Bulletins - New Life Church of the Nazarene Boswell

To God Be the Glory
- - Isaiah 1:10–20NKJV
Glory To His Name
- - Luke 12:32–40NKJV
Isaiah 56:1 NKJV
1 Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed.
Isaiah 56:6–8 NKJV
6 “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants— Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant— 7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” 8 The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him Others besides those who are gathered to him.”

Ever walked into a room and felt like you didn’t belong?
The social event where you knew no one. The church where you didn’t recognize a single face. The store where the looks from people around you seemed to ask, “You’re not from around here, are you?”
The sense of being an outsider can be strong. You clamp down. You feel like you should just leave.
Years ago I went to a “Dining-In” when I was in the Air Force. For those who are not familiar with military traditions, a Dining-In is a formal military dinner based on British custom in which the members of a unit gather for a formal evening of ceremony, speeches, toasts, and good-natured ritual. It’s an intentional way to build camaraderie and increase unit morale — except it’s usually done at the NCO Club on base. And as its name implies, that’s the base bar.
The theme of that night was alcohol. Every toast. Every joke. Every pause in the evening seemed to demand another drink. And there I was trying to be faithful to my Saviour and my convictions in the middle of it all, surrounded by people drinking, feeling like I didn’t belong. They all seemed to fit the environment perfectly, but I was uncomfortable, out of step, out of place.
Have you ever been there? Not necessarily at a military dinner, but in a room where you just knew you didn’t belong? Where your values, your convictions, or even just who you were felt so different from everyone else that you just felt out of place?
Well, that’s the feeling that Isaiah is speaking into in our passage today. Isaiah 56 is an address from God to the foreigners — men and women who loved God, who wanted to serve Him, but who were constantly being reminded by others that they didn’t really belong. They weren’t born into the right family. They didn’t have the right lineage. To many, they would always be outsiders.
Imagine that being your whole life — to go from place to place, to work, to worship, but always being reminded, “You’re not one of us.” That was the experience of the “foreigners” in Isaiah 56. They loved God, but in the eyes of many they would never belong because they were not born into the right family, the right tribe, the right bloodline.
God says something revolutionary in our text today: “I will bring them to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer… for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
Isaiah is proclaiming here — and Jesus would later echo these words — that God’s welcome is far greater than the boundaries we attempt to draw. His house is not for a select, special, chosen few. It is for all who will love Him, seek Him, and hold fast to His covenant.
Isaiah 56 is a pivotal place in the history of Israel. The people are returning from exile. The temple is being rebuilt. Expectations are high — but so is tension. Tensions are high over who really belongs. Many believed the covenant blessings were for ethnic Israel alone.
But God speaks through Isaiah with a word that breaks through all the barriers: His house will be a house of prayer for all nations — not just for those who share bloodlines, but for all who love Him and live by His covenant.
But note the welcome is not unconditional in the way that the world sometimes uses that term. God’s welcome always comes with His call to holiness. Verse 6 says these foreigners are those who:
Bind themselves to the Lord
Love His name
Serve Him
Keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
Hold fast to His covenant
It’s not a “come as you are and stay as you are” kind of invitation. It’s a “come as you are, surrender to Me, and I will make you holy” kind of invitation.
In our culture — and even in some churches — the idea of “inclusion” has been twisted to mean affirming every lifestyle and never confronting sin. But Isaiah 56, and the entire message of Scripture, make it clear: God never lowers His standards to match our desires. The same holy God who welcomes all who will seek and love Him is the same God who commands all to repent of their sin and walk in obedience to His Word.
With all that in mind, let’s look at the first truth Isaiah lays out for us, the foundation of belonging in God’s family.
God’s Covenant Is Built on Righteousness, Not Ethnicity (Isaiah 56:1)
Isaiah 56:1 “1 Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed.”
Before Isaiah says a word about foreigners or inclusion, God begins with a foundation: justice and righteousness.
It’s Not About Birth, But About Holiness
Israel’s world is one where belonging is often about heritage. You belong if you are descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Blood matters. But God completely flips that upside down here. He doesn’t say, “Remember your ancestry.” He says, “Do what is right.”
That is radical. God is saying: My covenant family is not going to be defined by ethnicity but by holiness. Not by the blood in your veins but by the condition of your heart.
Justice (mishpat) means living fairly, giving people their due, defending the vulnerable, and refusing to exploit others.
Righteousness (tsedaqah) means living rightly before God — aligning your actions, your thoughts, and your choices with His holy character.
Taken together, these two words describe a life shaped by God’s holiness — a life that looks different from the world around it.
