Just these first few verses tonight
of Isaiah 26. Believers are singers. In that day shall this song be
sung. We're always going to be singers throughout eternity. God's people
are musicians and vocalists. You might as well get used to
it now. You might as well start tuning up. We're going to be
singing from now on. The psalmist said in Psalm 89,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. You see, it's
not about our voice, it's about his mercies. That's why we got
to sing. With my mouth will I make known
thy faithfulness to all generations. It's about making known his glory.
Isn't that what he said he would do in Romans chapter 9? The reason
he had mercy on the vessels of mercy, showed compassion to the
vessels of mercy. He said he might make his glory
known. He might reveal the riches of
his glory. And may we always be in that
business. When the Israelites were delivered from Egypt and
they had traveled through the Red Sea on dry ground, God had
swallowed up their enemies in the sea. They sat down on the
banks of that sea and sang a song to God. They sang it to God. Have you
ever just sang to God? Listen to it now, as Exodus 15
then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the
Lord. They weren't singing to one another. Well, you know, your voice doesn't
sound that good to me, Chris. I wonder what it sounds like
to God, though. I know it's not worthy of His
name, we're not worthy to sing of His glories, but there's something
about his grace that's so wide and broad that even a worm can
sing and it's music to his ears. It's beautiful to him. We sing
songs of his son, of his glory, of his exploits, of his accomplishments,
of his mercy. They sang this song unto the
Lord saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed
gloriously. The horse and his rider hath
he thrown into the sea. What day are we talking about?
In that day, our text says, they're going to sing a song. In that
day. Well, the Israelites would have
said, we sang this song on the day that we sat down and realized
that God had saved us from over 400 years of bondage and captivity
and oppression. That's when we sang our song. The Apostle Paul might say, well
this is the day that the Lord stopped me on my road to hell
and put me in the dust and blinded me so that I might see him in
his glory. That's the day. Anyone with any discernment on
the day of our Lord's crucifixion would have sung This song of
salvation then, as the glorious Lamb of God shed his precious
blood for sinners, redeemed a people which no man can number from
a debt of sin that not even an angel could calculate. All who have seen Christ crucified
before or since would say, this is the day. Let's sing of his salvation.
And they'd all be right. This is a song that God's sheep
sing every day. Because He who has saved us is
saving us. And shall save us. So we always
sing it. Every day is a day of His salvation.
A day of His mercy. His mercies are new every morning.
So we'll sing of His mercies as David said forever. To all
generations we delight in His salvation. We preach the glories
precious blood of the lamb we sing the praises of the lamb
and we do indeed and shall forever because you see John got a glimpse
into eternity that's what he's looking at in the book of Revelation
and there in eternal glory the saints of God were still singing
a song to him just like they did on the banks of the Red Sea just like we did a moment ago and the name of it is worthy
is the lamb. The eternal psalm speaks of him
who is worthy and it tells why he's worthy. Worthy is the lamb. That's the
Lord Jesus Christ, God's precious eternal victorious lamb. Why is he worthy? Because he
was slain. And it speaks of what he accomplished
by his victorious sacrifice. Thou hast redeemed us to God
out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation. We're singing
about that now. And we always will. And this
song is sung, as our text says, in the land of Judah. They're
not singing it everywhere. This world sings of what? There's not that many different
themes of this world's songs, are there? They sing of drunkenness
and lust and sin. And there's a few decent songs
that you could sing without being ashamed of them. But God's people sing of the
Lamb and what He's done for us. Judah means praise. So when he
says it's sung in the land of Judah, it's sung in the land
of praise. We praise the one that everyone
else despises and maligns. We glorify him whom this world
rejects. And that's why Paul said, this
world's dead to me and I to it. Because the one whom this world
most hates, we most love. by his grace and
here's the song we have a strong city now keep in mind that this is
a people who are said in the word of God to have no continuing
city in this world Hebrews 13 14 we have no continuing city
here we're strangers and pilgrims in this world and yet we have
a strong city It's a city you can't drive to in your car. You
can't visit on vacation. This is the church of God, the
kingdom of God, the city of God. It's a spiritual city. God's
kingdom is not of this world, but we have entered it and we
dwell in it while we're in this world. It's not of this world. But this spiritual city is strong
because its builder and maker is God, Paul said in Hebrews
11 10. No city built by man, whether physical or spiritual,
can ever last. The walls and the bulwarks of
this city are not brick and stone or even steel, but something
much stronger than that. You know, we tend to dismiss
spiritual things as somehow insubstantial and less real because we can't
see or feel them. But what we need to understand
is not that spiritual things are just as real as physical.
