A Song for His People

We can turn back to our reading in Isaiah chapter 26.

Isaiah 26 · chapter mention

We can just read again at the beginning of this chapter, Isaiah 26.

!

It may seem strange to talk about a storm today when outside is such a gloriously sunny day.

But the storms of life is something that's always a reality to us.

And I'm sure maybe you've heard of a phrase called the perfect storm.

It's when two low pressures will come, maybe from different directions and merge together,

and they bring a more serious storm that brings so much devastation and destruction with it.

This was a case in a film that was made a number of years ago now called by that name,

The Perfect Storm.

And it showed just how it happened on that occasion back in the 90s.

It was, I think.

And it just showed the devastation and destruction that these kinds of storms can bring.

It may seem a strange thing to call a storm a perfect storm when all it brings is devastation with it.

But the perfect storm is something that the Bible speaks about as well.

It speaks about it in a way when we see a collision taking place of different things merging together

that bring a sense of devastation with it.

We see the perfect storm of sin.

And everything that sin brings into this world.

And how the more that sin brings its forces together, the more devastation and destruction it brings.

And when we think of a natural storm, when we think of the destruction that that brings,

what do we look for at a time when a storm is coming?

We look for shelter.

We seek shelter.

And that is what Isaiah is talking about here.

In chapter 26, he's talking there about not a perfect storm,

but he's talking about a perfect peace.

And the peace that the Lord is able to give.

You keep him in perfect peace,

whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.

And so there is a place to find that perfect peace.

And here in chapter 26,

what we're seeing is a song that the Lord is giving to his people.

And a place that they can find this perfect peace.

And it is in a city.

It's a song of a city.

We have a strong city.

It says at the start there in the middle of verse 1.

And Isaiah is writing in the midst of this storm of sin.

If you look back in chapter 24, just a page previously,

the heading of that chapter is judgment on the whole earth.

And this judgment is like a storm.

See how it speaks about it in verse 12.

Desolation is left in the city.

The gates are battered into ruins.

A city that is devastated.

And it's really by sin.

That's what Isaiah is highlighting for us here.

The city that is battered,

that is left in desolation as sin.

Passes through.

And so it's in the midst of this sense of judgment

that Isaiah is writing.

But it's also at a time

when the people are thinking that they have peace.

And so it stands as a warning.

What keeps us going from day to day so often?

What keeps our hearts filled with joy

and a sense of release in many different ways?

What gives us hope in difficult times?

So often it's song.

So often it's music that we turn to.

When we think of finding a sense of release and of joy,

how often do we just start maybe singing a song?

It's expressed in song so often.

And we all maybe have our own favorite song.

And this time of year is a time

when we're often maybe hearing songs being played

when people are outside enjoying the good weather,

whether it's in the garden or on the beach

or out in the streets as we'll see in this coming week

and out in the grounds as the weekend comes.

When the tents go up,

we'll hear a lot of song.

We'll hear a lot of music being played.

We'll hear a lot of people

who are finding a sense of joy in that.

But do we have that true sense of the joy of the Lord

and the peace that he gives in the songs that we sing?

Well, here Isaiah is reminding the people

that in all the different things

that they have going on in their lives,

and they themselves would have probably been singing

their own songs in many different ways

and many different situations.

Well, Isaiah is reminding them of the need

to have this song of the Lord in their hearts.

That it's the song of the Lord

that is able to bring peace.

A song that speaks not just for the moment for today

and a song that's forgotten in the days

or the weeks ahead.

We move on to the next one.

But it's a song of a city,

a song of salvation,

a song of the joy that the Lord gives.

We want to just think about this song

that Isaiah is giving here.

And just think about it under three different headings.

And we see three different things about this song.

The first thing is it's the song of a city.

So it's directing us towards a place.

It's also directing us towards salvation.

So it's a song of salvation.

And it's also a song of remembrance.

A song that helps us to go back

and reflect on these things again and again and again.

A song that we can keep singing.

How often do you hear a song

or even just a few lyrics of a song

and it's stuck in your head the rest of the day?

I'm sure it happens very often to people.

You just hear a little snippet of a song

and it's just there in your head

the rest of the day or even the rest of the week.

Well, here is a song that should resonate in our hearts

and stay in our hearts

and stay with us through all the ups and downs of life

to see a place of perfect peace

that the Lord is able to give.

So the first thing we see is it's a song of a city.

In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah, it starts.

And then the song itself starts with these words,

we have a strong city.

We have a strong city.

Cities were so important in the days of Isaiah.

Indeed, throughout the Old Testament into the New Testament,

you see the importance of cities.

They were more than just a place to live or to work or to study

as we might think of today.

They were places of safety, of security.

They were places where people felt they could dwell

and dwell in that security to know that they were safe

from the outside enemies.

