The Jewish Final Solution to the World's Problem - Israel The Rebellious

[0:00] entitled Israel, the Rebellious Nation, Part 1, Isaiah and Jeremiah. This particular message is part of the general theme of the Jewish final solution to the world problem.

[0:15] And as your bulletin indicates, it is ironic that this special nation, Israel, which becomes the solution, was very much a major part of the problem as well.

[0:28] We shall see in our protracted consideration from portions of Isaiah and Jeremiah. But before we get to those texts that you have included as an insert in your bulletin from Isaiah 1 and Jeremiah 1, I have some propositions that are preliminary to the message that I think will help you to understand where we're going.

[0:55] The critical nature between God and Israel through the ages, extending from the call of God to Abraham in Genesis 12, up to and including the connection between God and Israel in the millennial reign of Christ and on into the eternal state.

[1:18] And that, of course, is where we are going eventually. So, let me get on the table, if I may, some of those preliminary considerations that we'll be talking about. Isaiah and Jeremiah, along with all of the other prophets, both major and minor, decry the abject rebellion and failure of Israel to fulfill their calling of God, to be a peculiar people unto him.

[1:46] Modern America is not ancient Israel. And the things that Jeremiah and Isaiah spoke of are not to be interpreted of America.

[2:03] The text makes it quite clear that his audience has to do with the nation of Israel, not America. Yet, there are undeniable parallels and spiritual principles involved that apply to the USA as well as any other nation.

[2:25] Because God is the God of all humanity, not merely the nation of Israel. However, he does, and Israel does, occupy a very special and different place than do all the other nations when it comes to connections with God.

[2:44] There are two classes of people to be considered. Number one, Israel, as the only covenant people of God, under special laws and commandments, given exclusively to them, as set forth in the law of Moses.

[3:03] And that constitutes a very, very tiny percentage of the world's population. The Jewish population, ratio-wise, has been described as two-tenths of one percent of the world's population.

[3:21] That would probably be fairly accurate. So, apart from that two-tenths of one percent, all of the rest of the nations in the world are referred to as Gentiles.

[3:37] And of the two, between Jew and Gentile, or Israel and all the other nations, Israel stands more culpable or more responsible for their behavior because of their unique position and revelation given them by God that was not provided to the other nations.

[4:01] And the principle, of course, unto whom much is given, from him shall much be required. That is the spiritual principle that is found throughout the Bible. And it, of course, applies to the nation of Israel.

[4:17] Unregenerate people can only reason with a warped logic. It is really important that you understand that principle. Unregenerate people do not have the ability to reason with a full-blown logic.

[4:37] It is a skewed logic. It is part of the fall. In our physical body, there are evidences of the fall. And one of which is aging, debilitation, and disease.

[4:53] Those are all part of the fall. They are inherited. Our thinking capacities and abilities and thinking potential is as well involved in the fall.

[5:05] It, too, has suffered a loss. Our fallenness prevents us from seeing a true reality. And this is why abortion on demand seems only fair, logical, and justified.

[5:25] Even to the Supreme Court of the United States. This is why homosexuality is not merely accepted today by the general population here in the United States and abroad.

[5:40] But is even affirmed and legitimized in our law courts. What do you attribute that to? I attribute it to the same thing.

[5:53] All these involved promoting it, pushing for it, legitimizing it, upholding it, are reasoning with a flawed logic. This is why same-sex marriage. This is why same-sex marriage is likewise championed by more and more of our population here and in countries abroad.

[6:13] This is why male and female genders are turned into blenders. Use whichever restroom you feel like you belong in.

[6:29] Can you imagine a father allowing his eight-year-old daughter to go into a restroom alone when he has no idea who is going to be in there with her?

[6:45] Folks, this is just plain nuts. Just screwball thinking. Warped thinking.

[6:59] Flawed logic. It's crazy. It's about as crazy as the U.S. Navy taking a huge number of teenage women and women in their 20s, put them on an aircraft carrier with 4,000 men, and expect no hanky-panky.

[7:19] What are you, nuts? The answer is yes. That's their problem. They're thinking with that kind of flawed logic. And shortly I'll tell you why they are.

[7:31] This is also why extreme lengths are gone to in an effort to make sure that no one is offended about anything. Political correctness is simply one more example of fallen, warped thinking.

