The Loss of Stability Part 1

Pastor Mike will be speaking on The Loss of Stability Part 1. He will be reading out of Isaiah 3:1-19.

When you see the things that are unfolding in our nation, you really ought to take a spiritual inventory on your life because we can see that his return is very near and thus we should be ready to meet our Savior. This is Hope Worth Having with your host Pastor Mike Sanders and we look forward to joining together in exploring what God’s Word has to say. Today we’re going to be in Isaiah chapter 3 and we’re going to talk about the loss of stability.

And so what happens when we lose that stability and we’re not on that solid rock, Jesus Christ? Let’s talk about that today as we study together. Now if you have your Bible this morning, I want you to join me in Isaiah chapter 3. Isaiah chapter 3, a few weeks ago we began this incredible journey through the book of Isaiah. We’ve only made it to chapter 3, but be encouraged.

Hang in there, we’ve got 66 chapters to cover and somehow, someway, perhaps we will make it through. But we’re okay if God interrupts our series and calls us home, right? We’re not going to argue and you’ll probably get a better lesson up in heaven than you would down here on earth. Now when we come to Isaiah chapter 3, as I have been sharing with you, church, that through the first half of the book of Isaiah, there is a lot of Isaiah pointing out the things that the nation of Israel and particularly Judah, which the nation of Israel had been divided into a northern kingdom and a southern kingdom, and he refers to Judah as a nation of a people who have turned their back on God.

Isaiah chapter 3 proclaims that God will bring down the exalted or the prideful. And how will he do this? By removing their leadership and then elevating those who do not deserve any kind of position of rule or leadership. The results will be disastrous for Judah.

We’ll read about that very shortly, but Isaiah describes a nation that is void of military, political, and religious leadership. Sound familiar? Well, when we pick up in verse 1 of chapter 3 of the book of Isaiah, we note that the scripture says, for behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stock and the store, the whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water, the mighty man, meaning the military, the warrior, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the diviner, and the elder, and the captain of 50, and the honorable man, the counselor, and the skillful artisan, and the expert enchanter. What is it that God is bringing upon this nation, the nation of Judah, is that he is stripping them of any quality and competent leadership.

He is taking away from them the blessing of good leadership. He is bringing judgment upon the nation. Again, we see in verse 4, what is the replacement of these leaders? Well, again, let’s look at verse 4. He says, I will give children to be their princes.

He’s not specifically saying children in the sense of age, but in common sense and maturity, that they will be like children, people with no common sense. I often like to say that common sense has left the building. And here the Bible says that God will give children to be their princesses, and babes shall rule over them.

The people will be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor. The child will be insolent towards the elder, and the base toward the honorable. Now, what we’re seeing here is the people that God is allowing to oversee this nation, that not only are they immature, but they’re incompetent.

They don’t have the qualification and so the judgment of God is upon this nation, and it is being punished with godless leadership. And this godless leadership will lead to desperate leadership, and the people will begin to spiral downward. The nation, the culture, the community will continue to go south and plummet, eventually leading to disaster.

I remind you, church, that when we often think about the things that our culture is facing, we talk about something in the future relating to the judgment of God. But I want you to know that America, very similar to this circumstance that we see in Judah, is experiencing the same thing. The loss of stability, the loss of certainty, and we are under the judgment of God.

It’s not that we will be judged one day. America is being judged. You’re trying to navigate it through the complications of this world and how to somehow make it through the different things that are going on, things that used to be so certain and understandable and used to be the bedrock of who we are as a nation have all been stripped away, and we are left with incompetent people leading us, not only just as a nation, but many times in our communities, in our cities.

So we’re seeing all this take place. So we ask the question, how will God judge? How will he judge his people? Well, we jump down to verse 8, and I think we get a clearer understanding that God is going to not only take away from us, and certainly through Judah, everything that we trust, but he’s going to give us leadership that will lead us down the wrong direction. Look at verse 8. For Jerusalem stumbled and Judah is fallen, because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory, to look on their countenance, witnesses against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom.

They do not hide it. Woe to their soul, for they have brought evil upon themselves. How does God judge his people? He will judge them by stripping away everything that we have trusted, everything that we have relied upon, and that could be leadership, it could be basic resources, it could be our military, it could be our spiritual leaders, it could be many things in many shapes and sizes, but this is what God is doing.

He has not only done it in Judah, but he is doing it in America. So what we see and witness in verses 1 through 15 of chapter 3 of the book of Isaiah, is an entire nation support system is being disintegrated, and there is no physical, temporal remedy. Nobody, nobody is able to come up with a solution.

Look at verse 7, as they institute potential leaders, their responses in that day, he will protest saying, I cannot cure your ills, for in my house is neither food nor clothing. Do not make me a ruler of the people. As people are searching for leadership, as they’re searching for answers, and they grab on to someone, or they grab on to potential people to help them, that individual, that person, that group is going to say, we can’t.

We don’t have the answers. We continue to read, and we see down in verse 12, he says that, as for my people, children are their oppressors, meaning the immature, and women rule over them. Oh my people, those who lead you cause you to err and destroy the way of your paths.

Now ladies, don’t get too upset, okay? What he’s trying to simply say is that, in this sense, the women who were silly women, or immature women, women who were not serious-minded, and could not handle, they kind of just looked at life as kind of just a big game, and that’s the kind of women he’s talking about. He’s not talking about some of you dynamic ladies that are organizers, and you’re leaders, and you’re capable to handle things, and deal with things. I tell these ladies, Len, look, if you can raise teenagers, you can survive anything, amen? I mean, you ladies need to wear a t-shirt that says, you don’t scare me.

I raise teenagers. Yes, ladies, do not misunderstand. He’s not talking about you.

He’s talking about these incompetent women who do not care about taking anything serious. The nation’s leaders in Isaiah’s day were charting a course that was outside of the will of God, and would ultimately bring disaster and judgment, but the righteous, the remnant of the righteous, are protected. Jump back to verse 10, and notice what he says, say to the righteous, in the midst of all this chaos, in the midst of all this uncertainty, in verse 10, he says, say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat of the fruit of their doings.

Woe to the wicked, it shall be ill with them, for the reward of his hands shall be given to him. And he’s referring here to a contrast of the wicked to the righteous in verse 11, and the righteous will be rewarded for their faithfulness to God. The righteous remnant will be rewarded for their obedience to God, for their desire to follow the will of God, reminding us as believers that no matter how chaotic, how confusing this world may get, and no matter how much it may drift from the will of God, there is still the reality that as believers, we can follow the plan, the purpose of God in our own lives, and let the Lord deal with the other things that are around us, but we cannot let the world lead us astray.

We are required to stay faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ, to not give up, to not lose hope, to not be set back emotionally and spiritually, that we somehow just want to quit and give up, but we recognize that God will reward those who love him, who live for him, and are dedicated to his cause and his purpose. After denouncing the leadership, the prophet zeroes in, Isaiah the prophet zeroes in on those who are bringing even more destruction, and again I referred to the women in verse 12, but you’ll see this played out a little bit understanding more in verse 16, he says in verse 16, moreover the Lord says, because the daughters of Zion are haughty, meaning they’re prideful, and they walk without stretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, making a jingling with their feet, they’re all about self, they’re all about attention, they’re all about look at me, they’re not about look at God, look at Jesus Christ, look at God’s glory, how can I minister to you, how can I serve you, they’re all about self. That’s what verse 16 is about, and it goes on to describe even more and more details, and he reminds us that the judgment of God is upon the land.

Nobody’s going to notice the women’s expensive clothes, their elaborate dresses, the jewelry that they have, because the world’s a mess, they’re going to be led astray. So much that the culture has so been destroyed that men have been stripped of their manhood, women have become silly and lost focus. Look at verse 1 of chapter 4, it says that in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying we will eat our own food and wear our own apparel, meaning you won’t have to take care of us, only let us be called by your name to take away our reproach.

And so you see that we read this, and I just feel like I’m reading all about America, and I could continue to give you all the stats, but what we’re seeing is the breakdown of the family in America, right? We were warned about this. We heard the prophets of old, the pastors of old, and our forefathers who stood in this pulpit, and they stood out in our communities, and they said if you start taking away the standards and the barriers of the family, that eventually it would lead to chaos and confusion, so much that people are not even certain whether they’re a man or a woman nowadays. And that now government is saying, look, we’re okay, and we’ll let you transition without even talking to your parents about it, and we’ll let you destroy your body and destroy your identity and destroy your purpose and what God’s plan is for your life.

That’s what’s going on. I know we don’t like to hear it, and I know that people say, well, I’m for this and I’m for that. Listen to me, my friends.

What you need to be is for the Lord Jesus Christ. You don’t need to worry about what political team you’re on. You need to make sure that you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and that you’re on God’s team, amen? I think about all that’s happening, and my heart grieves over what we read, what is popping up on our social media feeds, what is we’re witnessing on television or radio or these things that we’re hearing about.

It only helps me understand more of what God says to us in this sense, that God is not the author of confusion. If you’re confused about your identity, if you’re confused about your gender, if you’re confused about your purpose, that didn’t come from God. That didn’t come from the Word of God.

The Bible teaches us just the opposite. God is a God of order. He is a God of structure.

He is a God of purpose and great intent, and He has a plan for our lives, and He has a will for our life, and the only way that we will find true significance and true meaning is to follow the will of God. Your significance is rooted in your relationship with Jesus Christ and to try to go the way of the world, and they’re only going to cause more confusion in your life and more chaos in your life, but God is not the author of confusion, but the world is, and the flesh is, and Satan is, and so this confusion oppresses on our young people, and they’re trying to navigate through all these voices that are telling them this and that as if somehow God made a mistake about their life, but God makes no mistakes, does He? Our God is perfect in His purposes. We don’t always understand them, and we may not always agree with them in our finite life that we live and that we are not always understanding of the big picture, but we still give praise to God.

We still worship the Lord. We understand what is happening, and we know the Lord has a plan, and we fulfill that plan, and what I’m saying to you this morning is that what you’re witnessing in chapter three of the nation of Judah and the fall of Jerusalem and the fall of Judah is exactly the path that America is on. Thankfully, God is long-suffering, isn’t He? And as even our nation ravagely destroys one another and devours one another, as the apostle Paul said, we are under the promise that there’s coming a day when God is going to right the wrongs, and God is going to bring peace, and He’s going to bring purity, and He’ll rule and reign with justice and righteousness.

The question is, are you ready? Are you ready for the return of Jesus Christ? When you see all these things bubbling up, and you see the things that are unfolding in our nation, you really ought to take a spiritual inventory on your life. I know it’s easy to curse the darkness, but what you really ought to do is say, where am I at? Am I spiritually ready? Because it seems to me that the signs of the times are imminent upon us, and we can see that His return is very near, and thus we should be ready to meet our Savior. Amos said to the people of God, are you prepared to meet your God? Are you prepared? That is not only essential for you and I as followers of Christ, but if you’re here this morning and do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, and you have never put your trust in Him for your salvation, you must know that judgment is imminent, that it is soon coming.

Not only with the return of the Lord, there is going to be judgment upon unbelieving sinners. Yes, that’s what the Bible teaches. That is what is upon us, and we see as we read all the way through verse 18, all the way through verse 23, as he describes the different things that the women are trying to do to get attention to themselves, then we come to verse 25, your men shall fall by the sword, and you’re mighty in the war.

Her gates shall lament and mourn, and she being desolate shall sit on the ground. Talking about the nation, the nation. Now we don’t like to think of God in terms of judgment, but we must remember that God’s judgment is very purposeful.

It is purposeful for us as a nation, as a community, and certainly as a church family. What is God’s purpose in his judgments that he brings upon us? Please remember what I told you earlier, that it’s not that we’re waiting for the judgment of God. What you’re witnessing is the judgment of God upon this nation.

A nation that has slaughtered unborn babies, millions of them. A nation that has turned their back against God. A nation that looks to everything but the Lord for answers.

What is the purpose of God’s judgment? Well, first of all, I would say to you, it displays his glory. The judgment of God displays the glory of God. Revelations 14, 7 reminds us that we are to fear God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.

When we see the manifestation of the judgment of God, we ought to worship God and give glory to God because we are reminded that our God has not forgotten us, that he is bringing attention to the matter, and that he is letting things unfold in a purposeful way to bring about the most glory to him. My life and your life is about the glory of God. It has been written by our forefathers that the chief end of man is to glorify God.

Every day that we rise up, it is to glorify God. But yet, even in the judgment of God, whether that is upon me personally or that is upon a nation, we can bring glory to God Almighty. Why else would God bring judgment? To vindicate the righteous.

To vindicate the righteous, the Bible says in Revelation 6, 10 that they cried with a loud voice saying, how long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth. We understand the scriptures to teach us that it won’t be long before the church of Christ is raptured out of here. First Thessalonians chapter 4, the trump will sound, the dead in Christ will rise from the grave.