They're way more real. They're way more real. Where
do you get that from, Chris? Why do you say that? Aren't they
equally real? No. Our Lord said in Isaiah 55
too, wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread?
You think it is now. You think what this world gives
satisfies, but it don't. Why do you labor for that which
satisfyeth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and
eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself
in fatness. That's talking about food you
can't see. Our disciples were worried about, the Lord's disciples
were worried about our Savior because he wasn't eating anything.
You know, you remember that story. They said, Lord, you need to
eat something. You know, you've been going days here, you haven't
eaten anything. He said, I've got meat to eat. Don't worry
about it. They didn't see it. They didn't
know what he was talking about. And this is, this meat that we're
talking about here is like that. The spiritual is more substantial. It's more real than the physical. Proverbs 23, 4, labor not to
be rich, cease from thine own wisdom, wilt thou set thine eyes
upon that which is not? in light of eternity. It doesn't
even exist. It is not. For riches certainly
make themselves wings. They fly away as an eagle toward
heaven. That which is most real to people
who don't know God is most insubstantial. Second Corinthians 417, for our
light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look
not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen. How do you look at things which are not seen? Faith is
the evidence of things not seen. The substance of things hoped
for. We look at the things which are not, because the things which
are seen are just temporary. They're temporal, they're fleeting.
They're here today and gone tomorrow. They're unreliable. You can't
depend on them. But the things which are spiritual,
the things which are not seen, are eternal. Now you tell me
what's more real. In walls and bulwarks. A bulwark
is a defensive fortification. What is our security? What is
our defense? What is our safety? Isaiah says
it's the salvation of our God. salvation of God. We're safe
because God has saved us. We're safe because God's saving
us. And we're safe because God will
save us. The way God saves us is by Christ who cannot and did
not fail. He is our security. He is our
Refuge, he's the city of refuge that we flee to, to escape the
avenger of blood. He finished our salvation by
all that he did, his obedience unto death, even the death of
the cross. His death that he accomplished. We're safe under
the blood of Jesus, safe though the worlds may crumble. This
is our board. Now, I don't know whether you
feel safe or not, But if you know Him, you're safe. And to the extent that you believe,
you'll feel safe. You know, Elijah's, Elisha's
servant in 2nd Kings 6, he didn't feel safe at first, did he? He
woke up in the morning, and he and Elisha were surrounded by
an army of God's enemies. You remember this, 2nd Kings
6.15, and when the servant of the man of God was risen early
and gone forth. Behold, and host compassed the
city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him,
Alas, my master, how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not,
for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. You see, Elisha and his servant,
it looked like they were outnumbered. But that wasn't the case, Elisha
said. We outnumbered them. But his servant wasn't seeing
it. He didn't feel safe, you reckon? Did he feel secure? We
have a strong city? No, we're out here in the wind.
We're fixing to get tore up. And then Elisha prayed and said,
Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord
opened the eyes of the young man and he saw and behold, the
mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about
Elisha. Do you feel safe now? Was he less safe before he could
see? Nah. He was just as safe, wasn't he? But it's good to see, isn't it?
It's good to see. I like it when I can see. Thank
God for eyes to see. That's faith. That's faith. It wasn't his physical eyes that
were open. They were open already. They weren't doing him much good.
