Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Rest That Remains Pt.3

Hallelujah. Where am I? A lot of interesting things--where there are no oxen, the crib is clean. Thank God for the ox, amen. Turn to the guy next to you and say, "You're a good looking ox." That's how I see y'all anyway. You look pretty good to me. Aren't we blessed really? I think this last few weeks--it's been long time since I've been as blessed as I was back-to-back from the Awards Banquet and then into the Resurrection Celebration; watching the family come together; caring for one another; watching the ministry be carried out in so many different ways. It was an area that Saturday as I stood in the gym and watched following the Awards Banquet, some of the young people who had just been there and it was their night and now they were just laboring and serving around, helping the kids out and ministering to children in some of the different areas. It spoke so perfectly of the body ministry and what Father's doing here. I just constantly try to remind myself of how blessed we are as a people and in no way ever want to take it for granted.

Let's go ahead and pick up where we were this morning. Isaiah 26--we want to take a little bit of time and see what the prophet's speaking to us. We were talking about the peace of God and living in the shalom factor: not just the tranquility, but total wellness of soul, of body, our emotions are intact, and a people that are living in that realm of the presence of God. When we talk about peace, we're talking about the presence. There isn't any peace outside the presence of God. You're not going to find it in activities, in relationships but only in the realm of the eternal, the spiritual. Have you ever felt alone in crowd? Yet, in His presence, the Invisible Being completely satisfies every need to where there's never a sensation of loneliness, fear, wonder, but we know who we are. We're confident that we've cast our care upon Him, fully persuaded of His love for us. That brings us divine rest. So the prophet says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, [the third verse] whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."

That's where we left off in this morning's session. I want to talk a little bit about our mind being "stayed." That's not only just the fact that we're constantly meditating and aware of the Lord, but that we're drawing on Him. We're encamped in His presence. We're tapped into His energy and into His wisdom and into the power and the purpose of God. Let me ask you this: Are you living for the purpose of God or for your own purposes? My mind is stayed on Thee. My mind is fixed on your purposes. I'm not living for my own will. "I haven't come to do my will," Jesus said, "but the will of He that sent Me." That's where His peace came from. That's what we saw this morning, out of John 14 and 16. He said where you're going to gain that tranquility is being poured out for God's purposes. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee." What's going to bring the most glory to God? What would the Lord do in this situation? What would He have me to do at this moment that could most glorify Him?

How do we get our minds distracted? Well, it's very obvious: from the original sin. The Lord would come and walk with man in the garden, in the cool of the day. There was a time of an appointment with God, an expectation of God's visitation. Many of us have that same thing in our devotions. I don't know about you, but prayer time is something you look forward to. "I'm going to encounter God. It's a time to just refresh myself and to hear the voice of the Lord." In the mornings when you're up and you're doing your devotions--I know when I'm doing my morning devotions and just meditating on the Lord and spending some time in the Word of God and just listening, waiting to hear the voice of the Spirit. So many times that still, small voice sounds like the mild roar of a StairMaster_® because that's where I pray every morning. I'm on the StairMaster and I'm just listening. I have my Bible and whatever book I might be reading. I've had Tozer's book on the cross there for a long time now. I just keep going over it and over it, meditating on my daily cross. What I need to hear the voice of God. How can I annihilate myself so that I have no input into the course of my life at all? That's what I'm working for, that's what I'm meditating on. That's what I'm doing in these last months in trying to prepare myself to hear that voice and not hear my own voice.

In the cool of the day God would come and talk with man but there was a distraction, wasn't there? The Bible doesn't teach this, but let's imagine this for just a moment. Here's the appointed time of God's visitation. He would come and walk and talk with them in the cool of the day. On the way to the visitation, a serpent appeared to distract, to detain. The Scripture doesn't teach us, but in our illustration I wonder if possibly the Lord was looking at His watch. (We all know the Lord is not taken by surprise but I'm just building an illustration here for you, trying to put a little drama into this thing.) I wonder if Eve and Adam were late for the appointment because of the distraction, because of another voice. There was an appointed time. There was a time of visitation, but their minds weren't stayed on Him. There was a distraction that came. There were other promises that were made. There were accusations against God and His love and His purposes. Frankly, they believed a lie. That voice that used to bring peace and tranquility, that voice that they longed for every evening, spoke and said, "Adam, where are you?" Adam was now hiding because he was (what?) afraid. That voice that used to bring peace now brought fear. There was a breach. The mind that was stayed upon Him, that longed for Him, that rested in Him, had now been distracted. His eyes had been opened, and for the first time he was afraid. He now had control of his life and for the first time he was afraid, and disoriented, and isolated, and alone.

