with Ken 38 on the just shall
live by faith. Ken asked a visiting preacher
to stand up and read the scriptures for him. He read Romans 1, and
the last verse, the verse he finished with, he just stopped
at Romans 1, 17, which says, the just shall live by faith. I got up and said, this message
is from God. And so, I love that. At the mouth
of two or three witnesses, the thing is established. And may
he establish our hearts with peace this morning from this
message. Isaiah twenty-six. Let's look
at these first four verses again. All right? Isaiah twenty-six. You got it? Isaiah twenty-six.
Let's read the first four verses again. 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 of protection. Open ye the gates that the righteous
nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep
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. Margin says, the rock
of age cleft for me. In that day, verse 1 says, in
that day, a song sung. A little while ago we just sung
it. Rock of Ages. But in that day. Now look over at chapter 2. Chapter
2 of Isaiah. These three words are quoted
numerous times in the book of Isaiah and other places. In that
day. And there's a whole message in
these three words, in that day. Are you looking with me? Isaiah
chapter 2, look over that. Isaiah chapter 2, forget the
roast, forget what you've got planned, forget it. All right? All right, look at
verse 11 of Isaiah chapter 2. Enter into the rock. hide thee
in the dust for fear of the Lord, for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall
be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and
the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the
Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty,
every one that is lifted up, he shall be brought low in that
day." In that day. If you have a margin, look at
what it's, you see right beside verse 11, it says, in that day,
and you look over at your margin, look how many references. You
see that? I looked them all up two or three
times. It's amazing. Do it for yourself. I'm not going to do it now. But
it speaks of three days in the Scriptures. The Scriptures speak
of three days. The first day, it speaks of that
day that we read about in Isaiah 25. That day, when the Lord on
that mountain, on Mount Calvary, destroyed the face of the covering,
prepared a feast of fat things and wine on the leaves. That
day, the day when Christ came, the root of Jesse, over in chapter
10, it talks about in that day shall the root of Jesse come.
In that same chapter it says, in that day, recovery, his hand
shall recover. That's one day. The next day, the scripture talks
about, you may remember this, over in Hebrews 3, it says, Today, while it is cold, today, if you will hear his voice, harden
not your heart. Today is that day. Today is today. Today, the Scripture
says, is the day of salvation. Everybody that's come in here
this morning for whatever reason, maybe the wrong reason, maybe
to please your husband or your wife or your parents or just
whatever, you just, whatever, you're in here and you're going
to hear the Word of the living God proclaimed, who cannot lie,
who said this Word would not return void, it would accomplish
something. He said it will be either for
the life of some or the death for others. Today. This is the day, right this morning,
you're going to hear the gospel proclaimed. If you've never heard
it before, you're going to hear it this morning. If you never
hear it again, you heard it, you're going to hear it this
morning. You may never hear it again. Christ said, Boast not
thyself of tomorrow, you don't know what a day may bring. Today, while it is called today,
harden not your heart. Scriptures in another place says,
Why will you die? Why would a person die for lack
of food when there is a whole table spread before him? Why would people die, perish
in the flood when the door of that ark is wide open? But they do it, and probably
somebody in here will too, that day, today. Then it talks about, look over
at chapter 13 of Isaiah, another day, chapter 13, the day of Christ's
return, the day when Jesus Christ comes
back to this earth. Scriptures are full of references
to that day. Whether modern man believes it
or not, no matter what they say, This is what this book says.
And he's coming back. All right, look at it. In Isaiah
13, look at verse 6 and following, "...how ye, for the day of the
Lord is at hand, it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty
Therefore shall all hands be faint, every man's heart shall
melt. They shall be afraid. Pains and
sorrows shall take hold of them. They shall be in pain as a woman
that travaileth. They shall be amazed one at another. Their faces shall be as flames,
aflush. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh,
both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate. He
shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven
and the constellations thereof shall not give their light. The
sun shall be darkened in his going forth. The moon shall not
cause her light to shine. I will punish the world for their
evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will cause the arrogancy
of the proud to cease. Will lay low the haughtiness
of the terrible." That's what God's Word says. Old Jewish fable. So that's the Old Testament.
