Peace of Mind
Spiritually Minded Series • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Book of Isaiah
Chapters 1-12 are preached against Judah & Israel
Chapters 13-23 are judgments against the Gentiles & their Nations
Chapter 24 changes tone & pace to declare a judgment that will come upon the entire planet
Be Comforted Chapter Five: A Refuge from the Storm (Isaiah 24–27)
Isaiah 24–27 describes a global judgment that will end with the destruction of God’s enemies and the restoration of God’s people Israel in their land.
It is in the midst of these proclamations and prophecies of God’s fury and wrath that we find these verses:
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 for ever: For in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; The lofty city, he layeth it low; He layeth it low, even to the ground; He bringeth it even to the dust. The foot shall tread it down, Even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. The way of the just is uprightness: Thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just. Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; The desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: For when thy judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
These judgments, which we won’t study today, that are described for us in chapters 24-27, concern that great and terrible Day of the Lord — what we refer to as the Great Tribulation Period, when God will pour out His wrath on this world for the sin of its inhabitants.
Though 2020 has been rather inconvenient thus far, we are nowhere near the level of horror and calamity that is coming in that day.
And I find it both interesting and comforting to find that in the midst of declaring His coming wrath and judgment God makes a pronouncement of peace — the Peace of Mind that you and I can know for ourselves if we are Biblically and Spiritually Minded.
QUOTE — The Hebrew word for “peace” (shalom) means much more than a cessation of war. It includes blessings such as wholeness, health, quietness of soul, preservation, and completeness. “What is your peace?” is the way Jews often greet one another; and Isaiah’s reply would be, “My peace is from the Lord, for I trust wholly in Him!” — Wiersbe
PROPOSITION — Let me ask you this morning, is your soul at peace?
The literal wording in the Hebrew of Isaiah 26:3 is Thou wilt keep him in peace peace:
this is referred to grammatically as the idiom of reduplication (6:3) and it means “all-embracing peace”
1 Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 195). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
PROPOSITION — So let me ask you again — do you have all-embracing peace in your life? In your home? In you job? In you heart? In you mind? Are you at peace with God? Peace with others? Peace with yourself?
Or maybe, this morning, you might admit — I could use more peace in my life, it’s not as all-embracing as I’d like it to be.”
ORGANIZATION — Let’s Consider four Truths Concerning the Peace described in Isaiah 26:1-9 this morning
[PRAYER]
The Place of Peace (1)
The Place of Peace (1)
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.
The City’s Actuality
The City’s Actuality
Abraham knew about It.
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he 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, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
The Psalmist described It.
His foundation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion More than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.
John saw It.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
The Saved will live in It.
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
It’s an actual, real, literal place!
(The City’s Actuality)
The City’s Architect
The City’s Architect
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.
God is the builder of this City
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Jesus is preparing a place for each saint in that city
Let not your heart be troubled: ye 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 ye may be also.
(The City’s Actuality)
(The City’s Architect)
The City’s Admission
The City’s Admission
Open ye the gates, That the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.
The concept of a gate sounded familiar — and that’s because Jesus discussed the gate on God’s city in Matthew 7:
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
And again in Revelation, the admission into that Holy City is described
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Jesus is the entrance into God’s Holy City
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Jesus is the exclusive entrance into God’s City — there is no other way in
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
By the way, How exactly were you planning on getting in?
Did you know that there is already going to be an occupant list settled?
And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
GOSPEL —
Only the righteous are allowed into God’s city “heaven”
The Bible makes it clear, there are no righteous people
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
And since all are sinners, all carry the penalty of that sin
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This is called the Second Death in Scripture — it’s where all those who are not allowed entrance into that city will end up
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Since we are all sinners, and no one is righteous, and never can be righteous, we all deserve the penalty of being denied access to God’s perfect city and spend eternity in that real place called Hell
But the Good News, the Gospel, is that God loved you enough to send Jesus to take that penalty on Himself, and grant you His righteousness in return — giving access to God’s city through faith in God’s Son
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Jesus, the perfect, sinless, Son of God, died on the cross, and bore God’s wrath and judgement in our place.