But why live this way? God says, “for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.”
He is looking forward to the Messiah — the One who will bring salvation and in whom God’s righteousness will be fully revealed. The call is to live as people waiting for His coming.
Think of it this way: If you knew a great king was coming to visit your home, you would prepare. You’d clean the house, set the table, make things right. God is saying, “Live in justice and righteousness now, because My salvation is on the way.”
For us, this means living not only with gratitude for Christ’s first coming but also with anticipation of His second. Holiness is how we prepare our lives for His return.
You see Holiness is the Entrance Requirement
The verse is crucial because it keeps us from a very dangerous false assumption. You could read through Isaiah 56 and get the idea that God is saying “Everyone is welcome no matter what.” But that is not what He is saying. Everyone is welcome — but only on God’s terms. The foreigners who are welcomed in verses 6–7 are not bringing their old idols or practices with them. They are binding themselves to the Lord, they are loving His name and keeping His covenant. God never twists His definition of sin to make people feel good. He calls them out of their sin and into holiness. This is the place where Wesleyan-Holiness theology speaks clearly: salvation is forgiveness from the guilt of sin, but sanctification is the deliverance from the power of sin. Holiness is not an option — it is the evidence of belonging. And this is where we must also be discerning. There are self-proclaimed preachers and churches today — even some who once stood in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition — who claim the name of Jesus but have turned their backs on this truth. They preach grace without repentance, inclusion without transformation, a cross without sanctification. They may call it love, but it is not biblical holiness. John Wesley himself warned of this danger: a form of religion without the power of godliness. The Church of the Nazarene was raised up, in part, to keep this doctrine alive — to proclaim not only forgiveness but full salvation that cleanses the heart and empowers us to live holy lives. So we cannot compromise here. God’s house is open, yes — but it is also holy. His welcome never contradicts His Word.
This should challenge us in at least two ways:
First, it should challenge us in our own churches when we are tempted to become gatekeepers based on externals. We sometimes think “insiders” look a certain way or come from a certain background or have a certain tradition. God defines insiders by holiness. The question is not, “Do they look like us?” but, “Are they walking with Him?”
Second, it should challenge us not to water down holiness in the name of welcome. God’s welcome is a real welcome, but it is never a welcome that excuses sin. We can’t truly claim to be part of God’s covenant while at the same time holding onto rebellion against His Word.
Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 6:17:
2 Corinthians 6:17 NKJV
17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”
Holiness is both the condition and the confirmation of belonging.
I’ve known many people who were raised in church, wandered far from God for years, and finally returned to Him. One of the things that has always stuck with me when they make it back is their clarity: “I don’t just want to go through the motions. I want God to change me.”
And when they came to surrender, I saw the Spirit begin to remake their lives. Their words became new. Their habits changed. Their families saw a difference in how they lived. They weren’t trying to earn God’s acceptance—they had already received grace. But grace had not left them the same. It produced holiness.
That’s the truth Isaiah is hammering home here. Belonging to God’s covenant doesn’t have to do with heritage or background or outward appearances. It’s about a heart that has been touched by grace and transformed into righteousness.
That’s the heart of Isaiah 56: God’s family is not determined by heritage but by holiness.
If holiness is the foundation, then who can meet it? Isaiah answers: even the outsiders who bind themselves to the Lord are welcomed in. The covenant is not limited by nationality — it is open to all who live in faithfulness.
Outsiders Become Family
Having laid the foundation of His covenant in justice and righteousness, Isaiah then takes an unexpected turn. God promises that foreigners — the people that Israel had always considered permanent outsiders — will be brought to His holy mountain, and given joy in His house of prayer.
Isaiah 56:6–7 “6 “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants— Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant— 7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.””
Notice the language: “I will bring them… I will give them joy… their offerings will be accepted.”
Not Just Tolerated — Fully Welcomed
This is not grudging tolerance. God doesn’t welcome outsiders to sit in the back row and watch from afar. He brings them into the center of worship. Their sacrifices are accepted at the same altar as everyone else’s.
For the nation of Israel, this would have been astounding. Their worship was performed in an area that was divided into courts. Gentiles were only allowed in the outer court — the Court of the Gentiles. There were signs posted on the walls warning that if they went any further they would be responsible for their own death.
Isaiah is saying: That wall will not stand forever. God’s house is not just for Israel — it is for all who bind themselves to Him.
But don’t miss this: God is not just throwing the doors open with no expectations. The foreigners who are welcomed are described as those who:
