Isaiah 1:1-4 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw
concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth:
for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they
have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass
his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. 4
Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children
that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy
One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
[18-20] Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall
eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be
devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
We are blessed to live in the greatest country in the
World. America has been known as "the land
of the free and the home of the brave." We have freedoms that no other
nation on earth has.
No nation, outside of Israel, has ever been so blessed
by God. But our liberties, our way of life, the
very future of our nation are confronted by a number of threats today. The freedoms we enjoy are eroding away!
There are differing opinions of What
Is America’s Greatest Threat. Is it... Global
Warming; Economic instability; Border security; Political division and
dishonesty; a calamity of multiple natural disasters?
1. IS ISLAMIC TERRORISM America’s Greatest Threat? No longer are terroristic acts of Jihadist' groups
limited to other countries.
Terrorism threatens a society by creating
an atmosphere of fear and trepidation. It holds people
hostage. We are told that dozens of Jihadist "sleeper" cells pose a significant
threat to our nation. We are on our guard fearing, bombs, anthrax, mass
shootings, etc…
One Middle east author writes,
“Islam is more antagonistic to the Christian faith than Communism ever was. In
Communist China today, Christianity thrives. But confession of Christ by a
national in an Islamic country is regarded as high treason” (G. J. O. Moshay).
Islam’s ultimate goal is to rule the
world. Islamic theology provides two methods for accomplishment
of this goal. #1. By Conversion or #2. By Coercion. For Muslims, the world
is divided into two camps: Islam and Infidels. If non-Muslims
will not be assimilated into Islam by Conversion or Coercion, there's but one
option – death.
Islamic terrorism is a great threat, but
it is NOT America’s greatest threat.
2. IS IMMORALITY America’s Greatest Threat?
Dr. Charles
Stanley, commenting on America’s moral
decline said, “We’re eroding from within – the heart,
the home, our children. We don’t need some foreign nation to destroy us. We’re
destroying ourselves.”
There is a storm raging across
America. Alcoholism, drug abuse, abortion, teen
pregnancy, homosexuality, school violence, child abuse, pornography, rape,
robbery and murder permeate our nation. America is drowning in a cesspool of immorality.
Immorality is a great
threat and will bring upon us terrible consequence, but it is merely
symptomatic of what the greatest threat facing America is.
3.
America’s greatest threat is WE HAVE FORGOTTEN GOD! Isaiah 1:2-4 “Hear, O heavens,
and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought
up children, and they have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knoweth his
owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth
not consider. 4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a
seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord,
they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away
backward.”
God made Israel great
and elevated them above all other nations only to be rewarded with forgetfulness
and rebel. God illustrates this by pointing out that
even the dumbest of animals, destitute of reason and conscience, demonstrate greater
submission than Israel.
How much different is
America today? We have a great heritage and have been greatly
blessed. It's not by America’s own goodness but by the grace of God that we have
security, freedom and wealth.
George Washington
– “Never has a people had more reason to acknowledge a Divine interposition in
their affairs, then those of the United States; and I should be pained to
believe that they have forgotten that agency, which was so often manifested
during our Revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence of that
God who is alone able to protect them.”
Patrick Henry
– “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was
founded, not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions, but on the
gospel of Jesus Christ.”
What do I mean when I say America
has forgotten God?
1. We
live as if God does not exist...
2. Our
worship is not exclusively His...
3. We
have failed to recognize His gracious, abundant and providential blessings.
4. We
have accepted the world’s culture and philosophies while rejecting the unchanging,
ever true Word of God.
CONCLUSION: What can we do to
eliminate this threat?
We need to answer God’s plea for repentance. Isaiah
1:18 Come
now, and let us reason together, says Jehovah; though your sins are as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be
like wool.
God told Israel that He was willing to pardon and to
restore the relationship they previously enjoyed if they would simply repent.
· I
believe our greatest need today is for personal repentance.
· We
are not capable in our own strength of facing the threats facing our world and
nation today.
· We need God!
2 Chronicles 7:14