[7:47] This is why religious pluralism, that is, the equating of any and all religions or irreligion, as being of equal validity and equally true.

[7:59] It's the same kind of thinking that cranks that out. How is it? How is it that America has come to this?

[8:10] David Jeremiah, whom I knew many, many years back, a very influential and successful pastor of radio and TV, was also a graduate of Cedarville College or Cedarville University.

[8:26] A few years after I did. And he, David has written a book. He's written many books, bestsellers. But one of his latest was, I never thought I'd see the day.

[8:40] And you can guess pretty much what the contents of the book cover. So how is it that America has come to this? Here's how.

[8:51] I hope you'll listen carefully. The erosion and denial of biblical authority leaves us no option but to adopt human authority.

[9:05] We will not function in a vacuum. When once something is surrendered or given up, something else will rush in to fill the void.

[9:17] Nobody operates from nothing. Everybody has a base of operation. A viewpoint. A worldview. A North Star from which you function and operate.

[9:31] A premier example of warp thinking. The creation slash evolution issue is a perfect example with devastating consequences.

[9:43] Genesis is discounted, called a myth or religious poetry. Certainly not to be taken seriously. Certainly not to be taken seriously. And surely not literally. How then do we explain the existence of all things?

[9:59] The answer to them is simple. Millions and billions and billions of years. Given billions and billions of years, anything is possible. Now we are told that it is possible that the universe created itself because of the existence of the law of gravity.

[10:20] And Stephen Hawking, generally acclaimed to be the world's greatest living physicist, never explained where gravity came from or how it got here.

[10:32] This is an example of an utterly otherwise brilliant man. This man knows more about physics and mathematics and everything related to it than I could ever imagine.

[10:47] I'm sure he could buy my IQ six times over and have change left. But he still has a warp logic. Because that is part of our fallence.

[10:58] And let me add this too. I also have a warp logic. So do you. The only thing that can counteract a warp logic is a greater source of information and logic.

[11:12] And that brings us right back to scriptures. We are told today by those in positions of authority that evolution is scientific and has been proven to be a fact.

[11:28] Of course, creation, for those naive enough to believe it, is merely a matter of faith. Just belief. But you have nothing to really back it up.

[11:41] Well, we of course would disagree with that. In evolution, intentionality is not involved. There is, in evolution, no actual order in the universe.

[11:55] There is only an appearance of order. What appears to be orderly is actually random and just a fluke.

[12:07] That's all. No connection. What there really is, is randomness. This is warp thinking at the extreme. And it is propagated by those more intellectual than most of us.

[12:21] We humans, they would tell us, at the top of the evolutionary ladder, actually had our beginning by accident.

[12:32] Not by intention. So we are not here on purpose, nor by any design. We are simply a fluke. Just a biological accident.

[12:44] The ingredients and the surrounding environment just happened to be so to create the first form of life. And then evolution was off and running.

[12:55] If we are not here because of divine intent, then we are here accidentally. This means, of course, that life itself has no actual purpose or meaning apart from what we give it.

[13:10] Neither is there any judgment or final accounting, because there is no one to whom we would give it. There is no heaven, no hell, no nothing, no afterlife.

[13:24] If all these examples are the result of skewed logic and warp thinking on the part of even the elite intellectual, why does the Christian think himself to be smarter than all these?

[13:38] He doesn't. Because in and of ourselves, our wisdom is no better than theirs, and probably not as good.

[13:52] We believers are not smarter than they are. But God is. And God has revealed his wisdom in his written word, the Bible.

[14:05] So Christians do not profess to be smarter than the mainstream of the intellectual world of academia. But we are confident that the God of Scripture is the only legitimate authority.

[14:20] And he is smarter. Thus, as we have always asserted, the issue is authority. It always comes back to that. Can't escape it.

[14:31] It always comes back to authority. It all depends on what you accept and what you embrace as the ultimate authority. If it is the mind of man. If it is the scientific community, to which we are, by the way, greatly indebted.

[14:48] But if you worship at the altar of science or pragmatism or whatever else, that's all it has to offer. That then becomes your authority.

[14:58] You see, everybody has a pair of glasses. Whether you wear them or not. They're not like these. But everybody has a personal grid through which you see and view and evaluate everything else.

