Isaiah 26:3-9 (KJV)  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  [4]  Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:  [5]  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.  [6]  The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.  [7]  The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.  [8]  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.  [9]  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.

Audio of Sermon: 

When I was a young Christian my mentors – several other Christians I met in the Air Force – taught me the value of not only studying but memorizing Scripture. When you memorize Scripture it is like carrying a warm coat to stay warm, or an umbrella to stay dry. It’s like having a hidden emergency meal in case you are without food, or even better, a friend who keeps the loneliness and fear away. One of the first texts I memorized was John 3:16. You know this, don’t you?

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.

I love that text because it reminds us God is the Gospel, and receiving Christ as He causes God to receive us as His everlasting children. That is so beautiful. But the second text I remember memorizing is the one we have before us today:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon Thee,
because he trusteth in Thee – Isaiah 26:3

God Promises Double Peace IF

It almost reads like a poem, doesn’t it? What does God promise us in this text? The King James says “perfect peace”. That’s not exactly what the Hebrew says. In the Hebrew the word שָׁלוֹם shalowm – which means “peace” – is used twice. “Thou wilt keep him in SHALOWN SHALOWN whose mind is stayed upon Thee, because he trusteth in Thee”. God promises to His Children – to whosoever will – a DOUBLE Peace, a double portion of peace. God wants us to have not just SHALOWN, but SHALOWM SHALOWM. He wants us all walking in peace, not in fear or anxiousness. That is what is normal for the Christian way of life. The Apostle said it this was in:

Philippians 4:4-9 (NKJV) Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

If God wants to give us a double portion of peace why is it that so few seem to have it? It is because we are not meeting the condition of the promise. Read the text again:

Thou wilt give him SHALOWM SHALOWN

but it doesn’t stop here. It goes on to say:

Whose mind is STAYED UPON THEE

“Stayed upon” is the Hebrew סָמַךְ camak which means to be upheld by, to lean or lay upon, to rest in or be born up by. The mind that is totally reliant upon God experiences the double peace of God. The faith that is 100% committed to Him results in the life that is filled with the double peace of God. Trusting in God is a surrender to God. The text even tells us this.

Thou wilt give him SHALOWN SHALOWN whose mind is stayed upon Thee,
BECAUSE he TRUSTETH in THEE

Trusting in God means to lean upon Him, to put all your weight on Him. And God is able to take your weight. He is able to take your pain. God is able to hold you up.

Back in 1983 I had an accident that crushed my left leg. Though rebuilt, there are times I need to walk with a cane. When the leg is not able, I lean my weight on the cane. The cane is able to carry my weight. Imagine how foolish it would be if you saw me coming in with a pool noodle, leaning on this. You see me coming in with the pool noodle and say “Brother David, why do have that under your arm?” I reply, “Because my leg hurts today, and I’m leaning on it for support.” You might not say anything, but you’d walk away thinking the Pastor has gone crazy. Why am I relying on something pitiful and weak to put my trust in? Why not get a real cane, or find a better support? Yet many people are this way. They are staggering through life, leaning on different broken things.

Too many lean on the GOVERNMENT,
or on HUMAN INSTITUTIONS.
Or they lean on MONEY,
Or HOSPITALS and DOCTORS.
Some lean on GOOD LOOKS,
and some even lean on the CHURCH.

But everything in this life is broken. We need to lean on the eternal God and His provisions!

Our Trust Is To Be In God

So many people approach life, trying to do everything themselves. We cannot rely on our own strength if we want to be blessed. We are to rely on God. We are told:

Isaiah 26:4 (KJV)  Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

If you have a King James version you’ll notice that the names of God are CAPITALIZED in this text. The word LORD is the Hebrew YAHWEH, which is the Eternal Name of God, the Great I AM. We are to trust in the Eternal God Who created all that you see. We read:

in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength

In YAH YAHWEH – the EVERLASTING AND ETERNAL I AM is everlasting strength. I told someone the other day …

When I was young my feet ran and my nose didn’t.
Now that I am old my nose runs and my feet don’t!