God's different. No, he's not. When Jesus Christ
came down here, he quoted these verses. This is what this book says.
Now, is it true or is it not? Well, God says, let God be true
and every man a liar. It's so. All right, Christ came. That day, he came. He came. And now it's today,
the day of salvation. I'm preaching this Christ crucified. Today is the day of salvation.
The door of the ark is open. You better get in. because he's coming in that day. And all these things will be
so. All right, look back at our text again now, Isaiah 26. In
that day. And we could say, we could sing
this song about all three of those days. In that day shall
this song be sung. The day that Christ came and
put away our sins, we'll sing, Oh, Rock of Ages, clap for me.
Today, while the gospel is being preached, we say, Oh, Lord, let
me hide myself in thee. And the day when Christ comes
again, we'll say, Oh, that I might be found in thee. This song shall
be sung. Look at it. All those who know
it, we have a strong city. Salvation. We have a strong city. Salvation. We have a city. It says over in Hebrews 11, you
don't have to turn there, talking about the city of God.
The city of God where all of God's people dwell. The city
of God where all God's people dwell. Are you talking about
heaven, preacher? Is that what you're talking about,
heaven? Yes and no. Yes and no. Talking about a city where all
God's people dwell, it says, and let me read this to you.
Hebrews 11 says, By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out
into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance,
and went out, not knowing whither he went, by faith he sojourned
in the land of promise. As in a strange country, dwelling
in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the
same promise, he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose
builder and maker is God." He looked for a city. Did Abraham
get there? Yes, he did. But it wasn't Jerusalem. He found it, or rather, he was
found in that city. And the Scripture says in Hebrews
13, listen to this, it says, We have a city. We have a place. You're coming to Mount Zion,
the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, to Jesus Christ, the
mediator of the new covenant. We have a strong city. Now, I'm
not talking about heaven, although it is a city. I can't really
describe it except what God's word says about it. It is a city,
but this is not the dwelling place of God's people, because
although we will dwell there, we already dwell in our dwelling
place. We talk about a strong city.
I just got back from Washington, D.C., and we walked around looking
at all those huge granite buildings. And I'll tell you, one verse
of Scripture just kept running through my mind the whole time,
walking around looking at all of it. And I was somewhat amazed
by it. Wow, ooh, look, ooh. But one verse of Scripture just
kept running through my mind, there shall not be left one stone
standing upon another." The whole time. Strong city, Washington, D.C.,
the seat of our government. Folks, if a bomb is headed this
way, John, that's where she'll drop. Right? Are they going to bomb Rocky
Mount? If the Russians come, Dan, are
they going to hit this place first? It would be last. Where are they going to hit? That place. That's not a strong
city I'm talking about. Nowhere am I talking about heaven.
Here's heaven. Here's this city. Here's this
place where God's people dwell, their dwelling place. where they
shall dwell and where they do dwell. David said in Psalm 73,
he said, Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there's none on
earth I desire to dwell in, to be hid in but thee. I'm talking about Jesus Christ.
He is our dwelling place. Our strong city. Our city of
refuge. Any manslayers in here? Any guilty? Scripture says it's a city of
refuge. You can run and not be condemned to die. Be found in
it. Scripture says in verse 1 there,
it says, God will appoint him for walls and bulwarks. You'll
be kept. How? By your own keeping? By
him. his power, his strength, not
to the strong, not to the mighty, but to him, by him, our strong
city. You see, Christ, and you know,
the church, we talk about the church. Now, I'm not talking
about this building here. This building is not going to
be one stone left standing upon this, in this building. When
I talk about the church, I'm not talking about this brick,
wood, hay, and stubble. The church is God's people. The church is the body of Christ. Church is the body of Christ.
It's part of him. If you're going to find Christ,
where are you going to find him? Huh? You remember when we
were talking about Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea? being joined to the body of Christ,
laying hold, you're going to find Christ, you're going to
find him through the preaching of the gospel in his church. So, you mean I can't be saved,
preacher, if I don't hear the gospel? That's exactly right.