[15:15] You size up situations based on your point of view, based on your background, based on your worldview, based on your experiences. And you funnel everything through that filter that we all have individually.

[15:31] We are all constructing a filter. It begins a very early childhood. And children's filters are initially programmed and put into function by their parents, those who are closest to them.

[15:46] And then they are added to later by peers. And they are added to by teachers. And they are added to by others. Everybody is constructing a worldview. And this is that through which you look at everything.

[15:57] It's that through which you evaluate yourself. It's that through which you evaluate the world around you. It's that that determines your norms and standards. Your personal viewpoints about everything.

[16:12] The issue is authority. And if you reject the authority of Scripture, nothing remains to you but the mind of Satan, who specializes in blinding the minds of men in 2 Corinthians 4.

[16:27] So you have left to you the mind of Satan or the mind of yourself or of your fellow man or fellow so-called experts.

[16:39] So if you're limited to either Scripture or Satan or the mind of man, well, Satan is a liar.

[16:50] And man has repeatedly displayed his ignorance and incompetence in every arena, in every generation. We are lashed to the impregnable rock of Holy Scripture, beginning with Genesis 1.1.

[17:06] Now, I want you to take the insert, if you will, that has the extensive passage from Jeremiah and Isaiah. And we're just going to zip through these passages and point out a number of things that will indicate nothing has changed.

[17:24] We sometimes pride ourselves on being an enlightened 21st century generation. And we have learned to make a lot of improvements in our standard of living and technology, etc.

[17:38] But we have not made one bit of improvement in the human heart. Man is still, the heart is still deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

[17:49] And this is the result of the fall. And along with that fall came a fallen intellect. I'm reading from the top of Isaiah chapter 1.

[18:05] At the very top left-hand corner, it says the rebellion of God's people. The vision of Isaiah. And by the way, this was written between 810 and 760 years before the birth of Christ.

[18:23] This means that Isaiah had a very active ministry that bridged several kings and lasted for probably about five decades from the time he began prophesying.

[18:38] And you must understand that all of the prophets of Scripture, Old Testament and New, took a lot of heat from their contemporaries.

[18:50] They were always prophesying and preaching against the evils of the culture. And the culture never appreciated it and always pushed back.

[19:01] And very often they pushed back, not only with rejection and ridicule, but with persecution and sometimes death. Jesus said to the contemporary religious crowd of his day, Which of the prophets, which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute?

[19:21] Name one. Just name one. And they couldn't. Name one. Because there were no prophets of God that the people did not persecute. Whether non-writing prophets like Elijah and Elisha, or the writing prophets such as we find in the majors and the minors.

[19:40] All of them paid dearly for delivering the messages they did. And some of them paid with their life. Vision of Isaiah.

[19:52] The son of Amoz. Concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now that right there very clearly defines who the audience is. This is who he's talking about. Judah and Jerusalem.

[20:07] Which he saw during the reigns of these kings. Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah. A king would come to the throne, die off.

[20:17] Another would come to the throne, die off. And Isaiah was there prophesying to each one of them and to the people of that time. And Isaiah says, Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth, for the Lord speaks.

[20:31] Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted against me. An ox knows its owner. And a donkey its master's manger.

[20:45] But Israel does not know. My people do not understand. Do you see what he's doing? He is characterizing the people of Israel and their behavior and their relationship to God to less than that of a dumb animal.

[21:03] He's saying, even an ox, even an ox knows its owner. We call these dumb animals. And a donkey knows its master's manger.

[21:16] Give them credit for that. Actually, give them more credit than what you can give to the sinful nation that he goes on to describe. Alas, sinful nation.

[21:28] People weighed down with iniquity. Offspring of evildoers. Listen, this is not politically correct stuff.

[21:40] You're not supposed to say things that hurt anybody's feelings. Remember? Even if they have it coming. They will call you judgmental. And I'm sure that's what they called Isaiah.

[21:52] You're being judgmental. You know what Isaiah is saying? I am not judging. God has already judged. And I'm just telling you what he said.

[22:04] This is God's judgment. It's not Isaiah's judgment. It's not the preacher's wisdom. It's not the preacher's pronouncement. It's not the preacher's authority. We don't have any.

