|
Arnetts | Arnett Family | Speaking Policy | Charles | Union
Baptist Church | Links | Sermons | Letters | E-mail
Jack's Main Memorial Page
PROVIDENCE: A RATIONAL BASE FOR THE FEAR OF THE LORD Isaiah 18-20
by
Pastor Charles J. Arnett Preached at Union Baptist Church Englewood Ohio May 12, '96 In the evening service
INTRODUCTION:
Commentators do not agree who is this land shadowing with wings.
Some think it is Egypt and they have good reason. Others think it
is Assyria, and they have good reason. Still others think it is
Ethio- pia, and they have good reason. The note at the top of my
bible calls it Ethiopia. I think it is Ethiopia that is in view.
There can be no doubt that chapters 19 & 20 refer to Egypt. Verse 4 of 20 speaks of Assyria taking Egypt and Ethiopia. That gives me strong reason to believe chapter 19 refers to Ethiopia.
But here again, the important thing is the behavior of nations and the behavior of God. I read the Indomitable Mr. O, the story of the founder of Child Evangelism Fellowship. He told stories of child conversions. He didn't always tell their name. Their name wasn't as important as their relationship to the Lord. Their name wasn't as important as the manner in which God shed His mercy upon them.
Now it would be nice if I was smart enough, and informed enough to give you all the details of these nations and the exactness of the fulfillment of these prophecies. They are interesting. But, by the time I researched all the details of those ancient nations, and then tried to relate them to you, we would never get through.
In this message we want to consider how a consideration of provi- dence is a rational base for the fear of the lord.
GOD PROVIDENTIALLY PROTECTS HIS PEOPLE:
John Gill says messengers in Isaiah 18:2 are the angels God sends
to his people. God sends his messengers, the angels to this
nation. We don't see angels, but God sends them to do His
bidding. In Hebrews 1:14 we read of angels being sent forth to
minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Then in Isaiah 18:3 God calls the world to consider providence - to observe and consider what God is doing. The events of history are for our learning. The Iron curtain fell - Socialism doesn't work, that is a fact of history - look and see. Of course socialism doesn't work - America became the strongest nation on Earth by free enter- prise. One would think our politicians would start trimming down socialism and encouraging free enterprise. Look - but no, our wise men and politicians want to continue socialized education, even though ample evidence to show the failure of it; they also want to start socialized medicine.
The great lesson of Isaiah 18:3, 4 is that we should consider providence as the workings of God. Our Declaration of Independence said we were dependent upon Divine providence for our preservation as a nation. Notice verse 4: God is going to protect Judah - God is looking out for His people. (Christians may suffer in a society that suffers, but God is with us.) America is not Judah, but we can expect to learn from History that God does bless nations that honor Him. God turns His back on nations that turn their back on Him. God is not going to bless an ungodly nation because a relative small number of people pray. We must see revival if we expect America to survive.
GOD PROVIDENTIALLY TURNS BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER:
Isaiah 19:2 teaches that God turns brother against brother.
Romans 1:22, 24, 28 teaches us that God turns men over to their
natu- ral depravity. When God turns brother against brother does
he make the brothers turn against each other? No, he just removes
restraint and allows depravity take its course. Recently we read
of a six year old who tried to kill a baby. Did God cause that?
Yes and No. God has allowed society to present violence on TV,
has allowed parents to believe that each person must decide for
themselves what is right. Consequentially parents don't insist on
training children - training children right from wrong is a no no
in our culture.
When God stops a godless nation, he just turns them over to their own way. Surprise, 'we have taught children they are nothing more than animals, just a little different that's all - now children behave like animals. See that shows we are right in teaching evolution. We refuse to teach children that premarital sex is sin - we try to teach them how to have sex safely. You know what - they have became more sexually active and pregnancies among teens have increased, STD have increased. That just proves to the wisdom of our culture that we need more sex education.' God turns them over to a reprobate mind.
GOD PROVIDENTIALLY SETS UP WICKED RULERS:
Look at Isaiah 19:4. God sets up rulers. Daniel 4:17 "This
matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the
word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know
that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to
whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of
men."
