Sermon #1478 Miscellaneous
Notes
Title: God’s Controversy With Our Nation
or
An
Earnest Call To Repentance
Text: Isaiah 1:1-20
Subject: The Terrorist Attack On
The
Date: Sunday Morning –
Tape # W-61a
Introduction:
Confession
As believing men and women, God’s saints readily
acknowledge our own sins and the sins of our nation in the face of such things
(Dan. 9:4-15).
"O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and
mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; We have
sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled,
even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: "Neither have
we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our
kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord,
righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at
this day; -- O
Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes,
and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belong
mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; Neither have we
obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before
us by his servants the prophets. Yea, all (we) have transgressed thy law, even
by departing, that (we) might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured
upon us, and the oath that is written in the
law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. And he
hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges
that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven
hath not been done as hath been done upon
We recognize the hand of God’s providence in these
things (Amos 3:6; Isa. 45:7). The terrorists, be they Muslims or the very
demons of hell, are but the servants of him who is the Sovereign of the
universe. Recognizing the absolute dominion of our God and heavenly Father and
the unerring wisdom of his good providence, we bow to him and worship him. With
Job of old, we understand that “The hand of the Lord hath wrought this, in whose hand is the soul of every
living thing and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:9-10). We are
first and foremost the people of God. Our first, primary concern is the
will and glory of our God. We must, above all things, seek to honor God.
Patriots
We are also Americans, citizens of that nation that
is the envy of the world. We are and ever shall be loyal patriots. This is,
indeed, a blessed nation. With all our diversity, we a people united in the
cause of liberty. Let us take great care, in these troublesome times, to
promote the patriotic oneness of this great nation for which multitudes have
laid down their lives, doing nothing to divide American from American.
God’s saints ought to be the best, most loyal citizens of
any society in which providence has placed them. As such, let us now
(as we always should) pray for our Divinely appointed
President, Vice President and national leaders. President Bush and those under
his direction have a heavy, heavy load to carry. May God graciously grant them
the wisdom and skill needed to direct the civil affairs of our nation with
courage and resolve, “That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all
godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable
in the sight of God our Savior.”
Divine
Judgment
The one question upon the
minds of all who have witnessed the atrocities performed against our nation is
this: -- Why? The
answer to that question is found in Jeremiah 22:7-9. Hear the word of God
himself. It is a word often repeated in the Book of God (Deut. 29:24-29; 1
Kings 8:7-9).
(Jeremiah 22:7-9) "And I
will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they
shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. (8) And
many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his
neighbour, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this
great city? (9) Then they shall answer, Because
they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other
gods, and served them."
Knowing that the events of providence are not accidents, things
that come to pass by random chance, or blind fate, knowing that God’s creation
is never out of control, we who believe God understand that what we have
experienced these past two weeks are clear, evident manifestations of divine
judgment[1].
I realize that, like Jeremiah of old, I am flying in the teeth of all the
prophets of deceit in our day.
All that is required to see how fully we deserve God’s wrath is
to behold how the nation, as a whole, has responded to these tragic events.
Early Friday morning, as I watched the news, I heard Tom Brokaw
make this statement, -- “All Americans today are turning to their god, whatever
their god may happen to be.” Like many of you, I watched the official State
prayer meeting at the National Cathedral in
Here is a quote from Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon:
"Those of us who are gathered here--Muslim, Jew, Christian, Sikh,
Buddhist, Hindu--all people of faith...." Leading
the meeting were Episcopalians, a Roman Catholic Cardinal, Methodists, a Muslim
cleric, and Billy Graham. The Methodist preacher from
The United States of America is a nation under the
judgment of God. I have been telling you this for years. Do not think I
am unpatriotic for telling you the truth. I am prepared to die in defense of
this nation. My blood runs red. But I am here to speak to you in the name of
God, as his messenger. I dare not speak peace when God has spoken wrath.
We have become a nation of idolaters as the events
of the past two weeks have demonstrated. The whole nation is running after
other gods: Mary and the saints, Allah and Buddha, and bowing before images,
statues, icons, and priests.
·
We have rejected the Gospel of Christ.
