Isaiah 26, and let's read verse
3 again. Thou wilt keep him in perfect
peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in
thee. A series of thoughts led me to
this message tonight. I was thinking about all of you. I was thinking about our congregation. I love this congregation. This might sound a little sappy
and I'm OK with that. I just absolutely thank the Lord
for this congregation. I. Love you, I miss you whenever
I'm gone. And I mean that, I truly mean
that. When I'm away, I'm thrilled to
see my brethren in other locations, I love them. But I miss you and
one verse of scripture in particular was in my mind and it just kept
blessing my heart. And I want you to read it with
me. It's in Psalm 133. Turn with me over there to Psalm
133. Psalm 133 verse 1 says, Behold
how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity. Is there anything more enjoyable
on this earth? Honestly. Is there anything more
pleasant than brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ? Brothers and sisters who have
been laid hold of and plunged into mercy. Those who know that's
what happened to them. Those who know that's what Christ
did for them in spite of the decision they made. We know what
our decision would have been. I will not have that man reign
over me. But in spite of that, He laid hold of us. Sinners who have been washed
in the blood of the Lamb, cleansed in the purity, cleansed
in the perfection of Christ. Honestly, is there anything better? Is there anything more pleasant
than for brethren to dwell together in the family of God in absolute
unity and love and peace. Is there anything better than
that? Well, this is the thought that
went through my mind. I want that with you. I want that with you. I pray
that the Lord would give us that for the rest of our days. I know
our Lord said there must be heresies among us, divisions. I understand
that. But if God has put us in Christ,
if God has put us under the blood of His Son, may He keep us together
forever. Not only on this earth, in the
world to come. I mean forever. I want that with
you, I want you to have that with me, and I want you to have
that with each other. Love, I mean true, true love
and true unity and true peace. All right, now that thought brought
this question. How do we keep that? How do we keep that as the years
go by, as the years click on? How do we hold on to what God
has given us? How do we guard it and encourage
it and protect it? What can we do to nourish it? And the reason I say that is
because we know what the flesh is capable of. We all do. We know how the sin of our flesh
only tries to ruin what we have in the Spirit of Christ. That's
what the sin of man's flesh does. That's all it does. So what can
we do as brethren to strive to keep the unity of the Spirit? What can we do to strengthen
the bond of peace? What can we do? Go back with
me to Isaiah 26. Isaiah 26 verse 3 says, Thou
wilt keep him in perfect peace. whose mind is stayed on thee,
because he trusteth in thee." Here's the answer. If we will
keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, I mean keep all focus
on the Lord Jesus Christ, we will all continue in absolute
unity. all of us. If we will just keep
our eyes on Him, we will all continue in absolute unity. What makes our unity pleasant
is the One who unites us. That's what makes it pleasant.
He is the only thing that makes it pleasant. Take Him out of
the equation and this flesh has a way of making it less pleasant. He is our unity. Christ is our common ground. our love and our adoration for
who He is, that we're all here right now absolutely loving who
He is and absolutely adoring who He is. That's our common
ground. That's the common ground that
we have. Our absolute awe over what He did for us in salvation. We just quoted a couple of songs
and every soul who has faith that Christ accomplished that,
said, Amen. Amen. Our all of everything He
has done for us, that's our common ground. The minute we lose sight of Him,
we lose sight of what unites us. The moment we lose sight
of Him, we lose our common ground. And none of God's people want
that to happen. None. None of God's people want
the brethren to lose their common ground, and none of God's people
want to lose sight of Him. None of God's people. See if
this speaks peace to you. All right, see if this promotes
a desire for love and unity. This is pleasant to me, okay? This is very, very pleasant.
This is a song here in the hymn book. It's hymn number 480, and
this is what it says. In tenderness He sought me, weary
and sick with sin, and on His shoulders brought me back to
His fold again. while angels in his presence
sang until the courts of heaven rang. Oh, the love that sought
me. Oh, the blood that bought me.
Oh, the grace that brought me to the fold. Wondrous grace that
brought me to the fold. He washed the bleeding sin wounds
and poured in oil and wine. He whispered to assure me, I've
found thee, thou art mine. I never heard a sweeter voice. It made my aching heart rejoice. Oh, the love that sought me.
Oh, the blood that bought me. Oh, the grace that brought me
to the fold. Wondrous grace that brought me
to the fold. You want to know what conversations
sound like in heaven? He pointed to the nail prints.
For me, his blood was shed. A mocking crown, so thorny, was
placed upon his head. I wondered what he saw in me. Every child of God cries, Why
me? Every one. I wonder what he saw
in me to suffer such deep agony. Oh, the love that sought me.
Oh, the blood that bought me. Oh, the grace that brought me
to the fold, wondrous grace that brought me to the fold. I'm sitting
in his presence, the sunshine of his face. While with adoring
wonder His blessings I retrace, It seems as if eternal days are
far too short to sound His praise. Oh, the love that sought me!
Oh the blood that bought me, oh the grace that brought me
to the fold, wondrous grace that brought me to the fold. So while
the hours are passing, all now is perfect rest. I'm waiting
for the morning, the brightest and the best. when he will call
us to his side to be with him, his spotless bride. Oh, the love
that sought me. Oh, the blood that bought me.
Oh, the grace that brought me to the fold. Wondrous grace that
brought me to the fold. Can we not all say that in one
accord with absolute unity? Oh, the love that sought us.