That’s some of our loved ones, isn’t it? And they will rise from the grave, united with their soul and spirit, and then the dead in Christ who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with the Lord to be with him forever. Can God’s people say amen? That will usher in a seven-year tribulation. The seven-year tribulation will be about God getting the attention of the nation of Israel.

So it all can culminate within this seven years to Romans chapter 11, verse 26, which the scripture says that all Israel shall be saved. In the midst of that, people have said, well, in the tribulation you can’t get saved, but that’s wrong. Because Revelation chapter 6, which is in the midst of the tribulation period, says that there are those who were martyred during the tribulation, who are before the throne of God, and they’re asking God the question, how long before you avenge our blood on those who dwell? Here’s what they’re saying, Lord, how long will it be before you right the wrongs? During the tribulation, the Antichrist will take over, and he will rule the world in a one-world government system, a one-world economic system, and a one-world religious system.

He will control everybody, and those who refuse to take his mark, the mark of the beast, will be martyred. They will flee to the mountains. They will hide from the Antichrist and his cohorts, who will try to do everything that they can to destroy those who will not align with the Antichrist.

What will be the result is that there will be many who have come to Jesus Christ during the tribulation period, because the Bible says that there’ll be 144,000 evangelists who will be raised, and they will spread the gospel to every person on every planet. Can you imagine 144,000 Billy Grahams telling people to get right with Jesus Christ and to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? Isn’t that going to be awesome? And these 144,000 will be invincible. They will not be able to be stopped by the Antichrist, and they will continue to march forward to fulfill the purpose of God.

People will come to Christ. They will refuse the mark of the beast. They will be martyred for the cause of Jesus Christ.

They will stand before the throne, and they will say to the Lord, how long, how long before you avenge our blood? We read in the book of Revelation, when you read about the bowls and the vials and the trumpets, these are the outpouring of the judgment of God. What is going to be taking place in this seven-year tribulation is not only all of hell will be opened up and the wrath of Satan will be poured upon the nations and the people, but all of heaven will be opened up, and the wrath of God and the judgment of God will be poured upon the people through the expression of trumpets, bowls, and vials, and they will then experience the wrath of God and Satan so much that they will desire to be hidden in the cliffs and the rocks because they cannot stand all that they are experiencing. And why is it that God is allowing this to unfold? Two purposes, church.

Do not forget it. Number one is to vindicate the righteous. Number two, to bring the nation of Israel to true salvation.

God’s judgment is purposeful not only to display his glory and to vindicate the righteous, but to defend the weak. The psalmist said in Psalm 140, verse 12, I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor. It’s so unfortunate to see people take advantage of the poor and to afflict the weak, but the day is coming that God will judge and he will vindicate those and defend those who are weak among us.

Why is it that God’s judgment is purposeful, as we already mentioned, to bring salvation to people? We already went through that, so I’m not going to spend a lot of time, but simply to say this, that even in the judgment of God, people can come to the Lord Jesus Christ. We look at judgment as being an evil thing or a bad thing, and perhaps there are times that could be, but I’m telling you, when the judgment is from God, he has a purpose and he’s working out his purpose. You remember the story in the Gospels when there was this large tower that had fallen upon the innocent and fallen upon the people.

It was a great tragedy. It brings up the great question, why do good people suffer and why do people face such dramatic tragedies? When they went to Jesus and said, why do you think that this happened? He said to them, do you think you’re better? Do you think that you’re better than other people, that somehow you escaped this tragedy and this suffering because somehow you were better? He reminds them, it is a reminder to you to repent and believe. Hope is a powerful force, but when we lose that hope or that stability in our relationship with Christ, it causes us to vacillate.

It causes us to go wrong directions. That’s why it’s important for us to keep our relationship with Jesus very, very strong. I hope that you’re cultivating your relationship with him by reading your Bible and that you are on your knees and staying in Bible study, staying in church and continuing to grow your faith.

Now, I want to remind you that we have a website, hopeworthhaving.com, and you can sign up for our devotions. If you will just go to the contact button to sign up for devotions, you can receive right into your email a daily devotion to keep you encouraged, to keep you inspired, and to keep you motivated for the Lord Jesus Christ. So take advantage of that.

This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ, there is hope worth having.