[22:14] It is just thus saith the Lord. Sons who act corruptly. They have abandoned the Lord.

[22:25] They have despised the Holy One of Israel. They have turned away from Him. Where will you be stricken again as you continue in your rebellion?

[22:37] The whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it. That means nothing healthy in it. This is a diseased body.

[22:49] Not a pretty picture. Only bruises, welts, and raw wounds. Not pressed out or bandaged nor softened by oil. Your land is desolate.

[23:00] Your cities are burned with fire. Your fields, strangers are devouring them in your presence. It is desolation as overthrown by strangers. The daughter of Zion.

[23:11] Zion is another name for Jerusalem. It's a tender, wonderful name that God has given to the city. The hill of Zion, the mountain of Zion.

[23:22] Daughter of Zion, Jerusalem is left like a shelter in a vineyard. This is something that the vineyard keeper would go out and build a lean-to.

[23:34] And he would use a few poles and sticks and put leaves and branches over the top of it for the sole purpose of providing a little bit of shade. Because the sun could be very incessant and very hot.

[23:46] Especially during the heat of the day. And he would take refuge under that lean-to. And that's what he's talking about here. This shelter in a vineyard. And then when he is finished and when the work is completed and the grapes are picked or harvested or whatever he's doing to the grapes, he just walks off and leaves the thing.

[24:03] Abandons it. Doesn't even bother to tear it down. And he's depicting that and saying this is what Jerusalem is like. Like a watchman hut in a cucumber field. Like a besieged city.

[24:14] Unless the Lord of hosts had left us as few survivors, we would be like Sodom. We would be like Gomorrah.

[24:29] Why is he using those cities as an analogy? Read on. Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom.

[24:43] What? Now where was Sodom when Isaiah was delivering this message? Sodom was long gone.

[24:53] Destroyed. Probably buried beneath the tar pits that surround that area of the Dead Sea. Just out of sight. Completely destroyed. As well as Gomorrah.

[25:06] By the destroying angels. If you want to read the account, I think you'll find it in Genesis 19. And what was the thing that so characterized Sodom that brought down the wrath of God on them?

[25:21] It was their aberrant sexuality. It was their disregard for gender identification. It was men seeking sex with men.

[25:38] And the original sin was called after the name of the city. It was called Sodomy. That's still the more accurate name for it.

[25:49] It's further described in Romans 1. Men seeking sexual pleasure with men. Women with women. And it is not only soundly denounced in the Old Testament as an abomination.

[26:06] It is so in the New Testament as well. Not only in Romans 1, but in other passages. You rulers of Sodom. What is he saying here?

[26:18] Do you not get the picture? And you don't have to be a nuclear scientist to understand this. Who is he saying is Sodom? He's saying Jerusalem. This is the city.

[26:29] This is Zion. This is headquarters for Judaism. And he is calling these people rulers of Sodom? And by estimation, it can only be because there were Sodom-like activities taking place there.

[26:48] And they were not being judged nor dealt with at all. They were being tolerated. Applauded.

[26:59] What are your multiplied sacrifices to me? Says the Lord.

[27:09] I've had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats. Well, listen. Who required all of these things?

[27:21] Who required these animals and the blood of them? God did. Well, then why is he faulting them for bringing them? Because they were bringing them out of mere ritual.

[27:34] That was all. Just automatic. Just perfunctory. Just religious stuff. You do it because of tradition. Their heart wasn't in it. They were just going through the motions. And God is telling them, get out of here with that stuff.

[27:47] Who asked you to bring this in here? Bring your worthless offerings no longer. Your incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies.

[27:58] I cannot endure iniquity in the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts. They become a burden to me. I am weary of bearing them.

[28:09] So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you. Even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.

[28:23] Hands covered with blood. Is there something wrong with your hand being covered with blood? Well, maybe not. If it's your blood, may not be anything wrong with it at all.

[28:38] Or if your hand is covered with blood from self-defense. What would be wrong with that?

[28:49] Nothing. Why is this leveled as an indictment? Because even though it doesn't say it, it is a strong, strong inference. The hands that are covered with blood are covered with innocent blood.

[29:05] That's what makes it a crime. That's what makes it an abomination to God. It is the shedding of innocent blood. Your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourselves.

