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Synopsis of Sermon 7.14.24

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 

Isaiah 26:1-3 
In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks. ²Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. ³ You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

I.                INTRODUCTION

1. One of the things that is so essential in a Christian’s life is consistency. This is the key to success. This also happens to be one of our challenges too. We vacillate between being on fire for our assignment and being too tired to do our assignment.
2. When you understand consistency, you know it is a transferable trait. What makes us who we are as children of God, is we are who we are regardless as to what is going on around us.
3. The challenge today is, how do we maintain consistency in an imperfect situation?
4. When you read Isaiah chapters 24-27, you will see that it is about the Isaiah Apocalypse. In these days, it was prophesied about good over evil.
   1. What has occurred here is the same Israel that came out of Egypt, eventually split. It’s when the kingdoms were divided. Israel went one way, but Judah went another way.
   1. Isiah prophesied to them in the midst of their division. He began to share with them about perfect peace.
   1. Assyrian threat- They have the threat of being taken over by the Assyrians.
      1. Divine judgement and hope – On one hand, it looks like God is about to punish them, and then on the other hand, God is going to bless them.
      1. Political turmoil – Two world forces are trying to take over the world. Will it be Egypt or Assyrian?
      1. Spiritual decline – They have gotten into a pit and as a result, some of them have gone back into idolatry.
5. God will keep you in perfect peace – This means that God will sustain you in mature peace.

II.               THERE IS A REASON FOR THE SONG OF PRAISE

• Their songs pointed to their faith. They weren’t just songs.

A.    Our Song Points To Past Victories 

1. It is an indication that we have not forgotten what God has done for us in the past. As a result, we show up giving God glory.

B.    Our Song Is A Preemptive Praise 

1. Preemptive means praising in advance of the victory. The enemy looks at me, because I am celebrating before we even run the race.
2. We know what ever situation we are in, we know God has already done it before.
3. When you began to reflect on what God has done in your life, you don’t need any pumping or priming to praise the Lord!

III.               ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT YOUR STRENGTH MUST BE PROCLAIMED

• Know who you are.
• Isiah tells them that they are a fortified city. God is their defender!
• God has given them spiritual walls. It might look like you are surrounded by the enemy, when you are actually being surrounded by God.

A.    Give Yourself Credit For What You’ve Survived 

1. You’ve survived being broke, being sick, being jobless, and yet you are still here. Sometimes you just got to thank God that you are a survivor!

B.    You Define Your Reality 

1. Don’t let other people do this. You define your own reality otherwise; the enemy will do it for you.
   1. Remember when Joshua sent out the spies to spy on the Promised Land, and they came back saying that the inhabitants of the land where there were giants and they looked like grasshoppers compared to the giants?
   1. Notice, the giants didn’t call them grasshoppers, they called themselves grasshoppers. If you don’t know who you are, you will let the enemy tell you who you are.
2. You are a strong city. You are fearful and wonderfully made. You are the head and not the tail. You are a royal priesthood and chosen a generation.

IV.                THE RIGHTEOUS ARE SURROUNDED BY HIS PROTECTION

A.    God Has You Covered On All Sides 

1. When you understand you are a strong city, you know that you are surrounded by his protection.
2. God has placed this protective wall around you and you didn’t even realize it.
3. Story: We love cars and how much technology has evolved throughout the years. One feature that has really been great for us is the 360 view. It is able to show you the car from the top down. This way you can see around the whole car on all sides. The thing that makes this great is, you can see in all of your blind spots.
   1. In like manner, God says He’s got you covered on all sides! He can help you navigate the blind spots!

B.    Access Is Only Granted To The Righteous 

1. God will show you who has access.
2. God’s protection is not only in what He does, but also who he keeps from you.
3. It is important who gets in?
   1. The Right Morals – They need to believe like you do. If you love God, then they need to love God.
   1. The Right Motive – They’re not just trying to get next to you, just to use you.
   1. The Right Message – They speak the same. They speak God’s word like you do.
4. God will keep you in perfect peace who’s mind is stayed on Him!
5. The only enemy you got is between your ears. It’s your mind!

V.                YOU CAN REJOICE BECAUSE HE SUSTAINS OUR PEACE

A.    Through It All God Has Kept Me 

1. Against every attack, God has sustained you. When you think of all that could have taken you out, you have to realize God kept you.
2. God showed us who we were. He reminded us of our destiny.

B.    I’m Focused On Destiny And Not Distractions 

1. In imperfect situations, it is easy to get distractions. The enemy is trying to make you think it is normal to be in a fear-based relationship. He has inverted the goodness of God to make you think something might happen. In other words, If something is going well, you fear something is going to happen. You think it is too good to be true.
2. You worked too hard to get to a good season. You need to enjoy it! Don’t just wait for something bad to happen.
3. This fear becomes your distraction. You start doubting what God can do. There comes a moment where you got to trust what God can do. What ever you’re going through, know that this isn’t God’s first rodeo.
4. If God said he was going to heal you, it may take a while, but it’s coming.
5. You have to keep your mind on Him. Mature peace comes when your mind is stayed on God.
6. Story— There was a woman on the flight that abruptly closed her shade on the plane. It was during a time that they were experiencing turbulence. When asked why she did so, she said that she had a better experience flying, not being able to see what was going on outside.
   1. Later they noticed that this woman was staring at the Flight Attendant. When they asked why she was doing this, she told them that she knew enough to know to watch the actions of the Flight Attendant. As long as she was calm, she knew everything would be alright. If the Flight Attendant was worried, she knew she should be worried.
   1. We need to do the same as she did. When situations come, keep your eyes on the Lord!!