What his physical eyes were telling him was not good news. In fact,
it was what he could see with his physical eyes that made him
afraid. But the Lord opened better eyes. Are you safe? If you're
in Christ, you're safe. You're secure. You have a strong
city. You have a defensive fortification that no man God said they won't
touch a hair of your head. No weapon formed against you
will prosper. Not a dog will move its tongue against you.
A thousand will fall at your right hand and ten thousand at
your left. But they won't come near you. And woe to anybody who even offends
one of you. It would be better for him to
tie a millstone around his leg and cast himself into the sea
than to offend you. We have a strong city. Do you feel safe, though? Do you feel safe? Do you remember
what our Lord said to the man in Mark 5 whose daughter had
died? He said, be not afraid, only believe. That's the word to us tonight
here. We have a strong city. The bulwarks and walls of our
city is the very salvation of our God. Our walls and bulwarks are red
with the blood of Christ, safe though the worlds may crumble.
Do you not see it to be so? We have a strong city, the very
salvation, the eternal salvation of our God is the protection
and defense in which we live. The world thinks we're crazy.
Salvation to them is a mirage, and to us, everything else is.
It's fleeting, vanishing. We see it for a little while,
but we know what's real. What's real. My defense and protection,
the very strength of my city, of my life, is something I can't
point to, or show, or prove. Nothing I do will give any evidence
of it because there are many who are doing the same things,
but they're not safe. Do you pray? So does the heathen.
Do you go to church? So does the reprobate. Are you safe? Show me. I can't. Only God can show you if you're
safe. And only he can show me if I'm safe. Psalm 50, 23, Whoso
offereth praise glorifieth me, and to him that ordereth his
conversation to write, will I show the salvation of God. Only God
can show it to you. But when He does, you're going to say, The Lord
is my rock, whom shall I fear? This is a hedge that this world
can't see. Satan could see it, but Job couldn't.
Isn't that interesting? We can't see it. Our enemy can
see it. Our greatest enemy knows that
God's hedged us about. And even we don't know it most
of the time. Job couldn't see it, at least
not very well. I think at times he got a glimpse
of it. But at times he couldn't see
it at all. He said, Lord, why have you forsaken me? Why have
you turned your back on me? Can't you see, Job, that you're
in the hand of God? And when he gets through trying
you and afflicting you, then you'll be ten times more blessed
than you are now. So we are a strong and well defended
city. Closed and walled off from the
world? No. Look at verse 2. We're walled
in, we're hedged in, so then we're closed off from the world,
we're separate? Well, in a sense, but the gates of this city are
wide open. wide open look at verse two open
ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth
may enter in well i thought they were already in well some of
them are but not all of them the gates are open because many
of the citizens of this city haven't entered it yet thank
god the gates are open because there are some people i sure
would like to see come in how about you The gates are open. There are some that I love very
dearly, that I'd like to see come in. I know this, Christ is the gate.
He's the door. It's a straight and narrow gate
according to our Lord, but right now it's an open one. Thank God
for that. Only the righteous can come in.
As we always say, that's primarily Christ himself now. Our text
talks about entering in. And as we read this text here
in Hebrews 6, turn over there with me if you would please to
Hebrews 6. I want you to look for some keywords
that we've already seen. In our text in Isaiah here Hebrews
6.13 Hebrews 6.13 Look for some key words here.
Let's look at it. Hebrews 6 13 for when God made
promise to Abraham because he could swear by no greater he
swear by himself Saying surely blessing. I will bless thee and
multiplying. I will multiply thee and So after
he had patiently endured he obtained the promise of For men verily swear by the greater,
and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise
the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that
by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to
lie, we might have a strong consolation. You see that word strong? That's
right from our text in Isaiah. a strong city, strong constellation,
who have fled for refuge. There's another key word, refuge.
Our city is well defended, a refuge from every storm, from every
enemy, to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we
have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast in which
entereth in there's another key phrase there because what we
talk about now entering in the gates are open the gates are
open this hope is steadfast and sure and enters into that within
the veil whether the forerunner is for us entered even Jesus
made in high priest forever after the order Melchizedek. Now what does this have to do
with our text? Those who are righteous enter. Who's that? Well, we have a high
priest that entered in to the very presence of God for us as
our forerunner. He had to go first now. If he
don't go, we can't go. And the high priest went into
the most holy place, not without blood, not without something
to offer. And what was offered? Blood.