[29:24] Make yourselves clean. Remove the evil of your deeds from my sight. There's one word that describes this. What's the word? Anybody? Anybody know the word?

[29:36] God's silver bullet? Here it is. And again, action. Repent. Change your mind. Change your ways. Wash yourselves. Make yourselves clean.

[29:47] Remove the evil of your deeds from my sight. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Reprove the ruthless. Defend the orphan. Plead for the widow. Come now. Let us reason together, says the Lord.

[30:00] To me, this is absolutely mind-boggling. After a description like this by Isaiah, can you imagine God being willing to reason with these people?

[30:17] They can be glad that God was God, not me. Of course, I would have just been intent on just stamping them out. You know, just did they not deserve it? Of course they did.

[30:28] But here comes this incredibly gracious, willing, eager to forgive God, making an offer to them, inviting them to turn around and get back where they're supposed to be.

[30:46] And, you know, they're not going to do it. This behavior is going to not only continue, it is going to intensify until finally God brings the Babylonian horde from the north and overruns them.

[31:04] And he uses pure pagans to judge and punish his covenant people. They are not going to repent. My, oh my.

[31:24] Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. If you consent, if you agree, if you will go along with me, if you will repent and obey, you will eat the best of the land.

[31:45] But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

[31:55] And I'm sure there were some there who said, that's not the mouth of the Lord. That's just Isaiah. That's just his opinion. Who is he anyway? That isn't what God said.

[32:12] How the faithful city has become a harlot. She who was full of justice. Do you see any parallels here between Israel and the good old USA?

[32:25] I think there was a time when we could rightly be called a citadel of justice, of truth, of honor, of dignity.

[32:40] Not anymore. Not anymore. No. No. Of course I love this nation. But it isn't what it used to be.

[32:54] I don't know if it ever will. We haven't come a long ways. We've gone a long ways. There's a big difference.

[33:05] How the faithful city has become a harlot. She who was full of justice.

[33:17] Righteousness once lodged in her. But now, murderers. Well, we've got our share of murderers too. Some of them have been on death row for 20 years.

[33:28] We used to have a saying that was put into effect. It went something like this. Justice delayed is justice denied.

[33:40] We don't do that anymore. Your silver has become dross. Your drink diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels.

[33:54] Do we have any rulers that appear to be rebels? I rest my case. And companions of thieves.

[34:06] Where did all that Solyndra money go? And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Everyone loves a bribe.

[34:18] Chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, nor does the widow's plea come before them. Therefore, the Lord God of hosts, the mighty one of Israel, declares, I will be relieved of my adversaries.

[34:34] Now he's talking about their repentance that will be forthcoming, and it will be a turnaround. Great contrast. Top of the page, 27.

[34:45] Zion will be redeemed with justice. And her repentant ones. Notice that. Her repentant ones. Not the unrepentant ones. The repentant ones with righteousness.

[34:58] But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together. For those who forsake the Lord will come to an end. Surely you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired.

[35:11] What are they? What's that all about? Sometimes these oaks or the terebinth are called the high places. You know what the high places were? They were nothing but sexual body houses where every kind of perversion that you could imagine could be had for your pleasure, whether you were male or female.

[35:29] Because one of the huge attractions in idolatry is sexual immorality. All idolatry is connected somehow with sexual immorality.

[35:43] And these high places are involved here. Well, there's a lot more that could be said about this.

[35:55] But we must hasten on for the time's sake. Come over to Jeremiah, if you would. Reverse page. Jeremiah's call and commission. And his ministry is going to encompass about 43 years from 629 B.C.

[36:10] to 586 B.C. He will be the one who will preach to Jerusalem and tell them that the enemy is coming and God is bringing them and they are going to tear down your walls and they are going to ruin the temple and they are going to carry off all your gold and all your prices, valuables.

[36:29] Unless you turn to the Lord. And they said to Jeremiah, you're just blowing smoke. You're just using scare tactics.

[36:40] You're trying to create panic. You're trying to scare people. We don't buy that. We don't believe that. God would never let that happen to us. We're his chosen people. Or have you forgotten that?

[36:52] And by the way, this just really, this really slays me. God calls Jeremiah to deliver this incredibly unpopular, unwelcome message to his people.

[37:08] And then he tells Jeremiah, oh, by the way, Jeremiah, they're not going to listen to you. What?