·
We have violated every law of God, not only as individuals, but as a
nation.
·
In the name of religious freedom, in the name of God, we have:
legalized abortion and homosexuality.
·
Our politicians pander to envy and covetousness.
·
And we, as a nation, promote every form of moral decadence imaginable.
·
The religious leaders of the nation are idolaters. In order to serve as
a chaplain in any public organization (Military, Congressional, or Hospital or
Prison), idolatry is a required prerequisite.
Call
to Repentance
This message is a call to
repentance. If we are not humbled before God; if we do not believe the Gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ, who saved his people from their sins; if we harden
our hearts, God will not be merciful; his judgment will continue. The present
surge of spirituality is but the continued hardening our hearts, a continued
rejection of the truth of the Gospel, a continued to wallowing in our religious
filth and idolatry. Yet God is merciful. He will be merciful to those who turn
to him in faith, trusting Christ (2 Chron.
(2 Chronicles 7:14) "If my
people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
I want you to turn with me to Isaiah chapter 1. The title of my
message is -- God’s Controversy With Our Nation. My text will be
Isaiah 1:1-20.
I realize that these words were originally spoken to
However, these things were not written in the book of God for
them alone. They were written for us. This is God’s Word. It lives and abides
forever.
Proposition: God has a just controversy
with man, a controversy that must be settled. It is a controversy that must be
settled; but the only one who can settle it is God himself.
I.
A TWOFOLD CONTROVERSY
God’s controversy with our nation is twofold. It is a moral controversy and a spiritual controversy. I mean by that that we have provoked his wrath and continually do so both by our corrupt lives and by our corrupt religion.
A. Isaiah prophesied in times
very much like our own (v. 1).
(verse 1)
"The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of
Judah."
Isaiah lived in days of
great affluence and prosperity and days of great moral decadence and idolatry.
In the midst of terrible moral and spiritual decay, God raised up this man,
Isaiah, to proclaim the coming of a better day, to proclaim the coming of
Christ the Messiah, the establishment of the kingdom of heaven by preaching of
the gospel, and coming of eternal glory by the grace of God.
In a day of idolatry, ignorance, and iniquity, the Prophet
Isaiah faithfully preached the word of God and called for men and women to come
to God in repentance, trusting the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who would
soon appear to accomplish redemption for his people. In fact, Isaiah’s very
name means “The Lord shall save.”
Verse 1 tells us that Isaiah’s
ministry spanned the reigns of four kings in
Each of
these four kings, by the providence of God, was used to accomplish eternal good
for God’s elect. And each of them provides important lessons for us.
1.
Uzziah reigned for fifty-two
years in
Uzziah, the King of Judah, had led his people in the
achievement of both economic and political stability. Under his rule,
Uzziah was a good king, a
powerful leader, and the kingdom prospered under his reign. Everything he did
prospered, until his heart was lifted up with pride. Uzziah died under the
curse of God, because he attempted to approach God without a mediator (2 Chron.
26:16-21).
2.
Jotham reigned for sixteen
years in Jerusalem.
Jotham was a devout man, a true believer, one who
worshipped God, and prepared his ways before the Lord. Though Uzziah did not
know the Lord, he was used of God to build his kingdom, and used of God to lead
his son in the way of faith (Ps. 76:10).
Only
eternity will tell how God has overruled and used the evil deeds of men to accomplish
his purpose of grace for his people.
3.
Ahaz was king in
He was a godless man, an idolater. He was a
pragmatist of the worst sort. Ahaz sought help from a pagan king to protect the
Yet, Ahaz,
with all his wickedness, idolatry, and unbelief did not hinder the
accomplishment of God’s purpose.
4.
And Hezekiah
reigned in
Hezekiah was a believer, a godly man. He restored
the worship of the Lord, reformed the priesthood, cleansed the temple, and led
a. Hezekiah shows us that the
effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Then
the Lord sent Hezekiah a message, telling him to set his house in order, he
must die. But Hezekiah prayed again, and the Lord added fifteen years to his
life (Isa. 38:1-6). There are some things to be learned from this prayer too.
b. If we are wise, when we
pray, we will seek not our own will but God’s will.
