The sins of the nation.
Isaiah • Sermon • Submitted
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The sins of a nation.
Since its foundation, this nation has been considered a Christian nation. It was founded upon the Judeo-Christian beliefs that the Pilgrims brought to this land. For almost 200 years, that was true! But no longer!
Unfortunately, during the last 50-60 years, we have seen a nation that is far from being classified as such. Church membership has declined from 76% in 1944 to 50% in 2018; although in 1998, 90% identified themselves with a religious group, now only 77% does.
Abortion increased every year, from 193,491 in 1970 to 1,429,247 in 1990. From 1978 to 1997, it always was more than a million per year.
The number steadily decreased per year from 1998 (884,273) to 2016 (623,471). For every abortion, there are at least three murderers (2 parents and a doctor). At least 44 million abortion were performed between 1970-2016. Is this a Christian nation?
59% of Americans support same-sex. 40% of the states have legal same-sex marriage (20 states) and 3 other states that recognizes it. According to the Census, in 2018 there were 57,581,900 opposite sex married, 7,411,852 couples living in fornication, and 995,420 same-sex couples. That means that 14.6% of all couples (8,407,272) were living in immoral relationship. Is this a Christian nation?
I find a similarity between USA and Israel: For the first one hundred years (during Moses and Joshua), Israel was an example to the nations that surrounded them, but, little by little, they moved away from God and fell into idolatry and immorality. For years, God was patient with them and send them many prophets to exhort them and call them back to God. They did not listen!
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
Isaiah was one of the prophets that denounced the sins of the nation.
What were the roots of their sins?
They rejected the truth and took refuge in lies.
They rejected the truth and took refuge in lies.
The Lord was promising a rock of refuge, a rock of salvation:
Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.
That was a prophecy about Jesus, the Savior, the incarnated truth, the one who said,
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
They thought they could escape death, they believe those false prophets that told them that nothing would happen, that the Babylonians would not conquer them:
You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.”
God was about to show them the fragility of those lies:
“I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place. “Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place. “As often as it passes through, it will seize you; For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night, And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means.”
Deception and lies are the defense of the wicked, but they cannot protect them from God.
Why did they reject truth?
They thought they were too intelligent.
They thought they were too intelligent.
“Who does the Lord think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned? He tells us everything over and over— one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!”
“We’re not children! We do not need to be told over and over!”
That’s the problem with many! They think they are too intelligent to believe in God and His Word. “Those are tales for children!”, they would say.
“The belief in God is for ignorant and close minded people”, they say.
They rejected the truth because it is easier to believe a lie.
It is easier to believe a lie than a truth.
It is easier to believe a lie than a truth.
For Eve was easier to believe that she wouldn’t die and that she would become like God.
That lie is still believed by the Mormons. They think that, thru knowledge, they will become gods and will inhabit their own planets.
Nowadays, it is easier for many to believe that they descend from an ape than that man was created by God.
It is easier to believe in the Holy Death than to believe in the Holy Spirit.
In the case of the Israelites, they felt more convenient to believe those who were telling them that they would not be destroyed by the Babylonians than to believe God’s warnings.
God had offered them rest to the weary, but they did not believe Him nor obeyed the commandment.
God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen. So the Lord will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured.
The rock Isaiah that had mentioned would provide rest for them. That’s exactly what Jesus offers to those who come to Him:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Jesus is the rock of rest!
They rejected God.
They rejected God.
How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”? Does a jar ever say, “The potter who made me is stupid”?
When you do not believe in God or God is not the central part of your life, you easily fall into sin because there is no fear, no respect for God nor others.
They had rejected the true God to go after gods made by hands of man, gods of wood, stone, or clay.
It was Isaiah who told them (in chap. 44), “How can you be so foolish? You cut a tree, take a piece and give it a form of human and said, this is my god; and with the rest, you make a fire?”
Then the wood-carver measures a block of wood and draws a pattern on it. He works with chisel and plane and carves it into a human figure. He gives it human beauty and puts it in a little shrine. He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak; he plants the pine in the forest to be nourished by the rain. Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire. With it he warms himself and bakes his bread. Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god to worship! He makes an idol and bows down in front of it! He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm. He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.” Then he takes what’s left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it. “Rescue me!” he says. “You are my god!”
They falsely claimed to be God’s children.
They falsely claimed to be God’s children.
For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the Lord;
Did you notice how He called? False sons! People who claim to know God, but whose deeds show that they do not know Him. They might practice a religion, but they have no relationship with Him.
Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,
Those words were also expressed by Jesus when He denounced the scribes and Pharisees (Mat 15:8-9).
They claimed to be children of God, “we have one Father: God”, they said, but Jesus told them:
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
They rejected God’s instructions.
They rejected God’s instructions.
For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the Lord;
This is a serious warning to those who claim to love Him!
If you love Him. whatever He says must be obeyed. Do you know Him? Are you obeying Him?
“I try, but the reality is that I am not obeying everything!” Why not? Because “we are human!” Do you think that’s a valid excuse?
Think about your areas of disobedience and start doing something about it!
They wanted to have their ears tickled.
They wanted to have their ears tickled.
Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
The denounces and warnings from the prophets were no pleasant to them. Speak about sin to someone in sin or denounce his sin and you will understand the Israelites’ attitude.
The Word of God is like a cutting and penetrating sword. It hurts!
We are living in similar times and in similar sins. The sins of our nation are a shame for “a Christian nation”!
This is the time mentioned by Paul, the apostle, in his letter to Timothy:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,
You should not be surprised that preachers that tickle the ears of the people, have great crowds; and those that preach what is right have few followers. That’s human nature! “Do not make me see what’s wrong with me!” “Do not make feel bad!” “Do not make me look bad!”
People like to hear about Heaven, blessings, prosperity, but not about giving, serving, and repentance.
Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Since you have rejected this word And have put your trust in oppression and guile, and have relied on them, Therefore this iniquity will be to you Like a breach about to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose collapse comes suddenly in an instant,
For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing,