Who Will Gain Entrance to God's Holy Mountain

Isaiah 56:6-7, 13b: "And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant-these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer . . . . the man who makes me his refuge will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain."

When our modern culture contemplates eternal salvation and the recipients of its blessings, it sadly believes the falsity that redemption is afforded to all of mankind, with no stipulations. Or our culture concludes that Heaven is to be given to those who have lived "good" lives (though there is quite a divergence as to what this "good" actually is).

Isaiah 56 gives us the prerequisites of God's grace to humanity, who are "foreigners" outside the presence of the Lord because of sinful rebellion against Him.

The "foreigner" must first BIND HIMSELF TO THE LORD: he must commit himself to the Lord through contrition, confession, and surrender. God in His Holiness is to be praised and obeyed. Whereas the merits of our grace are solely afforded through the Lord's death and resurrection, still, we must respond to the Lord's offering of reconciliation by "binding ourselves to Him."

The "foreigner" must SERVE HIM: When we have surrendered to God as our Master, we will necessarily respond with acts of obedience. These responses will not be a drudgery but a delight, for we will revel with astonishment at His love for us, and we will want to serve Him.

The "foreigner" must LOVE THE NAME OF THE LORD: He will savor the privilege of intimate association with the Sovereign King of Kings. And this desire for intimacy will drive us to want to spend time with Him and to follow Him obediently.

The "foreigner" will WORSHIP HIM: Worship is a natural product of a heart filled with the joy of salvation. When a person overflows with love and adoration for the Lord in His greatness and goodness to mankind, he cannot help but express his condition in praise and worship. Whereas the style of worship may be different, predicated upon the person and the circumstance, it is nonetheless real and genuine.

The "foreigner" will KEEP THE SABBATH WITHOUT DESECRATING IT: The primary purpose of the Sabbath from its inception has been to set time aside for rest and worship of the Lord of Hosts. The true believer will not permit obstacles to distract him from his exclusive contemplation and worship of the Lord. He will remove any obstacles that would impede his focused reflection and praise for the One True God!

The "foreigner" will HOLD FAST TO GOD'S COVENANT: As we have already said, the true believer will follow the precepts and statutes of the Lord as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures. He cannot help but live his life in obedience, for he has been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit; and in his responsive love and adoration of His Savior, the redeemed will commit his life to perpetual obedience to His Lord.

All of the above criteria are the evidential fruit of true transformation. This is a person who has made God his refuge; and for such a man, God has promised the blessedness of inheriting His Holy Mountain (i.e. Heaven).