I don't believe that. God said it. And 1 Thessalonians,
he said, I know you're the elect of God because our gospel came
to you. Ephesians 1 said, the gospel
came to you. And on and on it goes. The gospel. Not any gospel. The gospel I'm
trying to declare unto you this morning, okay, of Christ crucified. All right, it says we have a
strong city. A strong city. Christ and his church are one
who have foundations. We have a strong city. Salvation
will God appoint for all who has foundation laid by God himself. And no other foundation can any
man lay than that which is laid. And no other gospel can any man
preach than that which I'm preaching now. Jesus Christ and him crucified. The way, the truth, the life. No man cometh unto the Father,
gets to God but by him. I'm not talking about believing
in Jesus. I'm talking about Jesus Christ doing everything for you,
even giving you that faith and taking you all the way to glory. It's like that ark. Why did Noah
and his family, why were they safe from the flood? Because
Noah was a good swimmer. He didn't do any swimming. He
rested. He went in the ark and rescued.
So he decided to go in. No, he didn't. No, he didn't. That's not what the Scripture
says. It says, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Sovereign
grace. And it says that God was in that ark. God was in Christ
reconciling Noah to himself. God was in there because John,
he said, come back. Any possibility Noah wouldn't
go in? None whatsoever. It says he went in. He was made
willing in the day of God's power, and it says, God shut him in. Kept by the power of God. Is
the door going to leak? No, God pitched it. God pitched it. You ever think
about that? You ever think about that, Jeanette? The ark was pitched
with in and without, but what about the door? After the door
was shut, is there going to be a leak around the seam? No, God
got the pitch out. and pitched it. The Pope pitchiated
it. Go and learn what that means,
if you don't know. That's the blood of Christ, which
keepeth us. You mean once in grace, always
in grace? That's exactly what I'm saying. Once under the blood,
always under the blood. Well, isn't there anything we
can do? No, then we can't. Don't argue that. I'm just trying to
say that salvation is completely, 100% in Christ. God appointed
him, the Savior of his people. Call his name Jesus. He shall
save his people from their sins, and all those that are found
in him and that day, they have a strong city. Bulwarks, walls,
hedged about. You know we're hedged about.
God's people are hedged about. Read the book of Job sometime.
The book of Job. Satan came to torment Job and
he came to God and said, I guess Christ. He came to him and reported
to him. He had to. Everybody does. He
came to God and Satan said, God taunted Satan and said, have
you considered my servant Job? And Satan said, yes, I have.
I've wanted to get at him, but you've hedged him about. You've
got him protected. I can't get to him. Right. And
so it is with all of God's people. So it is. You've hedged him about. Can't get to him. We have a city. It's not heaven. It's a person. And I'm already there. I dwell in him by faith, secure. I have a surety of the everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things. This is all my hope, all my salvation. What? a person, Jesus Christ. I dwell there. Listen, people,
we dwell in him and we joy in him. It says a song shall be
sung. A song shall be sung. We sing
these songs. I could hardly contain myself
when we were singing that song. Oh, break thou the bread of life,
dear Lord, to me, as thou didst break the loaves beside the sea."
He did that, Sam. He did that. Christ walked this
planet. He stood on the shore and broke
some bread and cooked some fish and gave it to his disciples.
He who died but lives now went back to the right hand of God,
and he's still fixing fish and bread for people. Still breaking it unto him. What
is it that says, Oh, break it unto me. Thou art the bread of
life, dear Lord, to me, the holy word, the truth that saveth me. Give me to eat and live with
thee above. And I'll live here on this earth.
by this food, or go in the strength of it." Well, here's what it
says. It says, We have a strong city. We have a strong city. We have. Scripture says, He hath
obtained eternal redemption for us. Now, argue the sons of God,
there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ. I tell you, this is reality. This brings God's people joy. Christ said, My joy I give unto
you. My peace. Didn't He? That no
man can take from you. And no circumstances, no thing
can rob you of this peace because Christ said, It's me. It's me. You don't have any joy. Well, to be in Christ is reality. Scripture talks about the love
of Christ which passes understanding. Joy, fullness of joy, this is
what gives trouble-plagued people. This is what gives people who
are plagued with trouble. In the world you shall have tribulation. Christ said, in the world you
shall have tribulation. You're going through it right
now. Trouble! A man who is born a woman is
a few days and full of trouble! But Christ said, be of good cheer. I've got the world in You're going to have trouble.
