WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON THEE

 

Isaiah 26:3-4

3 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:

My subject tonight is, Whose Mind is Stayed on Thee!

One of the most challenging things we face in life is sticking to a decision.

Most of us know that when you make a decision, you have to live with it.

·        We all make hundreds of decisions every day.

·        And we all change our minds dozens of times a day.

·        It takes a lot of discipline to stick to a decision.

I have a sister-in-law who has become notorious for changing her mind.

A couple of weeks ago she was supposed to meet us at family camp on a Wed. night….but she changed her mind and said she would come Thursday.

·        On Thursday, my wife called her…she had changed her mind and said she wasn't coming.

·        On Friday, we got a call from her….my wife said, I am not answering that she is going to change her mind again.

·        Needless to say, she had changed her mind, and came on Friday.

So on Friday night we ate at Steak and Shake with her…. she couldn't figure out what kind of Milk Shake she wanted.

·        She put her order in, and then called the waitress back three or four times.

·        Heath, Caramel, and then finally it was Mint Cookies and Cream.

·        The waitress had to be thinking…this is one crazy lady….why can't she just make up her mind.

Sometimes it gets embarrassing eating out with her.

That is kind of humorous today…but imagine with me how God feels when we can't make up our minds about Him and His Word!

All of us have waffled on some decisions we have made before God.

·        It is really tough to stick to a decision!

·        Commitment is a hard thing.

·        It has been that way since the beginning of time.

·        Anyone who has been on a diet or a fast knows how tough it is.

Yet, inside of each of us there is a stubborn streak where nobody in the world could get us to change our minds about certain things.

Wouldn't it be a good thing if we got stubborn about God in a positive way?

·        God, I am going to serve you no matter what.

·        I am not going to give up.

·        I am not going to  compromise.

·        There is nothing that will cause me to turn away…no person…no money…no relationship.

In our text, the Prophet said…

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:

 

I want to read the account from the Message Bible tonight….

 

Isa 26:3-4

3 People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don't quit.

4 Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.

·        There is power in discipline.

·        There is power in determination.

·        There is power in a made up mind!

That is why Jesus said…

Rev 3:15-16

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

God actually spews out those people who can't make up their minds.

That is why all of heaven celebrates over one person who repents. Repentance is simply making up your mind to serve God!

·        You have to make up your own mind…nobody else can do it for you.

·        It has to be your decision.

·        Mom and Dad can't do it for you.

·        You have to make your own decisions.

Everybody has to reach that point in serving God…..

And the battle will be so much easier if your mind is stayed on God!

He will give you perfect peace!

·        If you trust Him.

·        If you love Him.

·        If you obey Him.

·        If you serve Him with all of your heart.

This walk with God is primarily an act of the will! It is a choice.

Joshua said….

Josh 24:15

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

·        Every day you wake up….you are presented with a choice!

·        Every day you go to work….you are presented with a choice!

·        Even when you come to church…you are presented with a choice!

o   I don't feel like praying today….but I am going to do it anyway!

o   I don't feel like going to church today…but I am going anyhow!

o   I don't feel like worshipping today…but I am going to worship anyhow!

C'mon, you may not feel like it…but the battle is all in the mind tonight!

·        Jesus responds to a made up mind!

·        I am going to serve Him.

·        I am going to obey Him!

·        I am going to praise Him.

It doesn't matter what it's gonna cost me…my mind is made up!

I wonder if there is anybody in this place whose mind is stayed on Jesus tonight?

Do you know what God loves about a made up mind?

A made up mind does not compromise! (repeat)

Moses took a while to make up his mind, but once he did, he was all in.

·        Nobody was going to sidetrack him.

·        Nobody was going to deter him.

That is why God was with Him…Moses had opportunity to compromise…but he didn't!

·        There is a peace that God gives you when your mind is totally committed to Him.

·        There is comfort and strength that comes with that.

·        And nothing in this life can replace that.