Bind themselves to the Lord
Love His name
Serve Him
Keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
Hold fast to His covenant
This is the language of commitment, love, and obedience. They are welcomed because they have turned from idols and sin to follow the living God.
God is not saying, “Come in and keep your sin.” He’s saying, “Come in and be set free!”
He’s not saying, “Bring your idols and your rebellion and make yourself comfortable.” He’s saying, “Lay it all down and let Me make you holy.”
Friends, the door of God’s house is wide open — praise God for that! But don’t miss this: His house is not just open — His house is holy.
This is the very passage Jesus quoted when He cleansed the temple (Matthew 21:13). He overturned the tables of the money changers and said, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
Where was this happening? In the Court of the Gentiles — the one place outsiders were allowed to worship. Instead of being a place of prayer, it had been turned into a marketplace.
By quoting Isaiah, Jesus was restoring God’s design. He was saying: “This house is for all nations — and you have no right to crowd them out.”
The early church lived this out. Acts 10 tells the story of Peter and Cornelius. Peter did not even want to go to Cornelius’s house because Cornelius was a Gentile. But God gave Peter a vision and said, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
When the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius and his household, Peter declared, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” (Acts 10:34–35)
Later, in Acts 15, the church confirmed this truth: Gentiles did not need to become Jewish first — they were welcomed into the family of God through faith in Christ.
I know of a church that decided to reach out to the lost, the broken, the forgotten. And at first, it was messy — people came in who didn’t look the part, didn’t know the songs, and carried heavy baggage. But over time, grace started doing its work. Lives began to change.
One Sunday, the pastor looked out and saw something beautiful: lifelong church members standing shoulder to shoulder with brand-new believers who had once felt unwanted, all lifting their voices in praise. It wasn’t perfect, but it was powerful — a glimpse of Revelation 7:9, where people from every walk of life worship before the throne of the Lamb.
That’s Isaiah 56 in action. Outsiders becoming family.
What does this mean for us?
Personally: Who do you tend to see as an “outsider”? Someone with a different background, different struggles, different culture? If God welcomes them when they bind themselves to Him, shouldn’t we?
As a church: Do our words and actions say “house of prayer for all nations” or “members only”? Do we make it clear that everyone who seeks the Lord is welcome — but also that holiness is required?
This calls us beyond comfort. It means we actively look for people who feel far away, and we invite them into God’s family.
Let me be very clear: God’s welcome is not compromise. Isaiah was not preaching cheap grace. The foreigners didn’t keep their old gods — they left them behind. They didn’t continue in rebellion — they kept God’s covenant.
God’s grace is wide enough to welcome anyone — but holy enough to change everyone.
And the Church of the Nazarene has always stood on this truth: we welcome all people, but we will not bless sin. We call everyone to repentance, to salvation, and to sanctification.
Because hear me today: grace will welcome you, but only holiness will transform you.
So far we’ve seen that God’s covenant is rooted in righteousness, not heritage, and that outsiders who bind themselves to Him are fully welcomed as family. But Isaiah doesn’t stop there. God goes even further. He says, “I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.” (v. 8) In other words: His work of gathering is not finished.
God Gathers Still More
Isaiah finishes this thought with this sentence that takes everything up a notch:
Isaiah 56:8 “8 The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him Others besides those who are gathered to him.””
Israel at this point in history thought the story was over. The exiles had come back from Babylon. Jerusalem was being rebuilt. In their minds, the “gathering” of Israel had happened. But God says, “No, I’m not done yet. I will gather still others.”
This is God revealing His heart — He is a gathering God. From the moment He called Abraham in Genesis 12, His plan was to bless all nations. Israel was chosen not to hoard God’s grace but to be a light to the world.
Isaiah 56 reminds us: God’s mission doesn’t stop with those already inside. He’s still seeking. He’s still calling. He’s still gathering.
Think about it: we live in a world where everything has limits. Restaurants have capacity. Stadiums have max seating. Even your cell phone has limited storage. But God’s kingdom doesn’t. There is no “Sorry, we’re full” sign at heaven’s door.
Every time someone tries to close the circle, God redraws it wider. Every time we say, “Surely this is enough,” God says, “I’m not finished — I’m still gathering.”
But let’s be clear — He’s not gathering people into sin, He’s gathering them out of sin and into holiness. His invitation is wide, but His house is still holy.
This verse points straight to the ministry of Jesus. In John 10:16, Jesus says:
“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”
And in Acts, we see the Spirit doing just that: gathering Jews, Gentiles, slaves, free, men, women — all into one body.
Finally, Revelation 7:9 shows the end of the story:
Revelation 7:9 NKJV
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
Isaiah 56:8 is a preview of that day. God’s gathering mission has no borders.