He ordains it. He sends it. But be of good cheer. I've got the world and you in
my hand. In the face of overwhelming trouble,
yep, being in Christ is reality, people. It's reality. He'll bear you up, Scripture
says. What if I told you? Let me give
you an illustration here. What if I told you that the other
day, it was a cloudy, dreary, rainy
day, and do you know, now this happened. One cloudy, dreary day, not too
long ago, I ascended from this earth. I guess I did. I rose from this
earth. I went right through the clouds.
Yes, I did. I went right through the clouds,
above the clouds, up where there are no clouds and the sun is
shining. I soared into the sky 37,000
feet above the earth. I did. I asked my wife. She took me to the airport. Well, what if I told you, and
this is where this message was born. This message came thirty-seven
thousand feet in the air. It's where I got this message. What if I told you that I have
truly risen above this earth, have soared up into the face
of the sun, and sat down at the right hand
of the majesty on high." What if I told you that? I have in Christ. People who are ignorant of Christ
and his words say, that's a lot of superstition. A hundred years
ago they'd have called me a liar the first time, too. Airplane? What? Oh, come on. Oh, yes. 700 miles an hour I was going
and flew 37,000. Huh, wouldn't it? All this religious
spiritual was seeded with Christ. So, how do I know? The one who sits there said so. The one who sits there, salvation. The gates are open. You say,
you've got your heads in the clouds. That's right, my head
is in the clouds. My head, Jesus Christ, is higher
than that. He's above the cloud. And my
feet, I'm not a crazy man, my feet are firm on the rock, planted
on the ground. My hope is built on nothing less
than this rock-solid word of truth, and my head is in the
clouds. Oh, let me tell you, it says
he ordained it, and the gates are open. Now, like I said about
old Job, nothing could harm Job, nothing. Could it? Could Satan do anything to Job,
or anybody else for that matter, if God hadn't decreed it? Huh? You say, that's fatalism. No,
it's not. That's the book of Job. And it's Psalm 91. Listen to
this. Psalm 91. He that dwelleth in
the secret place of the Most High. shall abide under the shadow
of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is
my refuge and my fortress, my God in him will I trust, Jesus
Christ. Surely he shall deliver thee
then from the snare of the fowler, from noisome pestilence. He shall
cover thee," you know, I rose, he shall cover thee with his
feathers, under his wings shalt thou trust, under his wings. Scriptures, you know, I rose
on that silver bird. I was in that silver bird, flying
off into the face of the sun. Scriptures talks about Christ
going to bear us up like on wings of eagle. How can one do that,
got big wings? Under his wings shalt thou trust,
his truth shall be thy shield and bubbler. Listen, thou shalt
not be afraid for the terror by night, nor the arrow that
flyeth by day, nor the aeroplane that flyeth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh
in the darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy
right hand. It shall not come nigh thee, with thine eyes shalt thou behold,
and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord,
which is my refuge, even the most high thy habitation, there
shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy
dwelling. He shall give his angels charge
over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." Can't believe that. I do. Yeah, but they say, I don't And the scripture says here in
our text, in Isaiah 26, the gates are open. Open the gates that
the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. What's
the truth? Well, everything I just said.
It's the truth, the whole truth. So help us, God. Christ is the
truth. We'll get the glory, we'll get
to heaven, we'll be saved because Jesus Christ did it, period. exclamation point, by the living,
the dying, and the living again of Jesus Christ. That's how.