The prophet speaks and tells us very clearly that there's perfect peace if we'll not be distracted but trust in God. The mind that's stayed is one that always realizes, confesses, purposes to do the will of God, and then there's the patience factor of the trust, the reliance, the assurance. That's what it's all about. That's what faith is: reliance, trust, assurance. What God has promised, He's going to perform. That He is who is. He is in the midst of all of these circumstances. Regardless of whether the circumstances change, if you'll endure, you're going to come out of these circumstances more like Him, bringing glory and honor to His name. That's what we're living for. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: who trusteth in thee."

So we ask the question again: Are you in perfect peace tonight? Let's stop and think for just a moment. Take just a minute. We've just come out of worship service and a time of recognizing the presence of God. How are you doing now internally? Did you come in with some anxiousness and now you're refreshed? How long is it going to take you to lose it? Are you going to make it through the evening? Is one of the kids going to mess up and steal the peace of God from you on the way home? Is there going to be some kind of conflict between you and your spouse? Are you going to get home and open the Visa_® bill? "Service is over and now I'm home. I have to sit at the computer because I have this meeting on Monday morning." Now, the turmoil starts all over again? As much as you'd like to deny it, your relationship with God is a Sunday-oriented relationship. God's not sufficient on the job. You can't have peace on the job. The job is too big. The burden is too big. "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me."

If it's not enough to get us through the family trials, if it's not enough to get us through the job, then we're really not resting in His presence. We're really not abiding in Him. We're not stayed upon Him. We're not focused to know who He is and to place our very lives in trusting Him. It's not enough to stay your mind upon Him. It's not enough to have positive thoughts. Listen to what the prophet said, "...and trusts." You've got to lay it all on the line: absolute reliance, assurance, that what God has promised He's able to perform. The psalmist said in Psalm 119--turn over there for just a second--and along with the prophet Isaiah, the psalmist said in verse 165, "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall [stagger them, cause them to stumble] offend them. Great peace have they which love thy law." We're finding out some ways to get peace. Do you want some peace? Open up the Word! Let me ask you if you've ever done this. Have you ever been really stressed and just sat down? Just shut it all down regardless of where you were, on the job, driving home? Just pull over to the side of the road, just sit down, open your Bible, turn to the Psalms, and begin to praise God, reading the Psalms out loud? How many of you read the Psalms out loud to yourself? Let me see your hands, anybody? It will bring you peace, praise God.

You need to bring your soul into control. You need to refresh and cleanse yourself. "Bless the Lord, oh my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name" (Psalm 103:1). Do you take control of your life and cause yourself to bless the Lord? Have you ever been so empty that nothing was in there? You tried to bless and you went, "Urghh." Nothing was in there. You know you should, you want to, and nothing's there. Just open the Word! Begin to read it to God and say, "This is me, Lord. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Oooo, glory! That will get you a long way right there, amen? Do you believe that? "I shall not want. I won't want for peace. I won't want for blessing, healing, or contentment." Here we are, hearing what the psalmist says, "Great peace have they which love thy law, love the Word."

What does it mean to love the Word? You believe the Word over the circumstances. The love of the Word doesn't just mean you like to read it. The love of the Word means, "I have a relationship." Love is a relationship. It's not an emotion, "Oh, I get all fuzzy when I read the Word!" It's a relationship. It's a commitment. It's trust. How do you love a book? This book is alive, amen? "The Word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Great peace have they which love thy Word and nothing shall offend them." That word "offend" really means to trip up or to stumble. We're living in a life when so many of the circumstances are trying to trip us up. Did any of you last week hear these words, "Yea, has God said? I know you're believing the Lord for healing, but look at you. Has God said? Do you really believe that God's going to heal you? You'd better get down to see the doctor."

Relationships--have any of you felt in the last couple of weeks like you couldn't take much more? Seems like everything--the intensity of life, and the speed, and the pace, and the schedule, and the trials. "Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusts in You. Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them." Have you run to the Word or did you say, "I've got to get away," and go to whatever it is that gratifies your flesh? You run down to Baskin-Robbins_® to reward yourself. You run and find some of your friends to hang out and, hopefully, the camaraderie will cause the fear to go away, and the anxiousness to go away. You look at the friends and the party time and the temporary gratification of whatever it is and you just say, "I feel worse. It's vanity. There isn't any solution here." "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." Why are you trying everything else but God and His Word to get peace when He is the Prince of Peace? It's the only place it can come [from]. Everything else is an illusion. Peace can only be had right here [holding up his Bible]. You're not going to get it by going to the ball game. You're not going to get it by hanging out. You're not going to get it by watching the sunset.