[37:19] You mean this isn't going to do any good? I'm to put my life on the line and preach this stuff and this coming judgment? And they're not going to listen?

[37:30] And you're telling me that? Why am I doing this? What's the point? And the point is that the justice of God may be served.

[37:45] Because God is going to inform his people what the penalty will be if they do not come back to him.

[37:57] And that's the basic maxim of law. Have you ever seen a sign posted somewhere that says something to the effect no trespassing or no this or that or whatever?

[38:08] And it always tells you what they're going to do to you if you do that. It's subject to five years in jail and a $10,000 fine. And that's to give people ample warning up front that if they violate and disregard the law this is the penalty that you're going to pay.

[38:26] That's why Jeremiah did that. It gives them fair warning. It tells them what the penalty will be. It's enough to make a sane person think twice about doing that. Do you realize how many people would actually be willing to commit murder if they were convinced they could get away with it?

[38:44] Hmm? You ever thought about that? There are a lot of people that a lot of people would like to see dead and they would kill them in a heartbeat if they knew they wouldn't be caught.

[38:56] But it's only the threat of punishment that keeps them from it. And those who have been warned have an increased culpability because they have been warned.

[39:09] That makes you more responsible. That's precisely what is involved among other things with Jeremiah's ministry. And it is just remarkable.

[39:22] Jump down with me for time's sake to verse 15. Behold God speaking through Jeremiah I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north declares the Lord.

[39:35] Who are they? Well they're pagans. They're Gentiles. They're not Jews. They're not God's chosen people. They are riffraff. I'm calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north declares the Lord and they will come and they will set each one his throne that is his power at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem and against all its walls round about and against all the cities of Judah I will pronounce my judgments on them concerning all their wickedness whereby they have forsaken me and have offered sacrifices to other gods and worship the works of their own hands now Jeremiah gird up your loins and arise and speak to them all which I command you do not be dismayed before them or I will dismay you before them now therefore and this is wonderfully reassuring to Jeremiah

[40:38] God says Jeremiah I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land to the kings of Judah to its princes to its priests and to the people of the land they will fight against you expect it you're not going to receive your message but they will not overcome you for I am with you to deliver you declares the Lord when this message the scroll of Isaiah is taken in it's captured it's taken to the king to be the equivalent of our president he takes out his knife takes a knife and slashes it up just rips that thing to shreds that was the original Jeremiah wrote and then God requires it to be rewritten again he took it threw it in the fire God says it's okay

[41:40] Jeremiah don't worry about it write another one and he wrote another what we have is translation of that verse 13 chapter 2 my people have committed two evils they've forsaken me the fountain of living waters to hew for themselves cisterns broken cisterns that can hold no water is there anything more worthless than a cistern designed to hold water that leaks like a sieve what good is that is Israel a slave or is he a home born servant why has he become a prey young lions have roared at him they've roared loudly made his land to waste these lions of course are human these aren't four-legged lions his cities have been destroyed without inhabitant also the men of Memphis and Taffanese Egyptians have shaved the crown of your head had you not done this to yourself by your forsaking the Lord your God which he led you in the way but now what are you doing on the road to

[42:49] Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile they were going down to Egypt look for an alliance try to make a deal try to make an ally against any other eventual enemy sign a mutual non-aggression pact nations have been good at doing that for centuries and they're good at breaking them too your own wickedness will correct you and your apostasy will reprove you know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God and the dread of me is not in you is there anything that characterizes the US of A any more than this the dread of God is not in us we would perhaps call that the fear of God the respect of God we respect him so much we want to get his very name out of everything we can including the pledge of allegiance off of our coins and money this is a sad history of miserable failure and idolatry and you know I am satisfied that one of the chief contributors for Israel is the same as the chief contributor for the

[44:09] United States and that is this the further we get from our original authority the more lax we become in observing it or even ignoring it and for the nation of Israel it was the law of Moses it was the Torah it was Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy and the further each generation got removed from those documents the less they regarded them we've got a similar situation here in the United States today our constitution is over 200 years old and the further removed we get from it the less impact it has upon us the less seriousness with which we regard it the more we are tempted to tamper with it ignore it disregard it rewrite it update it whatever it just doesn't have the punch that it had 100 years ago or even 50 years ago and that's because generation after generation further removed from the source of authority tends to treat it that way

