Isaiah 30:8-15 tell us smooth things:
There are people today that will not come back to certain churches because they often hear the preacher preach on subjects that’s not very pleasant, what they want is for the preacher to tickle their ears. If there’s very much said about hell or the chastening hand of God it causes some folks much anxiety, so tell them smooth things such as how wonderful & nice they are & tell us about Gods love.
And it’s certainly true, 1st. john 4:8 says –God is love.
And then in 1st.cor.3: 16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Heb. 12: 29For our God is a consuming fire.
There’s more in the bible to preach than smooth things.
Listen as I read today’s text found in Isaiah 30: 8-15
8Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: 9That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: 10Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: 11Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
12Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: 13Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. 14And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.
15For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
Isaiah was a part of God’s divine mission in the world — to announce the glad tidings of a God who loved them and wanted to be in covenant with them, but the people did not want to hear; they did not want to understand. And it is very much the same now, in our day & time.
They said to Isaiah and the other prophets: 10Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: 11Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. They were more interested in a lie than the truth — as along as the lie was one they wanted to hear. Even if the warning of the prophets would have saved their lives and made their lives better, they still didn’t want to hear about it.
The first point that Isaiah is making in this scripture is: “A rebellious people want to believe a lie.”
Isaiah’s message to his nation was that their continued rebellion against God would be the ruin of the nation. Sin would not only destroy their personal lives, it would destroy their country. Sin brings judgment — always.
Isaiah was warning them about what was going to happen if they didn’t turn from their sin and turn back to God, but they didn’t want to hear it. It was unpleasant talk.
They didn’t want to hear about God’s judgment; they wanted to hear about God’s love and blessing. They wanted Isaiah to build up their self-esteem. They wanted him to discuss pleasantries and recite poems, and tip toe through the tulips.
They wanted a positive gospel. And even though Isaiah was telling them the truth, they preferred to believe a lie.
It’s hard to understand why people would prefer destruction over hearing and believing the truth.
And this was the case in the New Testament as well. In the sixth chapter of Luke we read about Jesus ministering to people and healing them while the religious leaders stood by trying to find something to criticize.
When Jesus healed a man’s deformed hand on the Sabbath, instead of being glad for the man, they were furious at Jesus and began to talk among themselves about how they could kill him. At the trial of Jesus, Pilate asked the people what was the crime that he had committed.
Matthew 27:23-26 22Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. 23And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. 24When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. 25Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
Seventy years later their wish was granted as the Romans completely destroyed the city and the temple.
And let me say right here that Jesus’ Precious Blood is still on the Jews and their children.
Why would people prefer disaster to the truth? Because this is the essence of rebellion: I am going to do it my way even if it kills me. It seem as though we would rather live a lie than face reality. After all, illusions make us feel comfortable and secure; truth makes us uneasy.
The rebellious want to believe a lie and avoid the truth.
Isaiah wrote: Isaiah 30:15 15For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not..
Even though the rebellious want to believe a lie, they also want to dodge the consequences.
Here is Isaiah’s second point: A rebellious people want to escape responsibility. The people of Isaiah’s day didn’t want to follow God, but neither did they want there to be any consequences for their rebellious behavior. They wanted to rebel, but they didn’t want there to be any punishment. They wanted to believe a lie, and at the same time they wanted it to be true. They wanted to do all the wrong things and experience only good things. They wanted to be irresponsible and yet not have anything go wrong.
It reminds me of the action hero’s we see on TV. from time to time, they can do all kinds of outrageous things and nothing happens to them. [Walker, the Texas Ranger, can fight thirty men and never even lose his hat.]
It’s a lie, but people love it. But here is the problem: it has nothing to do with reality or truth.
I read where a Miami jury awarded a record $145 billion settlement from the tobacco companies to a group of smokers in Florida.
It’s true that smokers have almost twice the risk of having coronary heart disease as nonsmokers, 14 times the risk of lung cancer and 10 times the risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
But this is a $145 billion dollar reward for people who willing walked into a store and bought a legal product which clearly said on its label: “Warning: The surgeon general has determined that cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health.”
No one forced these people to smoke. They did it of their own free will and willingly gave up good money, knowing that they were jeopardizing their health. They wanted to smoke and be healthy too.
Where is the personal responsibility in all of that? They made an adult decision, and they ought to accept the responsibility for their actions like an adult.
The rebellious resent it when the consequences of their irresponsible behavior come calling, and some even want to blame God for what has happened to them.
This was the case with the people of Israel and Judah. They rebelled against the Holy One of Israel. They refused to listen to the prophets and heed their warnings. They trampled God’s laws and had the gall to blame God when the enemy trampled their cities. They wanted to do as they pleased, but they did not want to accept responsibility for their actions.
The third point that Isaiah makes is that: A rebellious people want to avoid God. They said to Isaiah, 11Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
This sounds familiar of our own rebellious culture, which says, “We don’t want to be confronted with the God of Creation; we want to believe the lie of evolution.- We don’t want to be confronted with God’s laws; we want to take them down from our public walls.- Don’t say we are wrong for killing our unborn children. - Don’t tell us that God’s design for marriage is of one man and one woman. - Don’t force your morals on us. -- Leave this way, get off this path”
When we as individuals and as a nation no longer want to be confronted with God our values go. When our values go everything goes.
Listen, “In ancient China, the people wanted security from the invading armies to the north. To get this protection, they built the Great Wall of China. It’s 30 feet high, 18 feet thick, and more than 1500 miles long!
The Chinese goal was to build a wall that was absolutely too high to climb over, too thick to break down, and too long to go around. But during the first hundred years of the wall’s existence China was successfully invaded three times.
It wasn’t the wall’s fault. During all three invasions, the invaders never climbed over the wall, never broke it down, or went around it; they simply bribed a gatekeeper and then marched right in through an open door.”
And likewise when a nation tries to avoid God they leave an open door because they have nothing on which to base their values.
When a nation loses its values it’s not safe no matter how strong its defenses are.
The Bible says, Psalm 33:12-1812Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 13The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 14From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 15He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works. 16There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. 18Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
It’s becoming more and more difficult to reason with people in the world. People in our culture are affected by emotion rather than logic. They believe what they see more than what they hear.
So what should Christians do in a culture that no longer values truth and is willing to believe a lie? What do we do in a culture where the people don’t want to accept responsibility for their actions?
Part of the solution is for the people of God to not be ashamed of being a part of the truth. We have to stop being embarrassed that we are Christians, because we have the answer for the world’s problems.
In spite of the fact that the world may be avoiding truth, responsibility and even God, we that are saved have the only message that can save them,
Jesus said in matt. 5: 14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