Oh the blood that bought us. Oh the grace that brought us
to the fold. Wondrous grace that brought us
to the fold. Verse 3 says, Thou wilt keep
him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he
trusteth in Thee. Unity in Christ is peace. It is peace. He is the one who
keeps us in that perfect peace. Verse 3 says, Thou wilt keep
him. Aren't you so glad we don't have
to keep ourselves? Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace. Perfect peace. That word perfect
means safe, well, happy, Friendly, healthy, prosperous, and complete. Complete peace. Safe peace. Happy peace. Complete peace with
God. Complete peace with God. Turn with me over to Ephesians
2. We are here a lot, but I pray
the Lord might allow us to really read this with understanding
right now. I honestly pray He'll let us enter into what's being
said. This is just glorious. Verse 11, Ephesians 2 verse 11,
Wherefore remember that you being in time past Gentiles in the
flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision
in the flesh made by hands." What that means is we were all
foreigners to God. Not citizens of His kingdom. We had no legal, no moral right
to His promises or His provisions. Verse 12 says, Remember that
at that time you were without Christ. being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope and without God in the world. That's what every
single one of us was in this world while we were without Christ. Without the light of Christ,
without eyes to see Him and ears to hear Him, a heart to believe
Him. All the way up my page in verse
4, it says, but God made peace. How did He do that? He put us in Christ. We were
without Christ. Not only did He give us Christ
and give us to Christ, but He put us in Christ. Verse 13 says,
but now in Christ Jesus. Ye who sometimes were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ, for He is our peace."
Our perfect peace. Our perfect peace with God. He
is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the
middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in his flesh
the enmity, even the law of commandments, contained in ordinances, for
to make in himself of Twain, one new man, so making peace,
and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity thereby, and he came and preached peace." Safe peace. Happy, friendly,
healthy, prosperous peace. Verse 17, He came and preached
peace to you, which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the
Father. Now, therefore, you are no more
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints
and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the
chief cornerstone, in whom all the building, fitly framed together,
groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are
builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit." Behold
how good and how pleasant it is to have peace with God. and to have peace with the family
of God. Verse 19 says, fellow citizens,
all of the household of God, the assurance of having peace
with God, that is what puts peace within the child of God. Knowing
that we have peace with God is what creates peace in the child
of God. Knowing that everything is okay
with God makes everything else okay. It makes everything else
okay. The sinner who honestly sees
all of his peace with God to be in the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. The sinner who sees just how
perfect his payment was. You know, it takes God-given
eyes to see that. Just how perfect his payment
was. Just how sufficient his sacrifice
was. The sinner who actually sees,
I don't need to do anything to finish peace with God. It's completely finished. The sinner who has eyes that
are stayed on Him, just stayed on Him. Stayed means leaning
on, resting on, that's what it means. Stayed, just leaning on
and resting on. The sinner who is completely
stayed on Him can honestly say, when peace like a river tendeth
my way, Or, when sorrow like sea billows roll, just sorrow
after sorrow after sorrow, whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to
say, it is well, it is well with my soul. It's well with my soul. It's well with my soul. This
earth, it's going to be so tough. It's going to be so tough. We
don't have easy street ahead of us. It's not all downhill
from here. But thank God it's all uphill.
It's well with our soul. It is well with our soul. Just
knowing that I have peace with God, it brings absolute perfect
peace into my soul. My sin, O the bliss of this glorious
thought, my sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the
cross. I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, soul. Why art
thou cast down, O my soul? Praise the Lord. Because it's
well. When a child of God is stayed
on the Lord Jesus Christ, And the peace with God that He has
made for His people, when a child of God has stayed on that, it
just brings so much peace into a child of God. And when all
of God's people have the peace of Christ within them, peace is among them. When all
of the peace of Christ dwells within each soul, then the peace
of Christ is among all of his people. So if we truly desire
to protect, and I mean this candidly, if we truly do desire to protect
and encourage and strengthen the unity and the love and the
peace that we have as brethren, the way to do it is let's stay fixed on the Lord
Jesus Christ. Let's make our message the Lord
Jesus Christ, who He is, what He has done for us. As all these
things come, as all these things come, let's stay fixed on the
Lord Jesus Christ. Keep our eyes, keep our hearts,
keep our minds stayed on, leaning on. We don't have the answers. We don't have all the answers.
But we're leaning on Him. And we're resting on Him, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Let's just stay right there. Now I want to read four verses
of Scripture to you. And then we're going to close
the message with this, alright? Turn with me over to Acts chapter
10. Acts chapter 10. Peter stood up and preached. Verse 36. He preached the Word which God
sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. That'll bring peace. That's what
it is to be stayed on Him. He is Lord of all. No matter
what comes, let's remember, let's be stayed on the fact that He
is Lord of all. We are completely trusting, leaning,
resting, and trusting on the fact that He is Lord of all. Lord of all. Crown Him Lord of
all. Alright, go with me to Romans
5. Romans 5 verse 1 says, Therefore,
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ. Our text said, Thou wilt keep
him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he
trusteth in Thee. We trust Him, don't we? We trust
Him. That thing of, Lord, we are looking
to You, waiting on You, that's not lip service with the child
of God. We trust Him. Was it Job who said, though He
slay me, yet will I trust Him. Though He slay me. We trust Him. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Alright, turn with me to Ephesians
6. Ephesians 6 verse 23 says, Peace be to the brethren, and
love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Our peace is by Jesus Christ
because He is Lord of all. And because we have received
faith in Him, we have peace with God. So verse 23 says, Peace
be to the brethren, and love with faith from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter said, Peace be with you
all that are in Christ Jesus. Every soul in Christ Jesus. Peace
be with you. And here's our final word. Philippians
4. Philippians 4 verse 7, And the
peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. May God keep us stayed
on Him. I mean stayed on Him. Don't we
want that? Don't we absolutely want that?
May He do that for us. May He keep us there. Stayed
on the Lord Jesus Christ. If He does, He will keep us in
perfect Peace. Absolute perfect peace. Because
all of our trust, all of our trust will be in Him. Alright,
let's stand together. Turn with me to 480.