When we trust in man – even in ourselves – we trust in something that is fallable. But God is infallible. God is eternal. The God Who created the heavens and the earth, the animals, the plants, and all that is within it can not fail. Life is fragile, but God is a faithful. God does not change. God keeps His promises, and we can rely on Him. The Scripture says:

Deuteronomy 7:9-10 (NKJV) Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; 10 and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face.

Psalm 119:90 (NKJV) Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.

God is faithful, but we are fragile. God never fails, but we are subject to fail. Those who exalt themselves and rely on themselves will find themselves cursed in time. We read:

Isaiah 26:5-6 (KJV)  For {God} 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.  [6]  The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.

Those who are arrogant and prideful are eventually brought down. They may mock God today, but there will come a time when God will cause the proud to fall. But those who are poor … even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy …. those who rely upon Him shall be exalted in due time. There will come a day when every arrogant, prideful person will fall. But those who had nothing but God will triumph. What did Jesus say?

Matthew 5:3 (NKJV) Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Those who trust God are blessed, even when times seem bad.

There Is Power In A Singular Focus On God

First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, was recently attacked by an atheist with a gun. Killing 26 people the world cried out “Where was God”? But God was and is there. You won’t hear this story widely published for its not bloody enough, but just this week Pastor Frank Pomeroy was interviewed by NBC news. Pomeroy, who lost a daughter in the massacre, said:

“I knew everybody who gave their life that day. Some of them were my best friends and my daughter. I have no doubt they’re dancing with Jesus today.”

He also noted that though 26 were martyred, more than 26 have contacted him and said that they are recommitting their lives to the Lord, seeking Him out daily. Listen Beloved, trials come our way to tempt us and test us. God calls His people to keep their minds “stayed” on Him. To live to please Him. To live to glorify God.

When tried does your faith stand the trial?

Isaiah 26:7 (KJV)  The way of the just is uprightness: thou, Most Upright, dost weigh the path of the just.

God is called “The Most Upright. When a trial comes, do you collapse or are you held upright by Him? If you are saved, He will hold you up no matter what may come.

Those who belong to God are called the “Just” or the “Justified”. If your mind is stayed on God then your actions will reflect your mind. The way of the just is UPRIGHTNESS. Those who belong to Christ are His Disciples. We follow Him. We love Him. We trust Him. We do the right and godly thing at all times, glorifying our Lord. God says of us “I created you for My glory” (Isaiah 43:7). We are told:

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV) Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Psalm 86:12 (NKJV) I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.

God can take the broken life and make it whole if we would be faithful in filling our minds with Him. To stay our minds on Him. To focus on His Word. To be obedient to Him. Remember that Adam and Eve lost Paradise and brought sin into the world when they “stayed their mind” on the wrong thing. God warned Adam:

Genesis 2:17 (NKJV) … but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Compare Adam to Abraham. Adam thought he knew better than God, this is when sin and death came into the world. If you want to be blessed you need to understand that God knows what is best. We are to cast all of our trust upon Him and His promises. Our Father Abraham was powerful in faith and much blessed because he “stayed his mind” on God. The Bible tells us that:

Romans 4:19-22 (NKJV) And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Abraham trusted God, casting himself upon God, believing God would keep His promise. And God did. God always keeps His promises. God is faithful! We have a dearth of faithful and powerful Christians today in America because our faith, sadly, is often not in God but in other things. Not too long ago Pastor Lentz of Hillsong Church – a huge congregation – sat in a television studio as a guest on The View and was asked whether abortion is sinful. His reply was typically that of his father Adam:

“That’s the kind of conversation we would have finding out your story, where you’re from, what you believe. I mean, God’s the judge,” … “People have to live to their own convictions,” Lentz continued. “That’s such a broad question, to me, I’m going higher. I want to sit with somebody and say, ‘What do you believe?’”