When I was growing up, my parents had one of those dining tables that had hidden leaves. If unexpected guests showed up, nobody panicked. We just pulled the table out and opened one of those hidden leaves to stretch the table, and slid in a few more chairs. Everyone had a place.
That’s a picture of God’s kingdom. He keeps expanding the table, adding more seats, inviting more people. But here’s the key: once you sit at His table, you honor the host. You don’t drag in the dirt of the world. You don’t sit down on your own terms. You submit to the holiness of the house.
So what does this mean for us?
Personally: We can never write anyone off. The person you think is too far gone? God may be gathering them even now. The one you’ve given up on? God hasn’t.
As a church: We can’t settle for being content with who’s already here. If God is still gathering, then His church must still be reaching. A church that stops reaching is a church that stops reflecting God’s heart.
Our ministries should always have room for “one more.” One more family. One more child. One more person who’s been forgotten. We don’t gather to keep comfortable — we gather to keep expanding God’s kingdom.
Let’s me say it again: God’s welcome is not compromise. He doesn’t gather people so they can stay in sin; He gathers them so they can be set free from sin. Grace invites, but holiness transforms. If our vision of God’s house leaves people in their chains, then it’s not His vision.
Church, listen: the kingdom of God is never “full.” The doors are never locked. The table is never capped. God is still gathering, and until Jesus returns, there’s always room for one more.
So Isaiah leaves us with this breathtaking vision: a covenant based on righteousness, a family that welcomes the outsider, and a God who keeps gathering still more. And if that’s His heart, it must become ours.
A Welcome That Transforms
Isaiah’s vision is breathtaking. A covenant not based on ethnic lines but on righteousness. Outsiders invited in as full members of the family. A God who never gives up on His gathering mission.
This isn’t just ancient prophecy, friends. This is God’s heartbeat, pulse, in the very present.
But listen to me, church: God’s welcome doesn’t mean we water down His holiness. His house is open, yes. But His house is holy. Grace will welcome you, yes. But only holiness will transform you. Amen?
God’s covenant is about righteousness, not ethnicity. Holiness is the entrance requirement, not your last name or family history.
Outsiders aren’t second-class citizens. They’re full family. But family life means covenant faithfulness — that is, laying down idols and rebellion to live as God’s holy people.
God is not finished. He’s still gathering. Always room for one more, but only on His terms.
Church, that’s the tension we have to live in: radical welcome and radical holiness. One without the other is not the gospel.
Look, friends: God’s people are not the only ones who want the family. In our world — and yes, even in parts of the church — there are people who want the welcome without the holiness. They want the cross without repentance. They want the name of Jesus without the life of Jesus.
But Isaiah’s message cuts through the noise: cheap grace is no grace at all. Foreigners were welcomed in but they came to know that cheap grace is no grace at all. The foreigners who came in left their old gods behind. They abandoned their rebellion and sin. They held fast to God’s covenant.
And let’s be clear: The Church of the Nazarene has always stood firm here. We welcome all people, but we will not bless sin. We call everyone to repentance, to salvation, and to sanctification. Why? Because the gospel is not just about pardon, friends. It’s about purity. Not just forgiveness, but transformation.
So, what does all that mean for us today?
Who are the outsiders in your life? The ones you’ve written off, the ones you’ve kept at arm’s length? God is still gathering, friends, and He may want to use you to bring them in.
Are we willing to make room for “one more”? Not just in our pews, but in our hearts, our schedules, our homes? Do we truly reflect God’s heart, or have we grown comfortable with who’s already here?
Are we content, or are we reaching? Are we looking for the lost, the broken, the forgotten? Because God is, friends. God is.
Church, if we stop reaching, we stop reflecting His heart.
In Revelation 7: 9 we get a peek at the finish line: a multitude, too many to count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne. That is God’s house, friends. A house for all people.
And friends, here’s the good news: you don’t have to wait for heaven to see it. You can get glimpses of it right here, right now when the church becomes what God has always meant it to be: a holy family with arms wide open.
So let me say it one more time: God’s house is open – praise His name! But God’s house is holy – don’t forget it! Grace will welcome you but holiness will transform you. And until Jesus comes again, there’s always room for one more.
So here’s the invitation today:
If you’ve been standing outside, wondering if you could ever belong, hear this: the door is open. Come in. Surrender to Christ. Leave your sin behind, and be made new.
And if you’ve been inside the house, but your arms have been folded instead of open, ask God to give you His heart. His mission. His vision. To be a people who both welcome and disciple. Who embrace and call to holiness.
Church, let’s be that house. A house for all people. A house for His glory.
- - Isaiah 56:1NKJV
- - Isaiah 56:6–8NKJV
- - 2 Corinthians 6:17NKJV
- - Revelation 7:9NKJV

Isaiah 1:10–20NKJV

Luke 12:32–40NKJV

God’s Covenant Is Built on Righteousness, Not Ethnicity (Isaiah 56:1)

Outsiders Become Family

God Gathers Still More

A Welcome That Transforms

Isaiah 56:1NKJV

Isaiah 56:6–8NKJV

2 Corinthians 6:17NKJV

Revelation 7:9NKJV