After God called Moses at the burning bush, Moses made a decision to obey God at any cost.

I draw your attention to….

 

Exodus 8:25-27

25 And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.

26 And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?

27 We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he shall command us.

In this account, God had previously instructed Moses to take Israel three days into the wilderness and offer sacrifices to Him.

But the Pharaoh did not want to let Israel go!

·        So God started sending plagues.

·        Things were getting real nasty in Egypt.

·        And the Pharaoh was very upset.

Though the Pharaoh would not let Israel go, he finally relented and said, "you can sacrifice to your God in Egypt."

Remember the command from God was…"go three days journey into the wilderness and offer sacrifices."

Pharaoh was offering Moses a compromise!

·        Finally after four hundred years they were seeing some progress.

·        Finally, this leader of Egypt was agreeing to let them worship God.

·        This had to be an encouraging sign to the people of Israel.

But not to Moses!

To somebody else, it may have made sense. Why not sacrifice here in Egypt?

·        But Moses refused to compromise!

·        Moses said no, we will not sacrifice in the land of Egypt.

·        Our mind is made up!

·        We are going to do what the Lord commands us to do!

The Bible states that this story was written for our example….so for the remainder of this message remember that Egypt represents sin and Israel represents the church.

With that in mind we can see that….

·        The church cannot stay in sin and live for God at the same time.

·        We have to make up our minds that we are going to serve God and walk away from sin!

·        We have to get out of Egypt!

Listen to the next verse…..

Exodus 8:28

28 And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me.

29 And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee,

Pharaoh offers Moses another compromise…..he gives in a little more.

·        "OK Moses, you can go sacrifice in the wilderness, but don't go very far….stay close to Egypt."

·        I can't let you go three days out.

·        But you can go a little ways out in the wilderness….as long as I can still see you.

Isn't that just like the Devil….give in a little bit here…and a little bit there….

·        I don't mind if you go to church….just don't get in that water over there.

·        I don't mind if you believe in God….just don't do everything the book says!

·        I don't mind if you go to Bible study….just don't believe in that Jesus Name stuff.

You see the Pharaoh was making some concessions…to someone else it would have seemed like a good thing…..but Moses understood that it wasn't enough to satisfy God!

·        They would still be right next to Egypt.

·        They wouldn't be hot, they wouldn't be cold….they would be lukewarm.

·        And God spews out the lukewarm.

·        Sin would be right there at their doorstep.

It is interesting that three days journey would put them about 60 to 70 miles from Egypt.

·        You can see a large city even if it is fifty miles away.

·        But three days journey would put them just out of sight of the city.

·        They would be just out of sight of those great pyramids.

Two days journey wasn't far enough for God.

·        God wanted Egypt out of their sight….out of sight….out of mind!

·        He wanted them as far away from sin as they could get.

·        God didn't want them to be tempted by Egypt.

·        God didn't want them looking back.

Luke 9:62

62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

 

Let me just say this…when you truly make up your mind to serve God, you will put some distance between you and sin.

·        We have to be careful not to get too close to Egypt!

·        We have to be careful about allowing our worship, and our sacrifice, and our praise to get intermingled with Egypt!

·        It won't be long before the lines of separation and demarcation start to get blurry.

·        It won't be long before you start allowing some things from Egypt into your walk with Christ.

And all the while the cry from heaven is sounding…. "Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord!"

You see the Pharaoh won't let Israel go three days journey into the wilderness…but he will let them go two days….sounds good.

·        But it wasn't what God had commanded.

·        And Moses had a made up mind to obey God!

All it takes is somebody with some spiritual discipline like Moses who says….

·        Pharaoh, I don't want to talk any longer.

·        I have nothing more to say to you.

·        This is not a peace talk.

·        I don't negotiate with terrorists.

·        And I am serving you notice today….we are leaving Egypt behind.

·        If you get in the way, you are going to have to deal with my superior!