Then, three days later, He rose from the grave by His own power, ascended up into heaven and is seated with His Father, and now offers the free gift of eternal life to any and all who will believe — who will trust in Him for salvation from Sin and Hell
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Is your entrance into God’s Holy City Guaranteed? Are you certain of it? You cannot have true Peace of Mind until you are Confidence you will one day reside in the Place of Peace — God’s Heavenly City
HYMN — Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken by John Newton
John Newton was a wretched man. Born the son of a shipmaster in 1725 he first went to sea at age 11, and was eventually forced into service with the Royal Navy. Ultimately, he went into the slave trade, making human beings his cargo. During a voyage in 1748 he awoke to find his ship caught in a terrible storm and on the verge of sinking. In his desperation he cried out to God for mercy, and the storm subsided.
Though he believed himself to be a Christian, and avoided swearing, gambling, and drinking, he continued as a slave trader for many years — until he denounced it completely, and wrote a pamphlet condemning slavery that would be a major influence on the Abolition of Slavery in Great Britain.
He is best known for His Hymn — Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. But he was just as excited about God’s Holy City as he was about God’s amazing Grace.
Glorious things of thee are spoken
Zion city of our God;
He whose word cannot be broken
Formed thee for His own abode:
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
Thou may’st smile at all thy foes.
STATEMENT — One of the ways you can tell you are at peace with God is if you are thrilled and invigorated with the idea of the City of God.
(The Place of Peace)
The Protector of Peace (3)
The Protector of Peace (3)
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee.
The God of Peace
The God of Peace
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
(God of Peace)
Genuine Peace
Genuine Peace
STATEMENT — In God, and only in God, can you find perfect peace, the peace that passes all understanding. In other words, there is no complete and genuine, all-embracing peace apart from God, everything else is a cheap attempt at a substitute.
YOU CANNOT FIND PEACE THROUGH
Relationships — they come and go and are never perfect
Drugs whether prescription or illegal or the pot shops — they fade and leave you wanting more
Alcohol can’t bring you peace — instead it brings more pain
Pornography gives no peace — just guilt and shame and self-loathing
Entertainment gives no peace — just keeps you distracted enough to forget your misery
Information brings no peace — just sorrow and fear and anxiety (TURN OFF THE NEWS)
Careers — come and go
Money — is fickle, and leaves you empty, always wanting more
Fame & Popularity — is a trap and the loneliest people are the ones everyone recognizes
Family — they can love and support you, but they can’t save you
Church — can bring you comfort, but cannot give you peace
Baptism — can get you wet, but cannot bring you Spiritual Peace
There is no alternative peace out there, genuine peace can only be found in the God of Peace, who you can know through believing in Jesus Christ His Son
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
STATEMENT — I’ll ask again, do you have all-embracing peace in your life? Where have you been seeking it? Christian, you can be a child of God, but a stranger to the peace of God. Where are you running for peace?
(The Place of Peace)
(The Protector of Peace)
(The Particulars of Peace)
The Particulars of Peace (3-4)
The Particulars of Peace (3-4)
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: For in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
An Exercise of the Mind
An Exercise of the Mind
“Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee”
MIND = יֵ֣צֶר “yeser” — it is our mind-set, our way of looking at life.
STAYED = סָמ֔וּךְ “samuk” — ‘maintained’ or ‘made/resolved to be undeviating’.
(Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 195). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
STATEMENT — In order for God to Keep you in Perfect Peace, your mindset, the way you look at life, must be undeviating from God and His Word. You must exercise this in your own life, you must choose to remain focused on the Person of God as He has revealed Himself in the BIBLE.
JOSHUA
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
PSALMIST
Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, And meditate on thee in the night watches.
I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.
PAUL
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
ILLUSTRATION — During a training exercise in the field, a young recruit naively asked the commanding officer, “Sir, where is the fox hole?” The officer said, “You’re standing on it—just throw out the dirt.”
If you know your Heavenly Father, you have peace of mind already, if you’d just through out the dirt and focus your mind on Him.
An Exercise of Faith
An Exercise of Faith
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: For in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
TRUST = בָּטֽוּחַ׃ “batuah” — be confident in, rely on, put faith in — to believe in a person to the point of relying on that person.
STATEMENT — Are you well acquainted with God? Do you know Him enough to be able to have the complete trust in Him required to be at peace?
Isaiah 26:4 STRENGTH = צ֖וּר “sur” — correctly translated Strength is ALSO translated:
Rock (64/72)
Strength/strong (6/72)
Edge (1/72)
mighty One (1/72)
STATEMENT — What the Hebrew language portrays is what a child of God understands, our God is a Rock, a strong fortress
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
My flesh and my heart faileth: But God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
STATEMENT — Perfect peace is the result of a mind that is captivated with God and a heart that is confident in God — Do you have that all-embracing peace?
(The Place of Peace)
(The Protector of Peace)
(The Particulars of Peace)
The Proofs of Peace (8-9)
The Proofs of Peace (8-9)
Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; The desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: For when thy judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
A Pining for God
A Pining for God
“(8) The desire of our soul is to thy name… (9) I desired thee in the night”
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, My flesh longeth for thee In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
When was the last time you longed for God’s presence — or have you been more the type that has to force yourself into it?
STATEMENT — The man who knows perfect peace — He pines for God. Longs for Him, thinks about God in the wakeful hours of the night. What about you? Do you have that kind of close relationship with the Lord? Could that be why you don’t have perfect peace?
A Pursuit of God
A Pursuit of God
“(9) with my spirit within me will I seek thee early”
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Do you pursue Christ the way Paul pursued Christ? Every seeking to know Him just a little bit more? Or are you just checking off a reading list, so you can put in enough effort to meet your own standard of a “good Christian?”
STATEMENT — The man who knows perfect peace pursues the presence of His Saviour. What about you? Do you pursue God daily? Could that be why you don’t have perfect peace?
Conclusion
Conclusion
Is your soul at peace? Do you have all-embracing peace in your life? In your home? In you job? In you heart? In you mind? Are you at peace with God? Peace with others? Peace with yourself?
Or maybe, this morning, you might admit — I could use more peace in my life, it’s not as all-embracing as I’d like it to be.”
Are you certain you are a citizen of Heaven — God’s Holy City — the Place of Peace?
Are you finding that genuine perfect peace in God — the Protector of Peace?
Are you exercising yourself mentally and spiritually to allow God’s perfect peace — Are you getting the Particulars of Peace right?
Do you desire God, and pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ on a daily basis — do you have the Proofs of Peace in your life?
INVITATION — HEADS BOWED EYES CLOSED
If you are here this morning, and you are not confident you have a home waiting for you in heaven, you aren’t sure that you are at peace with God, I’d like to pray for you — SLIP UP YOUR HAND
If you know you are saved, but you say, “Pastor, I’ve not been at peace. I’ve not had that all-embracing, perfect peace the Bible talks about here, and God has shown me some reasons why,” I’d like to pray for you — SLIP UP YOUR HAND
PRAYER (FOR BOTH)
ALTAR CALL [STAND] — Piano plays #591 Wonderful Peace — Randy Leads
If you are here this morning and you aren’t sure you know Jesus as you personal Saviour, it would be our joy to take a Bible and show you how you can know you have eternal life — when we start to sing, you step out from your seat and come forward, and I’ll introduce you to someone who can answer your questions from the Bible
If you are here this morning, and God’s convicted your heart because of a lack of peace, you don’t have it, and God’s shown you why — it’s time to turn that over to Him — when we start to sing, you step out and come pray at this altar, give it over to God, and surrender to His perfect peace today.
As we sing, you come.