But no city was ever 100% secure.

There's always the fear that the enemy would attack

and bring devastation.

That devastation that we see in chapter 24 of Isaiah

that the Lord was showing was going to come.

And you think of these cities in the days of Isaiah,

their walls were thick, their doors were strong.

They tried to have as few doors as possible

so that there wasn't easy access into the city.

And everywhere was well guarded.

And secure.

They would have their towers where people would be on watch,

looking out to see if the enemy was coming.

And so the people had this sense of security in this city.

But Isaiah is warning that the city that they are putting

their trust in is not going to keep secure.

Battles are fought over cities.

They have been throughout all generations.

Here in the Old Testament, into the new to our present day,

you find that when there's conflicts going on,

cities or vantage points, high places,

they're always important and they're always fought over.

Isaiah writes as God's people are enjoying this peace and security,

but a battle is on the horizon.

And at the heart of this battle that's coming

is not just the enemy that's around them,

but the enemy within them.

You see, their hearts have gone cold towards the Lord.

They've forgotten the Lord.

They have been disobedient to the Lord.

They've forgotten all his goodness to them,

and they've just started doing their own thing,

turning to their own ways.

And that's what this song is about.

It's got warning in it,

but it's also got reminders in it as well.

That as the battle is on the horizon,

as the enemy is about to attack,

that they can look to God

and see with him that he has a city for his people,

a city where they will dwell secure.

We have a strong city, he says there.

He sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.

So there is a city of God,

a place of refuge.

And what a song that is to sing

in the midst of the enemy attacking,

that they have the Lord on their side.

But it's a question to us today,

do we have the Lord in that sense?

Do we look for just the here and now

and the cities or the towns or the villages

that we live in and have our sense of peace

and that all is well?

Is that the way that we are living our lives just now?

Are we thinking about the future?

Are we thinking about eternity?

Are we thinking where we will dwell secure forever?

Or is that just something for way down the road

or for not at all?

Well, God gives his people a city to look forward to.

A city that will be a secure place for his people

for all eternity.

So no matter what this world brings to us,

that we have a place to look forward to.

A place described in Revelation 21,

where John sees this vision of a city.

He says there in verse 10,

he carried me away in the spirit to a great high mountain

and showed me the holy city Jerusalem

coming down out of heaven from God,

having the glory of God,

its radiance like a most rare jewel,

like a jasper clear as crystal.

It had a great high wall and with 12 gates.

So John there in Revelation is looking to the city

that God has promised for his people.

The same city that Abraham, by faith,

was able to look to as well.

In Hebrews 11, verse 9,

Hebrews 11:9

it speaks about Abraham there.

By faith, he went to live in the land of promise,

as in a foreign land,

living in tents with Isaac and Jacob,

heirs with him to the same promise.

For he was looking forward to the city

that has foundations,

whose designer and builder is God.

God is preparing a city for his people.

So we won't just live with our minds

on this world and this place

and the fulfillment that we seek in this life,

but instead that we will think of God

who has prepared a place for his people.

A battle has been fought for us

that we maybe even don't realize

that the Lord Jesus came into this world

to go to battle,

to go to war for his people,

that they might dwell secure

in a city of salvation forever.

Do you realize what this city means?

In this world, in this day,

we sing our songs,

and so many do sing their songs

of enjoyment and fulfillment,

but it's only temporary.

But here we have a song for the ages,

a song for the generations,

and a song for eternity,

a song of a city that is strong and secure,

and for God's people,

we have a strong city.

Whatever may come,

we will remain secure

if we are trusting in God.

We also see the second thing here,

it's a song of salvation.

We have a strong city.

He sets up salvation as walls

and bulwarks.

If you go through chapter 24 to 27 here,

salvation is what ties it all together.

When you see the devastation of chapter 24,

even in the midst of that,

as we saw in verse 12,

where it speaks about desolation

is left in the city,

you jump forward to verse 14,

and it speaks of the joy of song.

They lift up their voices,

they sing for joy

over the majesty of the Lord.

They shout from the west.

Therefore, in the east,

give up glory to the Lord.

And so it goes on.

In the midst of devastation,

there's still singing,

there's still song.

And what is the song?

It's the song of salvation in the Lord.

This chapter,

and you see it too in chapter 27 there,

it begins with these words,

in that day.

So it's looking to a point

where God is going to act.

And sometimes it's talking about God

acting in the now,

and sometimes it's talking about God

acting finally in the day of judgment.

But at all these points,

we see that God is acting.

God is doing something for his people.

If you look at how it's in verse,

chapter 25, verse 9 there,

it speaks about,

it'll be said on that day,

behold, this is our God.

We have waited for him

that he might save us.

This is the Lord.

We have waited for him.

Let us be glad and rejoice

in his salvation.

So all throughout,

the fact that judgment is coming

is the hope of salvation.

that there is this joy,

that there is this singing

and song of salvation

that the people of God have

when they trust in him.

We have this song, he says,

and salvation is at the heart of it.

And we see here,

God is working.

And that this salvation comes

from relationship with him.

In verse 3 in chapter 26,

you keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you

because he trusts in you.

There is this relationship.

There is this joy in knowing

the Lord as our refuge,

as our strength in time of trouble.

Salvation comes from knowing God.

And salvation comes through faith

in Jesus Christ.

And we set our mind on him.

And when you think of the battle

that Jesus has won for his people,

when he was taken outside of the city,

outside of Jerusalem,

onto a hill at Calvary,

and there he fought a battle

that we could never fight ourselves.

There he gave his life

that we might have salvation in him.

We read that in Hebrews 13, verse 12.

Hebrews 13:12

And so Jesus also suffered,

it says, outside the city gate

to make the people holy

through his own blood.

He went outside of the city.

He went to face the enemy for us

that we might have salvation

through him.

There was an army chaplain

during the First World War.

He was called John Esselmunt Adams.

He was 49 years old

when the war broke out.

And he'd been a minister in Scotland.

And within a month or two

of the war starting,

he found himself

at the front line of battle

in the trenches

alongside the other troops.

And there he spoke

about the reality of war

and how people would see

their own eternity

there before them,

of how many were lost

in a moment,

in a blink.

And he spoke about it

in this way of seeing,

fighting men.

He spoke,

multitudes have had

their faith deepened

and multitudes have learned

as never before

the need and the value

of faith in God.

When the reality was right

in front of them

of their eternity,

their need of God

was made so much clearer.

And for us,

we've maybe lost

that perspective

of eternity

and eternity

being before us.

But we're reminded

again and again

and again

of how eternity

is within a blink.

The tragedies

that we see happening

all around us.

Famous people,

we've seen it

with a footballer,

two footballers,

two brothers,

Diego and Andre

died in a tragic car accident.

The devastation

that that brings,

eternity in a moment.

We saw it in the last week

with the devastating floods

in Texas.

How just in a moment

so suddenly

eternity is there

before our eyes.

and we seem

to think

that we're living

in peace.

But none of us

know

what is ahead

of us

and how in a moment,

in a blink,

eternity is there.

But do we have

this song

of salvation?

John Esselstyn

Adams,

he spoke about

where these men

found their hope

in the time of need.

he said

the most read book

was the New Testament.

And he said

one man,

a machine gun officer,

he writes to say

he never read

so much of it

at home,

but that it's the only book

he can settle

to read

as he sits

through the long nights

in the trenches

beside his gun.

He found his hope

in the gospel,

in the word

of God.

And here is the word

of God

before us today.

The word of God

that gives us

a song

of salvation

to sing.

Salvation

that has come

at a great price

because the Lord Jesus

gave

his life

so that we might

have

eternal life.

Eternity

is before

us all.

But are we singing

the song

of salvation?

Are we trusting

in the Lord

with all our hearts?

You keep him

in perfect peace

whose mind

is stayed on you

because he trusts

in you.

Do you have

that peace?

Are you trusting

in the Lord?

Well,

it's a song

of remembrance

finally we see

here as well.

Song of a city,

a song

of salvation

and a song

of remembrance.

In verse 4

there we are told,

Trust in the Lord

forever

for the Lord

is an everlasting

rock.

And then in verse 8

and 9,

In the path

of your judgments,

O Lord,

we wait for you.

Your name

and remembrance

are the desire

of our soul.

My soul

yearns for you

in the night.

My spirit

within me

earnestly

seeks you.

And so we see

here it's a call

to remembrance.

To remember

the Lord

today.

To remember

the Lord

as we have

opportunity.

To yearn

for him.

To trust

in the Lord

forever.

Peace

is something

we speak of

and pray for

often.

and yet

in this world

that's full of sin

it's always

only temporary.

Wars

and conflicts

and suffering

goes on

generation

after generation.

And so

it will be.

Because the word

of God

tells us

there will be

wars

and rumors

of war

until the

coming

of the Lord.

Lord.

But are we

learning

anything

in the midst

of it?

Are we

learning

anything

for our

own soul

even today?

Do we

have

that peace?

Do we

have this

song

that we

can call

to remembrance?

A song

that gives

us hope

in the midst

of all

the different

things

that we

experience

in life?

When you

hear a song

being played

that you're

familiar with

very often

it will

take you

back to

a moment

or a time

in your

life

to an

experience.

It might

be a day

in your

life.

It might

be a

portion

in your

life.

But a

song can

often take

us back

to remember

different

things,

to remember

different

times,

places,

and people.

But this

song,

it always

takes us

back to

think of

God.

The song

of a

city.