God put President Clinton in office - He did it as judgment on America. We have had so many chances to honor God. Even some Christians fight the Christian Coalition in spite of the fact that Christian Coalition's executive director Ralph Reed said, "Let me be clear: I support the separation of church and state. I believe in a nation that is not officially Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. But I also believe in the right under the First Amendment to freedom of speech, including speech with religious content." (1) We get the President we deserve. Nations might think they can get along without God. However, the scripture is clear - God rules from the heavens.
The Egyptians were cruel - they got a cruel king. God rules in providence according to man's response to providence. Providence is natural enough so that those who are deliberately ignorant can find excuses. One of the ways God was going to judge Egypt was to allow them to have a wicked king. Isaiah 19:5-7 tells us that God even controls nature, but people think things just happen.
An unchurched co-worker pointed out a science magazine which taught that male semen carries an anti-immune agent so that the female doesn't reject it. It is meant as an agent to permit conception. However, in male sexual perversion, sodomy, the anti-immune agents is put in unnatural place and deposited in corruption. We know that AIDS is the breaking down of the immune system. But to even suggest that AIDS is God's providential judgment on sodomy brings the wrath of our intellectuals down upon you.
GOD PROVIDENTIALLY BLINDS CARNAL WISDOM:
Isaiah 19:14 "The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the
midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work
there- of, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit." I hope
you consider the conference in Toronto. (2) We need to know the
common world view in our culture. The old cliche - "those
who can do; those who can't teach" is offensive - But a lot
of truth. Those who drop out of Engi- neering, Law school, or
Medical school turn to education - Not all, but a lot. Certainly
most teachers enter for noble reasons. It is true that we expect
our educators to have the least demanding educa- tion. The
easiest courses are those in education - you can enter teacher's
college with the lowest SAT scores of any profession. The
sharpest criticism on public education comes from teachers, award
winning teachers. Home school children whose mothers don't even
have a high school diploma are scoring above grade level in
national tests.
Why are the wise so dumb? God has mingled a perverse spirit and they err in every work. Make no mistake, God turns people over to a reprobate mind. And to an ungodly nation, God turns the wise, the leaders and teachers over to a reprobate mind. The wisdom of the world, not just our nation, is that truth and reality are unknown and unknowable. [Won't you please Go to Toronto in October.]
Perverse - should we teach homosexuality in public schools? Many of our wise say yes. Should we pray in our public schools? No, is the answer we hear from all quarters. We are told that it is bad for children to learn of the Creator spoken of in the Declaration of Independence. We are told that it would be horrible to teach children to depend upon Divine providence as is relied upon in the Declaration of Independence.
GOD PROVIDENTIALLY SHOWS MERCY:
Isaiah 19:22 - 24 tells of the Lord smiting Egypt and then bless-
ing them. It is the mercy of God when a people are brought to
their knees. Jonah 4:2 "And he prayed unto the LORD, and
said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet
in my country? There- fore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I
knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger,
and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil." God
is the God of mercy.
Those former enemies - those behind the Iron curtain, those in the former soviet union are coming to the Lord, getting reconciled to the Lord. They have been brought to their knees in the mercy of God. God is yet going to bring Egypt and Assyria to Himself. (In the mil- lennium all nations will rejoice.)
Don't despise the dangers of our nations, don't despise the problems, these may be God's way of restoring America. You must keep standing for the right.
GOD'S PROVIDENCE PROCLAIMED :
Reading Isaiah 20:1-6 with special attention to verse 3 we learn
that we must preach the sovereignty of God. Isaiah was to act out
the judgment of God upon the enemies of God. By doing that - the
people would be reminded of God's prophecy when the time came. It
was very visual - they would remember.
The last thing we need is to try to sooth people and try to get people Christianized without warning then of the dangers to flee. Let the scoffers scoff at our hell and damnation preaching. Let them call us doom and gloom preachers. Isaiah was a doom and gloom preacher
We must warn people that God is holy and He is sovereign. There is destruction for wicked nations. There is hell for wicked people - God defines wickedness. No guilt, no hell - servants of God - no! We must warn sinners
Read Ezekiel 3:18, 19 and Ezekiel 33:8, 9 which both say "When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand." Why does God repeat that? He wants to make sure you get it.