremble not for him
His rage we can endure
For lo, his doom is sure:
One little word shall fell him

That word above all earthly pow’rs
No thanks to them abideth
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Thro’ Him who with us sideth
Let goods and kindred go
This mortal life also –
The body they may kill
God’s truth abideth still:
His kingdom is forever

Psalm 2
Why do heathen nations rage?
Why do peoples folly mind?
Kings of earth in plots engage,
Rulers are in league combined;
Then against Jehovah high,
And against Messiah’s sway,
“Let us break their bands,” they cry,
“Let us cast their cords away.”

But the Lord will scorn them all;
He will laugh Who sits on high.
Then His wrath will on them fall;
Sore displeased He will reply:
“Yet according to My will
I have set My King to reign,
And on Zion’s holy hill
My Anointed I’ll maintain.”

His decree I will make known;
Unto Me the Lord did say,
“Thou art My beloved Son;
I’ve begotten Thee this day.
Ask of Me, and Thee I’ll make
Heir to earth and nations all;
Them with iron Thou shalt break,
Dashing them in pieces small.”

Therefore, kings, be wise, give ear;
Hearken, judges of the earth;
Serve the Lord with godly fear;
Mingle trembling with your mirth.
Kiss the Son, His wrath to turn,
Lest ye perish in the way,
For His anger soon will burn.
Blessed are all that on Him stay.
Amen

By Grace Alone
Out of the depths I cry to You,
Lord, hear my voice of pleading;
Bend down Your gracious ear, I pray,
Your humble servant heeding.
If You remember each misdeed,
And of each thought and word take heed,
Who can remain before You?
Only by grace, by grace alone.

Your pardon is a gift of love,
Your grace alone must save us,
Our works will not remove our guilt,
The strictest life would fail us.
Let none in deeds or merits boast,
But let us own the Holy Ghost
for He alone can change us:
Only by grace, by grace alone.

Though great our sins and sore our woes
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our utmost need it soundeth.
Our kind and faithful Shepherd He,
Who will set all His people free
From all their sin and sorrow:
Only by grace, by grace alone.

This Is My Father’s World #143
This is my Father’s world, and to my list’ning ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres
This is my Father’s world, I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas
His hand the wonders wrought

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise
The morning light, the lily white
Declare their Maker’s praise
This is my Father’s world, He shines in all that’s fair
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere

This is my Father’s world, O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong
God is the Ruler yet
This is my Father’s world, the battle is not done
Jesus, who died, shall be satisfied
And earth and heav’n be one

The Son of God Goes Forth to War
The Son of God goes forth to war,
A kingly crown to gain;
His blood-red banner streams afar;
Who follows in His train?
Who best can drink His cup of woe,
Triumphant over pain,
Who patient bears his cross below,
He follows in His train.

The martyr first, whose eagle eye
Could pierce beyond the grave,
Who saw his Master in the sky,
And called on Him to save;
Like Him, with pardon on his tongue
In midst of mortal pain,
He prayed for them that did the wrong;
Who follows in his train?

A glorious band, the chosen few
On whom the Spirit came,
Twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew
And mocked the cross and flame;
They met the tyrant’s brandished steel,
The lion’s gory mane;
They bowed their necks the death to feel;
Who follows in their train?

A noble army, men and boys,
The matron and the maid,
Around the Savior’s throne rejoice,
In robes of light arrayed;
They climbed the steep ascent of heav’n
Through peril, toil and pain;
O God to us may grace be giv’n
To follow in their train.