Turn with me to Isaiah 26 again. And let's read these first four verses one more time. In that day, shall this song be sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong city. Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.

I was talking to a fellow pastor the other day, a dear brother to me, and we were both entering into, we were both saying with deep sincerity, won't it be wonderful to soon, very, very soon, live on an earth where there is no sin? Won't that be wonderful? Very soon, it's not far off. I know we think it's so far off. It's not far off. Very soon, no warring, no fighting, no divisions, no jealousy, Nothing but peace and safety and comfort and joy in Christ. That sound good? That sounds so good to me.

Down here is everything that the new man created in Christ just doesn't want to deal with. There's so much struggle. There's just so much struggle, not just without, but within, not just around us. I know it's around us, but it's not just around us. It's in us. There is so much weakness in us. There's so much vulnerability. That means we feel so exposed. to the possibility of being attacked or harmed physically, you know, mentally, emotionally. We're on the defense. We're always on the defense.

No, you're not going to be on the defense anymore. There's so much sin in us. There are so many lies in us. Do you know you're a liar? I am too. I don't want to be that. Let God be true but every man a liar. There's so much turmoil and to us it seems there's so much uncertainty and so much instability. Do you ever feel like there's uncertainty? It seems there's so much opposition, so much opposition. And it seems that way because in the flesh and in the world, that's how it is. That's how it is.

Turn over to John 15. John 15 verse 19. Our Lord said. If you were of the world, the world would love his own. But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Therefore, the world hated you. Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. That means if they've taken me to task, they're going to take you to task.

Verse 21, but all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake. Because they know not him that sent me. He said, expect this. That's what he's telling them. Expect this in the world from the world. Our Lord said in the world, you shall have tribulation. Acts 14 says we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. 2nd Corinthians 4 says we will suffer affliction. Be prepared. Be ready. Romans 8 says we ourselves grown within ourselves waiting for the adoption. 1st Peter 1 says now for a season We are in heaviness through manifold temptations, manifold, just temptation after temptation, manifold temptations. 1 Peter 5 says, in this world, we're going to have to suffer a while, but, but, With each one of those sad, truthful declarations, there's a promise attached to it. With each one of them, each one that I just quoted to you, there's a promise attached to it. For God's people, for God's chosen people, for God's foreordained, foreknown, foreloved, For God's redeemed people, God's bought, paid for, blood-washed, blood-covered people, specifically, with every one of those sad announcements comes this promise of hope. All right? With every single one of those sad announcements comes this promise of hope.

Look at John 16, verse 33. These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Is that good news to anybody? He said, you just think it's gonna get the best of you, but it's not. It's not. I have redeemed thee. Thou art mine. You're not the world's, you're mine. Don't you love it every time he says that? You're mine. I bought you. You're mine. That's what I want to be. I want to be yours. He said, you're mine and I've already established an end for you. And this is not it. This is not it.

Turn over to 2 Corinthians 4. 2 Corinthians 4 verse 15, it says, for all things are for your sakes. that the abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

This affliction is light affliction. It's light affliction and it's because Christ has already dealt with and he's already put away the heavy affliction. He bore the heavy affliction of God's justice and God's wrath on our sin on the cross of Calvary. He overcame that. on the cross of Calvary. And because of that, we can now not worry about the light affliction of this world.

Let me just, you know, repeat it in layman's terms. It's gonna be tough, but it's okay. It's okay. It's gonna be a tough life. Young people, it's gonna be a tough life. Middle-aged people, it's going to be a tough life. Old people, it's going to be a tough life. And it's okay. It's okay. These are light afflictions. They're still afflictions. Are they really afflictions? Yes. Yes, they're really afflictions. Yeah. They really are afflictions that will get you down and worry you and bring sorrow to you and stress to you and gray hair to you. Whore hairs as the scripture calls it.

But verse 17 says our light affliction which is but for a moment work is 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. Where the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

All the weakness and the turmoil and the uncertainty and the instability that sin brings to us down here, it's just for a moment. Just for a moment. Christ has removed it from our eternity. He's removed it from our eternity.

Look with me at 1 Peter 1. First Peter 1 verse 3, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you. who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

Verse six says, wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations. that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen, you love, in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, You rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls.

He said for a season you're in heaviness through manifold temptations but he said you just wait till the moment that Jesus Christ appears. You just wait. He said in that moment, it's going to be nothing but praise and honor and glory. Everything else will be done away with. All things will be made new. And you're going to rejoice. With joy unspeakable.