The Lord gave Hezekiah his way. He let him live
another fifteen years. But they were a sad, painful fifteen years.
·
His heart was lifted up with pride, and he showed the Babylonians all
his treasures.
·
He prepared the way for the Babylonian captivity.
·
And he fathered Manasseh, the most vile, cruel, wicked king the world
had ever seen.
c. Yet, again, in all this we
see the ever ruling hand of God in predestination and providence.
This too was used to accomplish God’s purpose of
grace toward his elect. After Manasseh came Josiah, from whom
came the Christ, the Son of David, our Redeemer (Rom.
B. God’s controversy with our
nation is first the fact that we are a sinful people who provoke him to anger
continually (vv. 2-6).
(verse 2)
"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have
nourished and brought up children (Acts
(verse 3)
"The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his
master's crib: but
(verse 4) "Ah
sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that
are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of
Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward."
(verse 5)
"Why should ye be stricken any more? (Why should I bother with you
anymore?) Ye will revolt more and more: the whole head (reason, logic,
judgment) is sick, and the whole heart (affections, emotions, feelings)
faint."
(verse 6)
"From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness
in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been
closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."
1.
As sin brought God’s
judgment upon
(verse 7)
"Your country is desolate, your cities are
burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it
is desolate, as overthrown by strangers."
(verse 8)
"And the daughter of
Temporal judgments are
forewarnings of eternal judgment. And eternal judgment is the just reward of
our sin (Rom.
This is God’s controversy with our nation. He is
holy. We are sin. Our sin is natural, and willful, and universal, and
inexcusable. Our every breath provokes God to anger. We deserve to die. We must
die. Our sin must and will be punished! But, I do have good news for sinners.
There is hope for men, even for such sinners as we are.
2. In
verse 9, Isaiah declares that even in
this land of utter moral decadence there is yet, as always, a remnant according
to the election of grace.
(verse 9)
"Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should
have been as
Thank God, there is a remnant according to the election of grace
who shall be saved (Rom. 11:5;
Election shuts the door of mercy against no one. Election opens
the door to many. Were it not for God’s election of some from eternity, we
would all have perished like
But God has another far greater controversy with our
nation. In fact the moral decadence of our society must be traced to
and blamed on this greater controversy with us, which is described in verses
10-15.
C. God’s first controversy with
our nation is our moral decadence, but the second, even greater controversy is
the fact that we have as a nation perverted the worship of God into base
idolatry.
I cannot stress this point
enough. I keep hammering away at this thing, hoping that someone will hear me
and pay attention. God almighty holds the religion of this world, legal, free
will, self-righteous, works religion, in utter, absolute contempt!
·
Remember, these people were Jews, the lineal descendants of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob.
·
They were orthodox in their creed, but not in their hearts - their
creed, to put it in modern terms, was thoroughly Calvinistic. But their hearts
were thoroughly Arminian.
·
Their outward form of religion was precisely as God had ordained it -
They came to the place God had appointed, with the sacrifices God had
appointed, at the time God had appointed. But there was one fatal mistake.
These men and women vainly and foolishly imagined that their religious
devotion, ceremonies, sacrifices, prayers, and sabbath
keeping were meritorious with God. They did not say so in word. But they
inwardly entertained the hope that God would accept them because of what they
did. They built the confidence upon the works of their own hands! And for that
God was angry. God refused to hear their prayers, receive their sacrifices, or
accept their services.
(verse 10) "Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of
1.
They brought sacrifices to
God and burned them upon the altar; but they trusted the sacrifices they
brought to God rather than Christ, the Lamb of God, whom those sacrifices were
meant to represent (v.
11).
(verse 11)
"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams,
and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of
lambs, or of he goats."
Illustration: The Lambs -- Christ (John
The Altar -- Christ (Heb.
The Mercy Seat -- Christ
(Rom.
Because they trusted their own works and refused to trust the
blood and righteousness of Christ, God refused both them and their sacrifices
(v. 12).
(verse 12)
"When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to
tread my courts?"
2.
All their gifts and services
to God were vain oblations (v.
13), because they imagined that their gifts and
services made them righteous.