[45:35] I think that's just human nature and that's partly where we are right now there are things going on in this nation constitutionally that would probably have caused a revolt 50 years ago but now we just kind of shake our head and what is this world coming to and that's about the most that we can muster I don't know what it's going to take or how many more infractions of serious nature it's going to be required before somebody is going to say we need a new group of Minutemen men it's time for the electorate to rise up and say enough of this foolishness this has gone too far I don't know whether that time will ever come I don't know whether this generation has the moxie to take that kind of stand or if we're just willing to go along to get along that's what we've got in Washington right now our nation is being strangled by entrenched bureaucracy on just about every level the waste and fraud and abuse the corruption financially and politically is such that if we could somehow have the money that Congress has spent unwisely foolishly and wasted over the last hundred years we could probably eliminate our national debt and yet the beat goes on this is just human nature and you know what hear me well now you don't have a right to expect anything else no you don't no you don't and I'll tell you why because this is people this is the way people are and you know what this calls for the only remedy is changed hearts it's not changed parties it's changed hearts that's the only remedy we've got to get back to doing the only thing that really counts that really matters and that is the preaching of the gospel it is the power of

[47:52] God through faith unto salvation the only way we can change positions is to change hearts and only the gospel can address that and yet here's our problem and it is a formidable problem we are called upon to deliver a gospel the good news to a party that is not prone to accept it or to want it or to even legitimize it in some circles and yet this is our calling this is what we're supposed to be doing and God help us if we flag or if we fail to do that this is the world's only remedy you cannot blame you cannot blame a fallen society for acting like a fallen society what else can you expect they're just doing what comes natural that's why the only remedy is a turnaround and it is a spiritual turnaround and we hold the key so we have every reason we have every reason to boldly proclaim this gospel which is not very welcome and in some circles will not be received at all but be reminded it was the same for Isaiah it was the same for Jeremiah nothing's changed we are not called to go and minister to an audience that will appreciate us and welcome us we are called to go to an audience that is often hostile unappreciative and may even arrest you or try to arrest you and they ridicule you and they'll tell lies about you and they'll spare your reputation if they can and you know what they're doing just what comes natural this is the unregenerate nature of people and this is the kind of boiling pot that we are dropped into to be a witness and a testimony nobody said it would be easy and let me tell you

[50:00] I have detected in just the last few weeks I have detected and I trust I'm not being paranoid about this but I have detected what I am confident is a slowly growing increased hostility to Christianity and the gospel of Jesus Christ in general there was a time when people who didn't believe it and didn't really want anything to do with it were just willing anyway to put up with it and abide with it but they are becoming less and less tolerant and I expect it to be more so and all this means is this is par for the course I preached this series not too long ago something to the effect that we should not be surprised remember that the homosexual agenda the abortion issue all of these things that go with it we should not be surprised that we are confronting these things because they are just being what they are and you know what we're supposed to do in response we're supposed to be what we are because there was a time when what we are was the same as what they are and it was only the grace of God that lifted us out of that and we owe it to them to try to lift them even though they don't want to be lifted we owe it to them the apostle

[51:41] Paul said I am debtor I am debtor I have an obligation to carry out both to the Jew and to the Greek to those who welcome it and to those who hate it it's a nasty business but it's a glorious business and it's the only thing that can turn anything or anyone around wow Jeremiah hey you haven't heard anything yet wait till you hear from Ezekiel he's upcoming may we pray together father we just see the reality of human nature splashed all over these pages and we also see it splashed all over our country and all 50 of its glorious states we see people trying to reason with a warped intellect and they don't even know it the warped nature keeps them from understanding what is their true enemy if our gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost whose minds the

[53:05] God of this world has blinded lest glorious light of the gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them father we pray that you will give us the courage and the backbone to take to take a stand lovingly compassionately but nonetheless unreservedly and without flagging that we will stand for that which really matters because it is the world's only hope and we who know Christ have the key so whether it is an article we write or a neighbor we talk to or a cross we put in our yard whatever it may be we want to do it with integrity we want to do it with courage and we want to do it knowing that we enjoy the full richness of your blessing and to that end we commit ourselves in

[54:09] Christ's name amen