The Lord's trying to get us to understand that in the midst of life. Everything that Jesus did on that cross was to get you to walk with Him in the cool of the day again. That breach that came from sin. God restored that communion and that peace through the blood of Jesus, through the price that was paid and His vicarious death. We try so many different things and it's just not there. It's vanity. Look at Colossians. We've seen a couple of biblical promises but look at the theology of this. Let me help you out. What has you concerned, what has you anxious isn't really the circumstances. It's not really the bills. It's not really the emotional upheaval between you and a loved one. It's not really the pace of our society. Do you know what it really is? You're just not fellowshipping with Father. "I come up to prayer." It's not whether you come, its how you leave. Why did you come? "I have to. If I don't, everybody will think that I'm not spiritual." Well, if that's what you're thinking, you're not; and we're thinking it. In reality, this is what it's all about.

Look at the theology of this thing in Colossians 1, verse 20, "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." Having made peace--that peace, again, is between Father and us through the blood of the cross. This is what this whole thing is about, to get us back into realizing that we are accepted in the beloved. He is our Father. He knows what we have need of, that we've cast our care upon Him, and we're content in that. None of these other things are going to be able to rob that from your heart if there is that absolute assurance of the price that Jesus paid by His blood. "Having made peace through the blood of his cross."

So where does perceived peace come from? [It comes from] assurance that we're right with God. If I know I'm right with God, nothing can cause me to be anxious. When I know I'm right with God, when I know that my relationship is right, when I know I'm walking in the will of God, there is absolutely nothing that can distract me, that can rob me of joy and peace in the midst of the greatest trials. I use this as my greatest barometer as to whether I'm walking in the spirit or not. Am I getting uptight? Am I anxious? Am I doubting my decisions? "I don't know if this is right or not. If it's not, these are going to be the consequences." When you're walking in the spirit, you're not worried about consequences because God works all things for good, amen? It's not up to me to satisfy everybody, to meet everybody's need.

Do you have any idea doing what I do here? How tough this role is in the flesh? Think about it for just a moment. Do you have any idea how tough it is to try to figure out how to help everybody? How many of you have had a trial this year? Let me see your hands. Now, part of my job is to try to help you to get through that thing and to help you grow spiritually and glorify God. You'd last one minute, (probably not that long), and the next thing you know, you're uptight. "How am I going to help them? How are we going to do that? What's the answer to this thing? If we do that, these are going to be the consequences." When you cast the care upon Him--don't mistake what I'm saying. I'm not saying I don't care. Of course you care! Of course you are concerned for people that you love, people that you want to see conformed into the image of Jesus. What I'm saying is the peace is in the presence, the assurance of the Word. "Great peace have they which love thy law." The greatest peace is in knowing I've done the will of God. I've done the Word of God. I've spoken the Word. I've lived the Word. I've required the Word. I just can't do anything about all of this flack that's going on about these people that are disgruntled. This person says their need is not met. This person says, "You're respecting persons." This person who wants to know, "Why don't you care?" and you don't visit with them. How can we all come to peace? By looking at the blood of Jesus and saying it was sufficient. The price has been paid. We've been reconciled back to Father. We have bold access through the blood of Jesus. If I'm not experiencing it, it's because I've chosen other sources.

Again, the psalmist says in Chapter 34, take a look over there for just a moment, in verse 14. "Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it." Okay, I'm looking for peace. "Great peace have they which love thy law." "I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on me and he trusts in me." The psalmist goes on and he says, "Depart from evil, and do good." We've tried to point out the good and evil. It's not what everybody initially thinks. Whether something is good or evil depends on its source, its origin. Because what appears to be good can actually be evil and what appears to be evil, and mean, and judgmental, can actually be good. So, the source and everything that originates from God is good and everything that originates from the kingdom of darkness is evil. Man bases good and evil upon how it affects man. We judge it on how it affects man, but to determine whether something's good or evil is how it reflects God. Think about that for just a moment. It'll help you when you're hearing teachings and different people trying to prioritize sociologically where you, as a believer, should fit. It will help you to understand the wisdom of God.

