I am reading from the book of
Isaiah chapter 59 this morning. Isaiah chapter 59. If you want
to follow along with me, I hope you will. Let's look at what
God's Word says. Now, the true prophets of God
throughout the Scripture were always in the minority. Men such
as Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah and others, they stood
alone against a majority of self-ordained, self-sent false prophets. There is a story one time of
Elijah standing against 850 men, false prophets. and mocked them and their false
gods. And the prophets of old had nothing
good to say about their generation. To the contrary, they spoke out
against the widespread corruption in their day, particularly in
religion. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel
in particular had a great deal to say against their day. And nothing, it seems, but judgment
and condemnation. And man hasn't changed. Religion
hasn't changed. In fact, since the population,
the worldwide population, is much greater than in their day,
therefore, the corruption is more widespread and universal. Now, someone will surely call
this negative preaching. But that's okay. That doesn't
bother me. For the fact is, there is a very
negative outlook for this world. The fact is, God Almighty is
going to destroy this world. Not a loving God, which most
preachers ignorantly declare. but a holy, just, righteous,
angry, and offended God." Now, those are scriptural terms which
men, very few have heard. Those perilous last days spoken
of by the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3, they are upon us, the perilous
times, the last days. Here in Isaiah chapter 59, the
prophet Isaiah speaks out against his day, and yet it is a clear
denunciation of our day. In verse 1, I read, Behold, the
Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save. Why, most
preachers say so today, don't they? Don't you hear preachers
say things like this? God can't save you unless you
let him. Let go and let God. Let God. The creature must let
the creator do something. The servant must let the master
do something. Man must allow God to do something. That's what they're saying. They
say things like this, He's done all He can do. Now it is up to
you. In other words, God Almighty,
Sovereign, reigning, ruling, controlling God of all the universe,
who works all things after the counsel of His own will, Scripture
says. Yet they say, He's done all He
can do. And now it's all up to man. Well,
look at verse 2. I still read in Isaiah 59, verse
2, which says your iniquities have separated between you and
your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he
will not hear. He will not hear. Why, have you
ever heard a modern preacher declare such a thing as this,
that Isaiah has said, that God will not hear? Why, to hear preachers
today, you would think God has nothing more to do than to sit
around and wait on somebody to call on Him, that He's at our
beckoning call. No, Isaiah says God will not
hear. Verse 3, I read, he says, "...your
hands are defiled with blood, your fingers with iniquity, your
lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness."
lies and perverseness. My generation has no fear of
God. In fact, that's a very popular
saying today, isn't it? No fear. Paul said that in Romans
3.18. There is no fear of God before
their eyes. My generation has no fear of
God. They do not hesitate to say anything
and everything about God, to use God's name and to speak of
God in a flippant, careless, irreverent, disrespectful, common
and ordinary way. Anything and everything goes
today about God. God is being mocked and ridiculed,
especially by preachers. In Jeremiah chapter 23, God says
much about the false prophets there Jeremiah 23, false prophets
who say things like this, thus saith the Lord, or the Lord told
me. The Lord spoke to me last night
and He said. But now God says here in Jeremiah
23, verse 18, God said, Who stood in the counsel of the Lord and
heard Him say that? In other words, where is that
written? Where did they find this? That's
what I would like to ask. various preachers and persons
who say, the Lord told me this, where is that written? In Isaiah
8, verse 20, it reads this way, to the law and to the testimony,
if they speak not according to my word, it is because there
is no light in them. If they speak not expressly according
to God's written Word, there is no light in them, no understanding. That makes them a false prophet. If they speak anything in addition
to or keep back something from God's Word, there is no light
in them. They are darkness, false prophets. I continue to read here in Isaiah
59, verse 4. None calleth for justice. nor
any pleadeth for truth. They trust in vanity and speak
lies. They conceive mischief and bring
forth iniquity. None calleth for justice, it
says, or pleadeth for truth. Why, about the only question
I have people ask me today, the average person asks me is, how
many in your church? Is your church growing? What
denomination is it? Do you all belong to this or
that organization? Do you have curtains in your
church? Do you have this or that? I never hear anyone ask this. What does God's Word truly say
about God, about Christ, about man, about the way of salvation? Why, no, I don't hear that. You
don't hear that today. Everybody's already fixed up.