Not by our doings, but by his doings and his dyings. And the
gates are open, as Scripture says, the gates are open, that they may enter in. How are
we going to get in? Because John, the King of Glory,
already went in. That's what Psalm 24 says, doesn't
it? Open the gates! Lift up your heads, ye doors! Open your everlasting gates,
and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? It's the Lord, strong and mighty. And somebody is coming in after
him. All his people. All his people. I'm marching to Zion. Look at
verse 3. Verse 3 says, Thou wilt keep
him or her in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee. Who's thee? Jesus Christ, because
he or she trusts in Christ. Perfect peace. If you have a
margin, what does it say about perfect that? What does it say,
if you're listening? What does it say? Say it, Steve. Louder. Louder. He's repeating himself. He says
it twice. Peace. Peace. That's right. Well, the world says you have
peace. Peace. And there is no peace. But this is how God says you'll
have peace. Peace. Who? How? Where? Well, if you live
right, if you try your best, it's not good enough. Well, if
you just quit this and quit that, it doesn't matter, you'll pick
something else up. Something else just as bad, you'll
quit that, you'll start that. That's the way it is, that's
the way of the flesh. Get religion. Go to church. millions
going to church this morning. Well, if I, if I, if I, what
must I do to be saved then? Nothing. You can't save yourself. What are you talking about? Look,
there's one way. One person. One Lord. One hope
of your calling. One Lord. One faith. One way. Jesus Christ. Look to Him and
be saved. All the ends of the earth. And
enter in to joy. Joy. Double peace. Thou wilt keep him in double
peace. Thou wilt keep from sorrow. Keep
from sorrow is those who have no hope. Thou wilt keep from
trouble, being overcome with troubles and fears and doubts,
keep from falling." How? Well, it says in verse 3,
"...whose mind is stayed on thee." Trusting, thinking about, looking
to, considering Jesus Christ, let us consider the apostle and
high priest of our profession. Mind stayed on thee, heart stayed
on thee. Peace, peace. When there is no
peace out there, you will have peace, peace. What does this
mean? I've got to deal with this, all
right? Peace, peace. Two pieces. Number one, you'll have peace
with God. We'll have peace with God. God ain't all love like preachers
are saying He is. I just read it to us, didn't
I, in Isaiah 10 and 11. Didn't we? Didn't we just read
what God's going to do to this planet? He's not all love like
they say He is. There's a place called hell.
And I know this world doesn't believe that either. But this book says it. And there's
a place there that says God's going to That's what this book
says. Old-fashioned as it may be, as
rejected as it might be by modern man, it's what this book says.
Look at that, Barry. God's not all love and all great
general granddaddy just looking over the banisters, oh, please,
please, please. That's not the God of the Bible. God loves people in Christ. God is merciful to those who
trust Christ. God's grace is upon those who
are in Christ. That's the reason they're in
Christ. But the wrath, the Scripture says, the wrath of God abideth
upon the ungodly. Who's that? Well, people, I don't
know what you know about, think about yourself. Well, I do some
of you. But, Teresa, in my flesh dwelleth
no good thing. I am right now, I feel like I'm
the worst sinner on this earth. God just hates all workers of
iniquity. Isn't that what it says, John?
Isn't that what it says? Well, how then? God is going
to pour out His wrath, wrath, hatred. How can I have peace? How can He be at peace with me?
How is He going to accept me? How is He going to have anything
to do? How can I be at peace? What can I do to appease His
wrath? What can I do? I'll start living
right if He won't do this to me. I'll start living right.
It won't do it. Well, I'll be sincere. The Muslims are sincere. Well, I got the wrong pronoun. Tell you what, we need to start
hollering, Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner. He says, I
will. And the Scripture says in Isaiah
53, the Lord, for all those who say that, I can't do it. I'm
guilty, guilty. For all those who say that, God
laid on him the iniquity of them. The chastisement of their peace
was laid on him. He took their weapon. And now
God's not angry. His wrath has been appeased.
You see there? You understand? Peace with God. Why? I've been sentenced, judged,
condemned, killed. crucified with Christ, but I
live. No, it's not me. The life I now
live, I live by the faith of the Son of God. All right? Peace. Now, there's a double peace.
He says, peace with God. All right, stay with me. Hang
on, hang on. Hey, stop. Okay, don't leave
me. Don't get your mind to get away
now. Your mind's going to be in peace if you stay right here.
Stay right here. If we leave a little bit, just
stay right here. You'll have peace of mind, peace
of heart, staying on Him. Calm assurance. When everything
went all about, my soul gives way. He is all my strength and
stay. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sick and
sad. Where's your anchor? When that trial comes through,
people, and it's going to come, floods and rains and floods and
winds, you don't know where it's coming from. It's going to come.
Where's your anchor hole? It will if it grips the solid
rock. You'll not be moved. if your
ground didn't settle. Oh, God's my co-pilot, preacher.
Oh, man. Oh, man. I didn't fly that plane the other
day. I didn't fly that plane. What
if they'd have given me the opportunity? Now, what if I'd have walked
on to that airplane and they said, now, we're giving you a
choice? Would you? You can fly. You can fly this
plane there, or you can ride. Oh! You got a good pilot? Got a good
one. He'd been there for years. He's had thirty, he's uh, thirty-three
years he's been flying. What rank is he? Captain. He ever had a crash? Not a one.
taking everyone who's ridden, found in his vessel, his ship,
all the way to their destination. I want him flying. What am I
going to do? I'm going to get back in the
back and rest. Listen to me. My hope is not
in technology, but in theology. People, we took off. I took off in that
plane. The first one I got on was one
of these puddle jumpers. You ever been on a puddle jumper?
You have, Dan. Oh man, it was raining. It was puddles. It was raining
and we took off. Going through those clouds and
I don't mind telling you. I was a little nervous going
through those clouds. Then we went up above the clouds
and it kind of settled down. I thought, what's my hope? Well, they built a good plane. whole bunch of people flying
across the ocean in a much bigger plane than that. It just exploded
for no reason. They still don't know why. I
know why. One screw. You know what that
whole plane, keep it from coming down, you know what would make
that whole plane come crashing down to the ground? One screw. Uh-huh. One screw that a bird fly into that, bring it
all down, wouldn't it? What's my hope? Somebody was bearing that plane
up. As I began to sit there and think
about that, I looked down. There was the clouds. We were
way above the clouds. And I thought, looky there, I've
been so foolish. Right there's the dust of his
feet. And that's what Scripture says,
clouds are the dust of his feet. I thought, you know, Scripture
says, lo, he cometh with clouds. He's coming in the clouds. He's
coming. I'm safe, not because technology's
good, but because theology means study of God, because my God
is in control. I thought, I'm not coming down,
this plane can't fall unless God decrees it. Why? He's Jehovah,
that's why. And my mind was at peace. A whole squadron of Iraqis' fireplanes
couldn't have brought that jet airliner down to the ground if
God didn't decree it. You say, that's fatalism, preacher.
It's not at all. It's Isaiah 26, 3 and 4. It's Psalm 91. It's my God, that's
who it is. If you don't believe that, your
God's not as big as mine. Your rock's not like my rock. No, he's not. Oh, boy. As I thought on those things,
Thought of those scriptures, they came to mind, this scripture
came to mind, and I start scribbling. And I don't remember that thing
touching the ground. She came down, here I am. I didn't
worry. We went back through the cloud.
Did it again. And Rebecca, for a fleeting moment,
for a fleeting moment, I thought, I hope we make it. Have you forgotten
so soon? His mind has stayed on that. Just as surely as he holds the
stars in place, he held that flame in place. Just as surely
as his word cannot fail, not one jot or tittle of it shall
pass away all fulfilled. Just as surely as he said, he
that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out, in no wise
cast out. Just as surely as he said, I
give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
Just as surely as he said, all things work together for good,
even the worst thing you could think of, it's going to turn
out good. Why? Because Jehovah said it. That's a rocking standoff. Let
not be moved. Peace. Peace.