As the psalmist is speaking here, "You need to depart from evil [the world, humanism], and do good." Speak into the spiritual realm, calling things that are not as though they were, speaking the Word of God in season; all of these different things. Seek peace and pursue it. Peace is synonymous with, we said earlier (what?), the presence. Are you seeking peace and pursuing it? "Boy, it would be nice if it would come. I would sure like to have peace." What are you doing to get it? It's not cheap. So, we're called now--have you ever had your mind just racing with anxiety? You're trying to calm it down, get it renewed, and begin to meditate on the Word of God? I've shared with you one of the ways to do it. Just sit down for a minute, get the Word, and begin to read it. Listen to yourself reading the Word of God. As you do that and you find a passage--I'm not an advocate--but watch, I'm not going to look for anything. [Opens his Bible at random and points to a verse] "And Judas hanged himself." Look at verse 8 of Psalm 106, "Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. He saved them from the hand of them that hated them, and redeemed from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left. Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron and the saints of the Lord." We see that God is being worshipped and praised and He wouldn't forsake them. Then we see the consequences of pursuing man's way; the leanness and the judgment of God. In eight verses, right here, you can begin to take these things and meditate, and begin to apply them to your own situation. Then, take the promises and begin to worship God. Speak the Word of God and it will begin to bring quietness. God can speak to you and your situation from any verse of Scripture if you'll have an ear to hear.

We're talking about pursuing the peace of God. To pursue it means that you're going to have to abstain from some of the others things. Guess what? The lawn may have to wait until tomorrow to be cut. The men say, "Yes, praise God, that's a word from the Lord!" That doesn't mean so you can lie in the hammock. It means so you can go seek God. Moms, dinner can wait. Now, the men are going, "Wait a minute! You're going too far here!" Your husband wouldn't care if he came home and you said, "There's no dinner. God began to deal with my heart and He's speaking to me." Now, if that happens every day, you're going to hear another word from the Lord.

How much energy are we spending in pursuing the peace of God? "I will not let you go until you've blessed me." Do you get up from prayer and go away just as anxious as when you knelt down? Don't leave! Pursue it. Grab a hold of the hem of His garment. "Well, I was just hoping the Lord would radically bring me out of this depression in these six minutes I sought Him because I did have another meeting. There are people playing in the gym and I told so-and-so I'd go walk with them. We're going to go jogging and we're going to go play. I had an appointment and there are fourteen birthday parties." I'm just trying to say there are so many things that can distract you. I want to tell you something. You have no business going to a birthday party if you're being dominated by fear! You will not be soothed at the party. What kind of premium do you put on the presence of God, the peace of God? Are you pursuing it?

This is what the psalmist is trying to tell us. This is what Paul was telling us in Colossians. Colossians 3:15 says, "And let the peace of God rule in your minds [reign, control], and be thankful." Isn't it interesting how often thankfulness accompanies peace, wholeness? The Spirit of God, desiring to order us into that life "justified by faith," Romans says, "brings the peace of God" (Romans 5:1). If you're resting in the greatest treasure of all, your justification, you will be at peace in your hearts and your minds.

Father, we do thank you tonight for the Word of God. We're in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; those that hear your voice and hide themselves because they're afraid now. What was Adam afraid of? He wasn't right with God. Many of us stay anxious because we don't want to hear what God has to say in His Word. We'd rather stay in fear than to go hear the voice of God and have to change. So He calls us into that perfect peace of a personal cross. Only a personal cross can bring specific, individual effects of the blood of Jesus. It's universally provided, but individually appropriated. Do you have the blood cleansing you from all sin? Are you at peace with God tonight to where all of your energies are focused on rightness with God and not the distraction of all of the temporal drains and circumstances? "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Help us, Father, to trust you more. We ask in Jesus' name, amen.

Let's stand before the Lord tonight. As Gary plays for us, we'll take just a moment. Don't let it rob you. Don't let the job rob you. Don't let the lies of the world's treasures and pursuits distract you. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of the other things will be added in proportion to His will. "Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall stumble them." Is His presence sufficient tonight? Can you change your whole environment internally just by opening this book and eating the living Word? "I found Your Word and I ate it and it became the joy and the rejoicing of my heart" (Jeremiah 15:16). "I fellowshipped with God. I walked with Him in the cool of the day. I heard His voice and now I'm back at rest. I'm not alone. He said He would never leave me nor forsake me. 'Peace I give unto you, not as the world gives' (John 14:27). Be anxious for nothing but in everything, through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, we let our requests be known unto God. I'm so thankful that I know Your presence." Let's sing it together and worship Him tonight. Thank Him for the peace. It's a great treasure if you have it tonight. Don't take it for granted. In Your Presence..." Let's sing it again. In Your Presence--just rest in Him tonight. Thank you, Jesus. Hallelujah!

Father, it's so natural to be afraid, but we live in the supernatural. I have so many reasons to be anxious but I have one promise that causes me to stand sure. It's Your Word, Your promises, and Your presence. In all things, we are more than conquerors. For that we say, "Thank you, Father." In Jesus' name, amen.

Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "He'll keep you in perfect peace." Amen. Go in peace. God's love go with you.

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