(verse 13)
"Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new
moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I
cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting."
They thought their own
obedience was meritorious. Therefore they could not trust the merits of
Christ’s obedience (Rom.
3.
Their incense, the symbol of
Christ’s intercession, was an abomination (v.
13), because they saw no need of a mediator to make
intercession for them.
Thank God, Christ is a great
High Priest, who makes intercession for transgressors by the will of God. But
you will never trust him to intercede for you until you know that you cannot
approach God without him.
4.
Their new moons, feasts kept
on the first day of the month, were obnoxious (v. 13), because they never ate
Christ’s flesh and drank his blood by faith (John
They meticulously kept their
solemn feasts. But they never fed upon the Bread of Life!
5.
Their sabbath
days were sacrilege (v. 13) because
they found no rest in Christ our Sabbath (Heb.
4:9-11).
6.
Their solemn assemblies for
worship were assemblies of iniquity which God hated, was weary of, and refused
to accept (vv. 13-14) because
they were assemblies of empty, legal, self-righteous religion.
(verse 13)
"Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new
moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I
cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting."
(verse 14)
"Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a
trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them."
7.
Even their prayers were an
abomination to God (v. 15), because
the hands they spread in prayer were full of blood.
(verse 15)
"And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea,
when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood."
Hear the word of God. If you spread your hands out to God in
prayer, but have no heart faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you attempt to
approach God upon the ground of your own merit, without faith in Christ, your
hands are full of blood. God will not hear you. Your hands are full of the
blood of Christ. Your willful unbelief screams out “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
And his blood is upon your hands.
Now hear what God is teaching us in this passage.
·
Religion without Christ is worse than useless. It is damning to the
souls of men.
Illustration: Joab -- 1 Kings
·
Our most costly sacrifices, and most devoted services, and most
meticulous observances of moral, religious duty can never atone for sin or obtain
God’s favor.
·
Our only hope of acceptance with God is the blood and righteousness of
Christ (1 Cor.
II.
Perfect
Atonement and Perfect Righteousness
Read verses 16 and 17 and learn this: The Holy Lord God requires of us just two things, perfect atonement and perfect righteousness.
(verse 16) "Wash you, make you clean; put
away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;"
(verse 17) "Learn to do well; seek
judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead
for the widow."
In these two verses, God is
not telling us that if we will stop doing evil and begin doing good, then he will be merciful to us. He is showing us the
utter impossibility of self-salvation. When God says, “Be ye holy,” He is
saying, “If you would be accepted of me you must be perfectly holy, as I am
holy.” He intends by such statements to show us two things:
1.
“By the works of the law there shall no flesh be justified” (Rom.
2.
If we would be saved we must be saved by the merits of a substitute -
Christ.
A. If we would be accepted of God, if we would have
eternal acceptance with Him, there are four things we must do.
1. We must purge all sin from
our own hearts and natures. -- We must give ourselves a holy nature. -- “Wash
you, make you clean.”
2. We must put all your past
sins out of God’s sight. -- “Put away the evil of your doings from before
mine eyes.”
3. We must “cease to do evil.”
4. We must “learn to do well,”
to love God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves.
Go ahead
and try. These are the things for which God holds us responsible. But we have
no ability to perform them.
B. Our only hope of salvation and eternal acceptance
with God is that someone may do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
Blessed be God! There is One who can! Jesus Christ
the Son of God can …
1. Make us clean by the
regeneration of his Spirit - imparted righteousness (1 John 3:9-10).
2. Put away our sin by his
blood atonement (Isa. 43:24-25).
3. Cause us to cease to do evil
by the power of his grace (1 Pet. 4:1).
4. Cause us to do well by the
imputation of his righteousness (Rom.
Now, read verses 18-20. Yes, God is merciful. God is gracious. We pray that he will in wrath remember mercy; and he will! Here is God’s gracious call. It is the call of grace issued to sinners who fully deserve his wrath.