Why, they made a decision long ago in some church service years
ago. They got saved, so to speak,
years ago. They attend the church of their
choice now. They've got their salvation written
on their license plate. They can quote John 3.16. Well,
what else is there, preacher? I continue to read in verse 9
of Isaiah 59, which says, Therefore is judgment far from us, neither
doth justice overtake us. Judgment is far from us, he says. As Paul said in Romans 1, professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools. We live in an educated
society, don't we? Yet, most are devoid of true
spiritual judgment and understanding from God's Word. Peter called
it willful ignorance. They being willingly ignorant,
he said. Willful ignorance. In spite of
the plainest scriptures which are written, men do not. The
problem is not with the understanding. The problem is men don't like
what it says and so reject it. I'm continuing to read in Isaiah
59, verse 13, which says, in transgressing and lying against
the Lord and departing away from our God. speaking oppression
and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood,
lying against the Lord, departing away from our God, conceiving
and uttering words of falsehood from the heart. so-called God Speaks campaign
going on today. Have you heard of that? If not,
I know you've seen it. On billboards and so-called church
bulletin boards throughout the land, you'll see clever little
catchy statements that men have made up and signed God at the
bottom of it, have signed God's name to it. They've made up clever
little catchy statements. Not God's Word, mind you, but
they're little clever statements supposedly coming from God and
signed His name to it. Not only does this reveal man's
utter contempt of God's Word, or that is, There are thousands
upon thousands of verses from God Almighty's Word, each one,
one verse, one word, full of infinite wisdom and power. Yes, in the power of the Holy
Spirit, if one word is applied to a heart of a man, can save
that person. Yet, men think more of their
own little words and catchy phrases. thinking God's word is not good
enough or powerful enough, not relevant to this generation,
not powerful or good enough to arrest the heart and mind. So
we'll use our own catchy little phrases. Not only that, but men
and women are lying on God. Isaiah said it here. that they
are lying on God by displaying things He did not say and signing
His holy name to it. Let me ask you, frankly, what
if I published abroad statement after statement that you did
not make, that you did not say, and signed your name to it? Well,
you would be furious. You would be angry. You would
sue me for slander and defamation of character. Well, God Almighty
is not is not going to sue, but is going to damn men for the
same thing. Defamation of his character.
Furthermore, there is a total disregard for the Word of God
today. Total, across the board, disregard
for the Word of God today. In spite of the plainest of scriptures,
men go ahead and do things and say things totally contrary to
what is said. Listen to this. Scriptures such
as this in Leviticus 18, verse 22, which says, Thou shalt not
lie with mankind as with womankind. It is abomination. What could
be clearer in denouncing homosexuality? Why, there is a universal content
for scriptures such as this. There is a worldwide agenda to
make it acceptable, what God calls abominable. Even in religion,
in the name of God, they're doing it. No less contemptible, no
less is a disregard for God's Word, is scriptures such as this. In 1 Corinthians 14, verse 34,
let your women keep silence in the church. It is not permitted
unto them to speak. They're commanded to be under
obedience, as also saith the law. Yet there's a total disregard
for that. Women stand up daily, preaching
and so forth. 1 Timothy 2, verse 12, I suffer
not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man,
but to be in silence. Why, there's more concern today
for being politically correct than biblically correct. More
fear of man than of God. Well, it's time someone declared
what God's Word says in spite of what men say and women. Well,
I read in closing Isaiah 59, verse 14 and 15. Judgment is turned way backward.
Justice standeth afar off. Truth is fallen in the street.
Equity cannot enter. They don't want to hear it. Yea,
truth faileth and he that departeth from evil. maketh himself a prey,
or that is, the one who dares to speak against it and just
say what God has said, becomes the enemy of the enemies of the
truth. Well, I hope you will heed God's
Word and not the popular opinion of the day. Until next Sunday,
may the Lord use His Word. Amen.