Like Adam, he spoke with a view toward pleasing the world. I did not say this to malign my brother in Christ, for peer pressure is indeed a strong thing, and many of us would be tempted to go for the applause rather than the boos when addressing such a liberal audience. Yet what does God expect of His Children, His Whom He has justified by His Blood?

Isaiah 26:8 (KJV)  Yea, in the WAY OF THY JUDGMENTS, O LORD, have we waited for thee..

We ask ourselves what has God said? What does the Scripture say? What has the Church historically supported based on His Word? Those who wish to have the double peace of God must let God speak rather than political correctness or what we feel. Strength for the justified is in Him. God is above it all. God made us, and God knows us, and God knows what is best for us. As the Apostle said:

Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Our power is not in ourselves, but in God and what God has provided us.

You go outside, and find you have a flat tire. What do you do? If you are prepared, you go to the trunk of your car. You get out your spare, your jack, and your tire iron. In a few minutes you change your tire, then head to the Tire Shop to get the flat fixed. No problem. But let’s imagine another way. You go outside and see you have a flat tire. So you try and pick up your car rather than use the jack. You don’t trust the jack. You trust yourself. So you strain, and pull, and try and lift. As you do so you harm your body. Your heart rate goes dangerously high. Your blood pressure shoots up. Your mouth begins saying things that add to the problem. You begin to feel defeated, and you are certainly not at peace. You should have relied upon the jack.

You say, “But Brother, I would never do that!” But that’s what you do when you worry and fret and obsess rather than casting your cares upon God.

Isaiah 26:8 (KJV) …the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.

We love the Lord and thank Him for His faithfulness. God is so good. The unbeliever does not recognize the faithfulness of God, nor does the unbeliever than Him for His good provision. The way of the unbeliever is to ignore God. To take God’s bounty and yet never appreciate it. This is what you who are unbelievers do.

Isaiah 26:10-11 (KJV)  Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.  [11]  LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.

The way of the unbeliever is self and selfish, arrogance and pride. They do not see God’s hand. They do not praise Him for the strength that He gives them. They do not thank Him for the sun, the moon, the rain in due season. The more God gives, the more they demand, and yet never praise. In time such ways all lead to self destruction.

If you belong to God, you are not to walk in their way but in His Way. Christ is the WAY, the Truth, and the Life. We are to follow Him. We are to love God. We are to cast our concerns and our burdens on His broad shoulders. Stay your mind upon Him.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

The God Of Scripture Is Who I Love

Isaiah 26:9 (KJV)  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.

When trials come – the dark nights and the valleys – we need the Lord. But if we want His Presence in the darkness, we need to follow Him in the light. “with my spirit will I seek Thee early”. We must love and trust God daily. Our days are to begin by praising Him and thanking Him for loving us so. We thank God for the salvation we have through Christ. We thank Him that He sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins, to be buried, and to rise from the grave on the third day. I am not ashamed to say that …

Acts 4:12 (KJV)  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

That faith alone in Christ alone saves a person. I am not ashamed of the Word of Faith that we preach:

Romans 10:9-11 (ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Salvation comes when you trust yourself to God in Christ, believing He paid for your sins in full. But blessing comes when you follow Him, trust Him, stay your mind on Him.

Isaiah 26:12 (KJV)  LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

God has a double peace for His people. It is God’s will that you live in SHALOWM SHALOWM. It is God’s Will that He work among us. But we must be wholly devoted to Him. We must not live with one foot in the world and one foot on heaven. We must confess Him and Him alone. As Isaiah wrote:

Isaiah 26:13-14 (KJV)  O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.  [14]   They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

God wants our 100%. He saved us so that we could have perfect peace, SHALOWM SHALOWM. He saved us so that we can live victorious lives in Him. Oh, that God the Holy Spirit would partner with me as I preach His Word. Oh that God would touch many through this text! If you do not know Christ, run to His waiting arms this very day!