Judah's Social Sins Part 3

Introduction

God is faithful! Do you believe that? No matter what you are going through or whether you are on the edge of disaster, God still love and cares for you.

Deut. 7:9 “9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,”

Point: What God promises He keeps. Things may not go the way we think they should, but God is still in control and promises to be with us through it all. Do you believe that?

We can see God’s faithfulness through the nation Israel, God’s chosen people

Israel in the news today (Thursday)

At least 90 people have been killed as the fighting between Israel and Hamas escalates and the nation reportedly prepares for ground operations in the Gaza Strip.

At least 83 people were killed in the Gaza Strip and seven in Israel in the heaviest flareup between the two sides since 2014. Seventeen of those killed in clashes were children. Aljazeera said more than 480 others have been wounded.

Hundreds of air strikes were carried out by Israel in Gaza, and Palestinians launched more than 1,000 rockets at central and southern Israel since Monday.

Israel: 8,630 Sq Mi

Kansas: 82,278 Sq. Mi

10.5% of Kansas

Israel has more enemy nations and groups than any other nation in our world today

CNN wrote a report that primarily blamed Israel for the current conflict

How could Israel who has so many enemies surrounding her and throughout the world still be around as a nation today?

Answer: God is protecting His people, which He promised to do. While Israel is God’s chosen people for a special ministry, if you know Christ as your Savior, God also chose you to be His child and promises to be with you, no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. We see this promise in Isaiah chapter 1

Today we are going to look at part three of our sermon in Isaiah Chapter 1 verses 21-31.

The past two sermons we looked at the sins of the people of Judah. Today we are going to learn about the unfaithfulness of Jerusalem and how God promises to bring her back to serving Him when He could have destroyed them. God promised to make Israel a holy nation. Almost 3k years later with everything we see in the news, God’s promise to one day make Israel a holy nation and a royal priesthood is still good. It is good news for Israel and it is good news for us as we will see. Let’s begin by reading Isaiah 1:21-31

The Jerusalem’s Social Sins

Jerusalem’s Unfaithfulness (vv. 21-23)

“Whore” - Spiritual prostitution (worshipping other gods)

Explanation

In this case, murder, corruption and a wide range of other wrongs

Point: Either you worship God and serve Him only or by your actions, you slowly begin to worship other things

Illustration - The Crocodile Hunter is a wildlife documentary television series that was hosted by Steve Irwin and his wife, Terri. His whole life seemed to be consumed by his love for wildlife. He would die doing what he loved by a stingray which punctured his heart. The very thing that consumed his heart was the very same thing that would kill it.

What do you live for? What would you die for?

Explanation

Results (natural consequences)

The city is murderous

Leaders cannot be trusted

Fellow brother and sister cannot be trusted

Their money and wine (material resources) have been devalued

They do not take care of their own (fatherless and widows)

Do you see a correlation to the U.S.?

Application

What is our nation’s leadership saying today about God’s laws?

Our nation is rapidly going downhill because overall we as a Nation have not sought God.

To change this, it begins with the church and with each one of us

Note: What is the purpose and mission of the church?

Fulfill the Great Commission

Evangelism and discipleship

Begins with living our live 24/7 as Christ’s ambassadors

Jerusalem’s Discipline (vv. 24-26)

Explanation

Stresses who is doing the disciplining. It is not Isaiah. He is just the messenger

“Lord of hosts” All created beings and power are under the sovereign control of God. Even Angels, Satan, demons, earthly rulers, etc.

These two titles emphasize God’s rightful place as judge

“The mighty one of Israel” - Only occurs here in the Bible

Note: God still claims Israel as His people

You are also His if you have placed your faith in what Christ did on the cross. That means He will never leave you or forsake you, no matter how much you sin or mess up!

Remember: Judah was acting like Sodom and Gomorrah and God never disowned them

vv. 25-27

God will judge his people, but its goal is future restoration

Historically, they were restored from their enemies (Jer. 29:10 -11) which was temporary

English Standard Version Chapter 29

For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

There will also be a future permanent restoration where Jerusalem supreme among the nations. It will be complete and perfect

Jerusalem’s Unfaithful Residents (vv. 27-31)

Explanation

They will desire the things of this life, but in the end they will regret it

Consequence

Eternal death

Eternal torment

Illustration

"Greed (this world) has taken the whole universe, and nobody is worried about their soul." - Little Richard

“Get all you can. Can all you get. Sit on the can and poison the rest.”

Application

There will be and now is a time when God’s chosen people will have to choose to accept a relationship with God and love and obey Him or go their own way

For those who chose the way of Christ, there is eternal LIFE. For those who reject Him will be much trials and tribulations on this side of life and eternal death after

James 4:13-17 “13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”