We have

a strong

city,

a city

of salvation,

a city

that we

are to

remember

every day

that we

have a

hope in

the Lord.

So as we

go on

trusting in

the Lord,

we call

to mind

his goodness,

his mercy

that follows

us all

the days.

And the

question could

be asked

as we

call these

things to

mind,

how do

we get

in to

this city?

How do

we find

this place

of refuge,

this place

of rest?

We can

be used

to coming

and going

from cities

as we

please.

We can

drive into

cities from

all different

directions.

We arrive

by planes,

trains,

cars,

all sorts

of ways.

But in

the days of

Isaiah,

to find your

way into

a city,

it was

more

complicated.

You had

to find

that gate

that let

you in.

You had

to pass

through a

gate that

had to

be opened

for you.

You had

to be

let in.

Well,

here it

speaks about

getting

into this

city.

Call to

remembrance

your name

and the

desire of

our soul

is to

see you.

But when

we think

of getting

into this

city,

we have

to think

about,

well,

what is

the way

in?

Well,

the way

in is

through

faith.

You think

about going

in to

a football

match or

a stadium

for a

concert.

How do

you get

in?

You go

through a

turnstile.

You go

through a

narrow

axis.

And you

have to

give your

ticket or

scan your

code or

whatever it

is, but

there has

to be a

way where

you gain

access in.

You can't

just appear

and go

through the

gate without

any ID or

any access,

any ticket.

You won't

get in.

Well,

the way

in to

this city,

the way

into this

place that

God is

speaking about

here is

by faith.

By faith

in the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

It's the

only way

to get

in.

By

trusting

in him.

to gain

access is

to believe.

And to

believe in

the only

one who

is able

to save.

We have

to fix

our mind

on him.

Keep

your mind

on the

Lord Jesus.

Trust in

him.

Trust in

the Lord

forever.

For the

Lord God

is an

everlasting

rock.

He is a

place of

security.

An

eternal

place.

He has

access to

this city.

He is the

access to

this salvation.

And we are

to call to

mind and

remember all

that the

Lord has

done.

In verse

12, it

speaks of

there, O

Lord, you

will ordain

peace for

us.

You have

done for

us all

our works.

He has

done

everything

for us.

Are we

singing

this song

of salvation?

In our

week, when

we will

hear many

songs being

sung, many

that we may

be familiar

with and

sing along

with ourselves,

may we

remember

this song

of a

city,

this song

of salvation,

this song

to remember

what the

Lord has

done for

his people.

let us

trust in

him.

Let us

pray.

Lord, our

gracious

God, we

do thank

you that

you give

that joy

of song

in our

hearts and

that song

that is

able to

express the

hope that

we have

in you.

In a

city you

have prepared

for your

people, a

place of

peace and

rest for

all who

put their

trust in

you.

And we

do pray,

Lord, that

your blessing

would help

us to call

these things

through

remembrance

in all

the days

ahead, that

you would

guide us

by your

spirit, guide

us by your

truth, by

your word, to

be able to

look and fix

our hearts and

our souls, our

minds on our

Lord Jesus

Christ and to

follow him the

way to perfect

peace.

Hear our

prayers and

continue with

us.

That's all we

ask.

We ask in

his precious

name.

Amen.

Amen.

We're going

to conclude

by singing

to God's

praise in

Psalm 48a,

the Sing

Psalms version.

Find this

on page

63.

Psalm 48a

will sing

from

verse 9

down to

the end

of the

psalm.

We

contemplate

your

steadfast

love within

your house,

O God, for

like your

name, your

praise extends

through all

the earth

abroad.

All that

you do is

righteous,

Lord, Mount

Sion's joy is

great, and

Judah's towns

rejoice as

they your

judgment

celebrate.

And then

you have

these words

in verse

12,

round Sion

walk and

count our

towers, view

every citadel.

Speaking

there about

that city

of peace

and protection,

and then

it goes on

to say,

so that

to children

yet unborn

her story

you may

tell.

It's a

song that

is to be

shared and

remembered

for all

generations.

We'll sing

from verse

9, the

tune is

Morvan,

9 to

14, we

stand to

sing to

God's

praise.

Amen.

We

contemplate

praise.

Let your

steadfast love

within you

house, O God.

For like your name,

your praise extends

through all the earth abroad.

All that you do is righteous, Lord,

Mount Zion's joy is great,

and Judah's times rejoice

as they your judgments celebrate.

Round Zion walk and countertiles

view every citadel,

so that to children yet unborn

a story you may tell.

For God the Lord, who is our God,

forever will abide,

he is our God forevermore,

and to the end our guide.

We'll close with a benediction,

and after the benediction,

I'll go to the door to my left.

Now may grace, mercy, and peace

from God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

rest upon and abide with you all

now and forevermore.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.