I am here to tell somebody tonight…don't get too close to sin.

Don't let Satan negotiate with you.

Don't even let him talk to you.

It takes a made up mind!

If you make up your mind…God will take care of the rest!

Is there anybody whose mind is stayed on Jesus tonight?

As the plagues continue we can see the Pharaoh making more and more concessions to Israel…

Exodus 10:8-11

8 And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the Lord your God: but who are they that shall go?

9 And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the Lord.

10 And he said unto them, Let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.

11 Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

Now Pharaoh is going to let them go three days journey and sacrifice, but he is only going to let the men go!

This compromise would require the men returning to Egypt for their loved ones!

·        But Moses wasn't willing to leave them behind!

·        His mind was made up!

·        The only way we are leaving is with our sons and our daughters, our young and our old.

His mind was stayed on God! He was trusting in God!

·        Don't leave your loved ones behind.

·        Keep holding on to them.

·        Lead them into salvation…keep praying for them….and believe that God has done it.

·        See them saved!

Call those things that are not as though they are!

The plague of locust comes, and Pharaoh concedes again, Listen….

 

Exodus 10:24

24 And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you.

Okay Moses, take your loved ones with you…but leave your cattle behind….leave your possessions behind.

The Pharaoh knew that if their treasure was still in Egypt…their heart would be there too….for where your treasure is there will your heart be also!

·        If Moses agrees to this concession….he would be stating to God, "God I am willing to worship you, but when I am done worshipping, I have to go back to Egypt and get my stuff!"

·        It would be equivalent to us stating, "God I am willing to worship you on Sunday, but when I am done here I am going to live the way I want to live the rest of the week."

But Moses does not agree to this concession.

Listen to what he says…I love this….I love how he says this…

Exodus 10:25-26

25 And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God.

26 Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither.

Pharaoh, we are going three days into the wilderness, we are taking everybody, our children, our elders…we are taking everything, all of our belongings, all of our stuff and all of our cattle and there will not be even one hoof left behind!

Do you know what a hoof is? It is the hard surface that covers their toes. I would compare it to our toe nails.

"Listen Pharaoh, before we leave, I am going to clip my toe nails…and I am not going to leave one toe nail clipping behind…everything, and I mean everything is going with us."

·        It is interesting to point out that it was the animals with hooves that were to be the sacrifices.

·        Israel wasn't sacrificing raccoons and rabbits.

·        The sacrifices were going to be the cattle, the sheep, the oxen…the animals with hooves.

 If they had left behind the animals with hooves, what would they have sacrificed to God….the other animals were considered unclean, and would not have been accepted by God.

Had they left without the cattle, God would have asked for the very thing that they left behind.

·        You see, Moses was totally committed to God.

·        Moses brought everything that Israel had into the wilderness…just like God had commanded.

In closing, I want you to understand that we are living in a world of compromise.

Compromise is a good word in our generation.

·        You will feel pressured to compromise your values and your beliefs.

·        You will feel pressured to compromise on some of God's commandments.

·        There will be influential people who come into your life that will make it seem like the right thing to do.

But don't settle for anything less than what God has asked in His word!

God is asking for some things today!

God wants all of your heart!

·        We have to submit all of our ambitions and all of our possessions to God!

·        God may ask you to sacrifice some things on the altar.

·        God may ask you to use your talents serving Him.

·        God may ask you to use your passion serving Him.

He wants to know that you are willing to give it all to Him.

·        A made up mind.

·        A mind who is stayed on Jesus!

Not only did Israel win their freedom from Egypt, but they received payment from Egypt for four hundred years of labor.

Exodus 11:2-3

2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.

3 And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.

I want you to know this morning that when you totally make up your mind to serve God…

·        With No compromise.

·        No going back.

·        Bringing your best to Him

You will be set free and God will take care of everything else!

·        Your family.

·        Your possessions.

·        Your future!

Is your mind stayed on Jesus tonight? Come and lay some things on the altar!