Now, if God's word says it's joy unspeakable, that means It can't be described. You cannot. Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard. You ever been really excited about something? This is joy unspeakable. Joy unspeakable. Just wait. Just wait. I know. Let me tell you where you are. In heaviness. Hang in there. Just wait.

Look at 1 Peter 5. 1 Peter 5 verse 10, it says, but the God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, After that, you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

All right. Now with all that being said, turn back to Isaiah 26. Isaiah 26 verse 1 says, In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong city. Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. In that day it will be asked, What happened to weakness? What happened to all that weakness? It was removed by strength. What happened to vulnerability? It was surrounded by walls and bulwarks.

Verse one says, in that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah, we have a strong city. Moses said, the Lord is my strength. David said, the Lord is my strength. Samuel's mother Hannah said, the Lord is my strength. And all of God's people say, the Lord is my strength because it's so for all of God's people. The Lord is my strength.

Down here, I have me. I'm physically, I'm with me. I'm looking at me. I'm living with me and I feel so weak. In that day, all of my eye will be on him. And it will be said, Christ is my strength. Christ is our strength. Christ is our city. We have a strong city. In him we live and move and have our being. Christ is our salvation. We have a strong city. Salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is in the Lord. Salvation is through the Lord. Salvation is to the Lord. Alpha and omega beginning to end, start to finish. Our salvation is a person. Christ is our strength and our song. Christ is our city. Christ is our salvation. Christ is our God.

Verse one says, in that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong city. Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. My Lord and my God. Christ is our God. Christ is our wall. Christ is our bulwark. That's a shield. Christ is all. Christ is all. In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah. Christ is our all. He's our all.

Verse two says, open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. How amazing is it that in Christ we have been made righteous? How amazing is that? Hold your place right here and turn over to Ephesians 1. My guess is I probably read these verses right here maybe a thousand times before I ever really got a hold of this. And I hope somebody gets ahold of this for the first time right now. And if everybody in here has seen this, I hope we all get ahold of it again.

Ephesians 1 verse 3 says, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

Now we all know that he is holy. We all know that God is holy. Everybody says, amen. God is holy. We all know that he is holy. We know he is without blame. I find no fault in him. Neither do I.

But in everything that he accomplished for us in his life on this earth and his death on the cross and his burial in the grave and his resurrection to glory, he made us to be as he is. He made us to be as righteous as he is, as holy as he is. That's what we're going to know. That's what we're going to sing in that day.

Go back to Isaiah 26. Verse 1 says, In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong city. Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth in Christ, because of Christ, by the works of Christ, by the substitution of Christ, by the establishing of a new record from Christ. Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. I love how the center margin says perfect peace translates peace, peace. Thou wilt keep him in peace, peace. That's where I want to be. That's where I want to be. I want God to keep me in peace, peace. Where is that? It's in Christ. It's in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Turn to John 16 again. We just read this, let's read it one more time, John 16. Verse 33 says, These things have I spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. In the world it's nothing but tribulation, but in Christ it's nothing but peace, peace, peace, perfect peace, peace with God, peace with the law. Peace with the law. Peace with everything. Perfect peace. Because it's Christ's peace.

Look at John 14, verse 27. John 14, 27. He said, Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. It's going to be tribulation, it's going to be persecution, it's going to be suffering. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Look at verse one. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. Peace. Perfect peace.

Go back to Isaiah 26. Verse three. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. If God will be merciful and gracious to us, and if he will allow our hearts and our minds to stay focused on Christ, we will stay in peace. You experience it in here. You experience it, you know, it's so because out there you just had the hardest day and it's just overwhelming and. And you come in here all of a sudden, everything's OK for just a minute. Everything's OK.

If we'll stay on Christ, we'll stay in peace if he'll give us the grace to not be sidetracked by this issue or that unimportant distraction, if the Lord will just be gracious to us. And if you'll keep us focused on Christ, just focused on Christ, the person of Christ, the work of Christ, the glory of Christ, we will be blessed. Because we'll be focused on Christ.

Verse three says, thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah The Lord God Almighty, the I Am, the Ever-Living One, the Sovereign Ruler, the Reigner over all is everlasting strength. Look at your center margin. The Rock of Ages. Christ is our rock of ages. Christ is our everlasting strength. Trust in him forever. Amen.