(verse 18) "Come now, and let us reason
together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
(verse 19) "If ye be willing and
obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:"
(verse 20) "But if ye refuse and rebel,
ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”
Here is
the Lord God himself entreating guilty sinners, like you and me, even those who
have been guilty of the base crimes of legal, self-righteous, works religion to
come to him by faith in Christ and obtain full pardon for all our sins.
“Come”
“Come now”
“Let us reason together”.
·
God reasons with us on the basis of his covenant grace, his Son’s
obedience, his gospel promises, and your desperate need.
·
Let us reason with God on the same ground.
·
Our scarlet red sins shall be as white as the wool of a spotless Lamb,
as white as the newly fallen snow.
·
If we are willing and obedient, we will eat of the good of that land
flowing with the milk and honey of infinite, boundless grace.
·
"But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword:
for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
·
Let us turn to God, seek his face, and seek his grace in Christ.
(Luke 13:1-5) "There were
present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate
had mingled with their sacrifices. (2) And Jesus answering said unto
them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans,
because they suffered such things? (3) I tell you, Nay:
but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (4) Or those
eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they
were sinners above all men that dwelt in
(2 Chronicles 7:14) "If my
people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Hosea 14: 1-9
1. "O Israel, return unto
the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity."
2. "Take with you words,
and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive
us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips."
3. "Asshur shall not save
us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of
our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee
the fatherless findeth mercy."
4. "I will heal
their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine
anger is turned away from him."
5. "I will be as the dew
(Dew is reviving and refreshing.) unto
6. "His branches (Branches
spread.) shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the
olive tree (The olive tree’s greatest beauty is its fragrance.), and his smell as
7. "They that dwell
under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the
corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as
the wine of
8. "Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and
observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit
found."
9. "Who is wise,
and he shall understand these things? prudent,
and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD
are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the
transgressors shall fall therein."
[1] I
do not mean to suggest or imply in any way that those who perished in
[2] The media and politically correct educators and
politicians are all trying to convince us that the actions of theses terrorists
against our nation are not a reflection of true Islam, that these are the
actions of a small sect of Islamic radicals. That simply is not true. What we
have seen is the religion of Islam in its truest form. Let me show you. -- The following
quotes are taken from the Koran [the copy used is in The Sacred Books and Early
Literature of the East, Vol. 5] and represent only a few of its distorted
views. Chapter 2, “War is enjoined you against the infidels (anyone not
Muslim); but this is hateful unto you: yet perchance you hate a thing which is
better for you, and perchance you love a thing which is worse for you: but
Allah knows and you know not.
They will ask you concerning the sacred month, whether they may
war therein:
Answer, To war therein is grievous; but to obstruct the way of
Allah, and infidelity toward him, and to keep men from the holy temple, and to
drive out his people thence, is more grievous in the sight of Allah, and the
temptation to idolatry is more grievous than to kill in the sacred months. They
will not cease to war against you, until they turn you from your religion, ... they shall be the companions of hell fire,
they shall remain therein forever” (p. 72 f.). Chapter 3, “Verily the true
religion, in the sight of Allah, is Islam” (p. 85). “Abraham
was neither a Jew, nor a Christian; but he was of the true religion, one
resigned unto Allah, and was not of the number of the idolaters” (p. 90).
“We are not obliged to observe justice with the heathen: but they utter
a lie against Allah, knowingly” (p. 91). Chapter 5, “They are surely infidels,
who say, Verily God is Christ the son of Mary; since Christ said, O children of
Israel, serve God, my Lord and your Lord.... Christ the son of Mary is no more
than an apostle; other apostles have preceded him; and his mother was a woman
of veracity: they both ate food.” (p. 118). “They are
certainly infidels, who say, God is the third of three” (p. 118).
Chapter 9, “Fight against them who believe not in Allah....” (p. 158). “Kill
the idolaters wheresoever you shall find them” (p. 155). “Verily Allah has
purchased of the true believers their souls and their substance, promising them
the enjoyment of paradise; on the condition that they fight for the cause of
Allah: whether they slay or be slain....” (p. 162).
[3]
“Probably this sermon was preached in the reign of Ahaz, when
[4] (Romans 9:29-33) "And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been
as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha. (30) What shall we say
then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained
to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. (31) But
[1]