Minds Which are Stayed on Christ

Isaiah 26:1-4 ESV

 

“In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

 

“We have a strong city;

    he sets up salvation

    as walls and bulwarks.

Open the gates,

    that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.

You keep him in perfect peace

    whose mind is stayed on you,

    because he trusts in you.

Trust in the Lord forever,

    for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”

 

The strong city is the church, the body of Christ. Not the institutional church, though. Not of man but of God. Not a building, not a church denomination, and not a corporation under the state, although that is what is now called “the church.” But we who believe in Jesus Christ with genuine God-given faith are the church. And there is only One Church, the body of Christ, although she is all across the world, though probably not in every place yet.

 

So, the church is not a building or a location you go to. We the people of God are his church. And the only membership into this church is through genuine faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of your life, whereby you are crucified with Christ in death to sin and you are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. And you need no additional membership.

 

So, literally, to invite someone “to church” is an invitation for them to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. So you are sharing with them the gospel of our salvation in hopes that they will believe in Jesus, and that they will die with him to sin that they might live to him and to his righteousness. For you can only be part of our Lord’s church through genuine faith in Jesus Christ, and not through any other means.

 

Now this church has no physical walls because it is not a physical building. It is not built with brick and mortar but with human lives. We are its living stones, and Jesus is our cornerstone. So throw out those images you have of “church” as a building with a steeple on top. That is not the church! And the walls in this spiritual building is our salvation from sin. Our salvation is our protection against all enemy attacks.

 

So the door into this church is also not a physical door. Jesus Christ is THE DOOR into this church (John 10:1-15). He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6). And no one can come to genuine faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws us to Christ (John 6:44), i.e. unless he first persuades us as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with Christ to sin (to repent) and to walk in obedience his commands (New Covenant).

 

But then we must be crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him to enter into the kingdom of heaven. But this is not a one-time event in our lives, then we live, and then we die, and then we go to heaven. It is those who keep faith who enter in. It is those who are daily dying to sin and to self and who are walking in obedience to his commands, and who remain steadfast in faith unto the end who are of genuine faith and who enter into the kingdom of heaven.

 

And when this describes our relationship with Jesus Christ we know we are of genuine faith. And those of genuine faith in Jesus Christ are those who have their minds now set on Christ and on his righteousness and on obedience to his commands. Their minds are no longer set (determined) in the ways of this sinful world. Their minds are on Christ and not on the sinful pleasures of the flesh, and their desire is for Christ.

 

And when our minds are truly set on Christ and on walks of obedience to him, he will keep us in perfect peace, even if the world is crashing all around us. For we can have this perfect peace because we know that we are in the center of God’s will, doing what he says for us to do, and we are not deliberately and habitually sinning against him. We want to obey him. We want to do what pleases him because we love him.

 

So, to put your trust in the Lord is not about some words you say or some profession of faith you make. And it is not a one-time thing that takes place in our lives. It means our lives are surrendered to Jesus Christ to obeying him in all that he calls us to do. Daily we are dying with him to sin and living to him and to his righteousness. We are following him daily wherever he leads us in doing and in saying whatever he commands. And therein lies true peace like no other peace you will ever know.

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

My Task

 

Songwriters: M.l. Ray / S.h. Pickup / E.l. Ashford

 

To love someone more dearly ev'ry day

To help a wand'ring child to find his way

To ponder o'er a noble tho't and pray

And smile when evening falls

And smile when evening falls

This is my task

 

To follow truth as blind men long for light

To do my best from dawn of day till night

To keep my heart fit for His holy sight

And answer when He calls

And answer when He calls

This is my task

 

And then my Savior by and by to meet

When faith hath made her task on earth complete

And lay my trophies at the Master's feet

Within the jasper walls

Within the jasper walls

This crowns my task

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy855siWk3I

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