What did our Lord offer? Not the blood of bulls and goats,
but his own precious blood. Why? Because without the shedding
of blood is no remission of sins. What are we talking about? Only
the righteous can go in. Who's the righteous? Well, Christ,
our high priest, and everybody he represented. We can enter
into the open gate because he entered in as our forerunner.
We can go in righteous. We can enter the presence of
God. We can enter communion in the favor and blessing of God
because we're righteous in our forerunner, in our high priest.
And those that keep the truth enter in. This is interesting
because in the book of Titus, as we've seen, we are to hold
fast. The faithful word. And that's
what this word keep is in our text in Isaiah. Keep. You know
what it means? To retain, to guard, to treasure
up. And these are the ones that come
in the door, come in the gate, enter into the city. Citizens
of the city of God. Some don't even know it yet,
but they're going to come in. You know how I know that? Because
he said all that the Father giveth me are coming. I don't know when
but they're coming. They don't know when but they're
coming. Now verse 3. Thou wilt keep him
in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee
because he trusteth in thee. Now this one of whom we just
read who was high priest for his people and entered into the
holiest of all with the precious blood of God's lamb, his own
precious blood, blood that was precious enough to redeem us
all, to redeem every child of God for all time in all ages. This one by whom we have access
into the presence and favor of God. as long as our mind is stayed
on him. Don't think about you now. Don't think about how you measure
up. Don't think about your qualifications. Don't think about your fitness
to enter into the presence of God. Think about him entering
in as our forerunner. Now, there's our hope. There's
our refuge. There's our security. There's
our righteousness. There's our fitness. And as we, as our mind is stayed
on Him, you see that? Stayed on me, on who? Him, Christ,
our forerunner, our high priest, our righteousness, our fitness.
As our mind is stayed on Him, we will have perfect peace. Chris, I know you didn't just
say that. You didn't say perfect peace. We don't have, we can't
have perfect peace. No, I didn't say it. God did. Well, yeah,
I did. I said it because God said it. Perfect peace now. Alright, now we don't perfectly
rest in this peace, but our peace is perfect. The peace that Christ
made with the blood of his cross is not subjective. It's not something
that's greater if you you know, are thinking right and lesser
if you're not thinking right. It's perfect peace. He made peace by the blood. Listen
to Colossians 119. For it pleased the Father that
in Christ should all fullness dwell. And having made peace
through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things
unto himself, by him I say, whether they be things in earth or things
in heaven and you I like that don't you and you that were at
one time alienated in enemies in your mind by wicked works
yet now hath he reconciled not if when he shared his prayer
when he made peace by the blood of his cross he didn't reconcile
you to God if you believe or if you make a decision He did
or he didn't. And if he did, you'll believe. And you that were at one time
alienated in enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight.
That's why he did it. And that's who enters in. The
holy and unblameable and unreprovable. Because he entered in for them. with that precious blood and
made peace and so we have perfect peace whether we feel like it or not
and as our mind is stayed on him we'll feel like it Philippians 4, 6 be anxious for
nothing I wish I could obey that What are we talking about? Perfect
peace. Be anxious. And worried. And fretful. And fearful. About nothing. But here's what you do. Don't
do that. But here's what you do in everything. By prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known
unto God. Let the one who has loved you with an everlasting love, let
him know what you need. And you know what? He already
knew before you asked him. And he said, ask me and I'll
give it to you. You know, my children, they never
have needed to worry. All they got to do is ask about
you. You feel that way about yours?
To whatever extent I'm capable, all they got to do is ask. And
my Father is immutably and infinitely capable. Let your requests be made known
unto God, and the peace which passeth all understanding shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Because if your
mind is stayed on Him, if you think about it, if you ever get
a glimpse of Christ and how much He loves you, what He's done
for you, He that spared not His own Son, how shall He not with
us, also with Him also freely give us all things? Just ask.
Ask and you shall receive, seek and you'll find. Knock and the
door will be opened to you. Everyone that asketh, receive
it. Everyone that seeketh, find it. The peace of God which passeth
all understanding. This peace passes our understanding
because we can't perceive anything perfect. This is perfect peace
now. That's why you're not going to
understand it. Not perfectly, because we're
so imperfect. But I'll tell you this, it does
keep our hearts. Because this peace is not just
a feeling. It's a reconciliation wrought by Christ that we can't
fully comprehend. And I'll tell you this, not only
can I not understand it, but I can't half believe it for joy.
It's too good to be true for me to understand it. How about
you? Remember in the scriptures where
it says they believed not for joy. That's all of us now, isn't
it? But we're kept nonetheless through
Christ Jesus. That peace keeps our hearts and
minds. The word stayed there. stayed. He will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed. Verse 3
of our text in Isaiah. You know what that word means? It means to lean. You know that's a pretty good
song that says we're learning to lean. But you're still learning
that, learning to lean on Christ Jesus. One of these days, maybe we'll
learn that we're nothing, that we have no strength, and yet
we can do all things through Christ. Just lean. You know, this is a beautiful word, lean. in Leviticus chapter 16. Let
me just read it to you. Leviticus 16 21. There's a word
here in the book of Leviticus that corresponds with this word
lean. It's stayed in our text. Whose mind is stayed. Whose mind,
you will keep him in perfect peace. Whose mind is leaning
upon the Son of God, upon the Lamb of God. You think about
this now. Think about this. Leviticus 16
21. And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the
live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children
of Israel. I'll just tell you right up front
here, the word lay there, he shall lay both of his hands,
that's the same exact word that's translated stay in our text in
Isaiah 26. What Aaron did was lean his weight
on the head of that goat. And when he did, he confessed
over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all
their transgressions and all of their sins, putting them upon
the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of
a fit man into the wilderness. And the goat shall bear upon
him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited. And he
shall let go the goat in the wilderness. My sins are on that
goat. And that goat is gone. It's gone.
My sins are gone. Lean. And we're talking about
in our text in Isaiah, what are we leaning? Aaron leaned his
body, his weight. He leaned himself upon that goat
and that was a beautiful picture. What are we leaning in the spiritual
sense? Our minds. Whose minds are leaning upon
him. Our mind, our heart, our soul. Paul was leaning upon him when
he said, I know whom I have believed. And I'm persuaded that He's able.
He can hold me up. He can hold my weight. He can
take all of my sins and do away with them. That's why we have
perfect peace. That's why we're kept in perfect
peace because we lean upon the scapegoat and all of our sins
are put upon Him. And He takes them away. Lean your mind, in your mind
and heart, It's already happened in reality. Salvation, when it comes to you,
is you realizing, understanding, believing what He did for you. Stay your mind upon Christ. Lean
all of your weight, all the burden of your heart upon the Son of
God, upon the goat, the scapegoat, and know in your heart that He
is able to bear your sins away. Never to be seen again by God
Now you'll see him But that doesn't matter because God don't see
him I still see my sins But my God doesn't Because the scapegoat has carried
them away Can you lean on him Can you lean all of the weight
of your mind upon the Savior, the scapegoat, the substitute
for sinners? If you can, you'll be in perfect
peace. Can you sing this song? Isaiah said in that day, this
song is going to be sung. We have a strong city. Can you sing it? Have you entered
in? Are you righteous? Only the righteous
can enter. Are you righteous? Do you keep the truth? Only they
that keep the truth can go in. Are you at peace? Are you leaning
on the Savior? All of these things are just
different aspects of the salvation of our God. The walls and bulwarks
of our city are the salvation of our God. And he's our security, our city
of refuge. Let's come to the table tonight
and by his grace, as he commanded, do this as often as you do it
in remembrance of me. What a blessed day to remember,
to cast our minds and hearts upon a person Remember me, he
said, remember me.