The Fruit of Sin - Part 3
John Weaver | SermonAudio
| Lecture Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Speaker | John Weaver |
| Source | SermonAudio |
| Media ID | 1017111512348 |
| Subject | Covenant Theology |
| Course | Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession |
| Genre | Sermon |
| Date | 2011-07-17 |
| Dictation Name | |
| Book | Book 049: The Fruit of Sin — Chapter 3 |
| Source Timed Segments | 69 |
Synopsis: In this sermon, John Weaver continues his exposition of Isaiah 1, focusing on the harvest of rebellious children. He draws a parallel between a sick, beaten man and the desolation of a nation under God's judgment. Weaver emphasizes that sin always affects more than the individual, leading to societal and national ruin. He applies the passage to contemporary America, warning that the nation is experiencing similar judgment as strangers devour the land. The sermon concludes with a call to repentance, noting that God preserves a faithful remnant and that His faithfulness guarantees both mercy and judgment.
Formatted Transcript
Introduction and Review
Weaver reviews the first two messages on Isaiah 1, covering the witnesses summoned, the warning spoken, and the wickedness stated, including the heartache, haughtiness, hatefulness, and hardness of rebellious children.
"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. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken. I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. But Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity. A seed of evildoers, children that are corruptors. They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger."
"They are going away backward. Why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire, your land strangers devoured in your presence, and it is desolate as overthrown by strangers."
"And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been a Sodom and we should have been made like unto Gomorrah." Two weeks ago, I began this message and I pointed out that there were three main points. In fact, I began in verse two, and you can see, first of all, the witnesses summoned where God says, "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth." And I went through the Bible and showed you how oftentimes God does indeed call heaven and earth as a witness against his rebellious people. I also pointed out how that evidently everyone in Judah and Jerusalem were corrupt and rebellious and therefore none would testify with the Lord. So he calls and summons heaven and earth to be witnesses. And then secondly, we saw in verse two, the warning spoken. He says, "the Lord has spoken." So very obviously, once God speaks, we're to hear, we're to listen.
And especially when God speaks in anger, which he is doing in Isaiah chapter one. And then thirdly, we began looking at the wickedness stated. And we only got there when he says, "I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me." So in the first message I only covered one sub point under this, and that is we need to consider the heartache of rebellious children, and that's exactly what God says he's nourished and brought up children. They rebelled against him, so God places this in a situation that you and I can easily comprehend and easily explain. In fact, I pointed out how, in verse 3, we need to consider the haughtiness of rebellious children when he said, "The ox knoweth his owner, and his ass his master's crib, but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider."
And the word haughtiness does not necessarily always mean to be proud or to be high-minded. It also means to be inconsiderate and undisciplined. And so God says, here they are. Once sin gets a hold of an individual, it reduces him more than an animal, because even the so-called dumb animals know their own master's crib and the place where they are fed. So we saw the haughtiness of rebellious children. And then in verse four, we saw the hatefulness of rebellious children. He says, "Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corruptors. They've forsaken the Lord."
"They provoke the Holy One of Israel unto anger. They're going away backwards." And then fourthly, we saw the hardness of rebellious children as well. Because he said in verse five, "Why should you be stricken anymore? You revolt more and more. The whole head is sick and the whole heart faints." So there comes a time when God says discipline, chastisement just simply will not work. And that's why the Bible says, "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying." And so today we're going to come basically to the last sub point, and I'm going to show you the harvest of rebellious children. God pleaded over and over with his rebellious people, yet they would not hearken, they would not repent. In Jeremiah 44 and verse 4, God said, "Oh, do not this abominable thing which I hate."
The Harvest of Rebellious Children
Weaver introduces the final sub-point: the harvest of rebellious children, showing the consequences of sin through the picture of a sick, beaten man and a desolate nation.
And he was talking about sin. I do want you to turn, if you would, in your Bibles to the book of 2 Chronicles. Hold Isaiah 1, but look in 2 Chronicles chapter 36, and let me just show you how wicked, how rebellious, how disobedient the children of Israel really were. Because in 2 Chronicles 36, beginning there with verse 15, look what God says. 2 Chronicles 36 and verse 15.
"And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, that is, His prophets, rising up at times and sending because He had compassion on His people, on His dwelling place."
Now watch. Whenever God is going to exercise compassion, He always sends a preacher. He always sends someone to declare His Word. What happened? Look in verse 16.
"But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against the people till there was no remedy. Therefore he, the Lord, brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with a sword, and the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young men, or maiden, or old man, or him that stooped for age."
"He gave them all into his hand." So here the people refused to listen. God sent messengers over and over and over. But all they did was mock. All they did was ridicule. There comes a time when judgment is around the corner. And God said in Psalm 81 in verse 13, "Oh, that my people had hearkened unto me and Israel had walked in my ways." They did not. And so he grieved for that. They continued in their rebellion against him. So if you look in verse six of Isaiah, chapter one, God says, "From the sole of the foot, even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."
Now, what he's doing is this. He's going to show us the harvest of rebellious children. In fact, he's going to show us this in two ways, number one, in the picture of a sick, beaten man, and number two, of how that relates to the nation. You know, I've stated many times that most people are willing and desirous and even eager to sow their wild oats. They love the sin. They love the pleasures of the flesh and the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. The only problem is they're willing and eager to sow those wild oats, but they always want to leave before the harvest matures. And it doesn't work like that, if you really want to know why people are so wicked and so evil.
The Apostle Paul explains that in Romans 3 and verse 18, when he says,
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
In other words, when an individual does not fear God, he does not fear to disobey him and dishonor him and disrespect him. So the problem then of sowing our wild oats and doing that which is wicked and ungodly is that we always reap exactly that which we sow. That's why God said in Galatians 6, 7, and 8, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. He that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting." Now, I want you to look at verse 6 and 7 again. Because he says in verse six, "From the sole of the foot, even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds, bruises and putrefying sores."
The Picture of a Sick, Beaten Man
Isaiah 1:6 describes a man with no soundness, full of wounds and sores, representing the spiritual and national condition of Judah.
Now, what he's doing is this. He's going to show us the harvest of rebellious children. In fact, he's going to show us this in two ways, number one, in the picture of a sick, beaten man, and number two, of how that relates to the nation. You know, I've stated many times that most people are willing and desirous and even eager to sow their wild oats. They love the sin. They love the pleasures of the flesh and the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. The only problem is they're willing and eager to sow those wild oats, but they always want to leave before the harvest matures. And it doesn't work like that, if you really want to know why people are so wicked and so evil.
The Apostle Paul explains that in Romans 3 and verse 18, when he says,
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
In other words, when an individual does not fear God, he does not fear to disobey him and dishonor him and disrespect him. So the problem then of sowing our wild oats and doing that which is wicked and ungodly is that we always reap exactly that which we sow. That's why God said in Galatians 6, 7, and 8, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. He that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting." Now, I want you to look at verse 6 and 7 again. Because he says in verse six, "From the sole of the foot, even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds, bruises and putrefying sores."
"They have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment." Now look at verse seven. "Your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire, your land strangers devoured in your presence, and it is desolate as overthrown by strangers." So here the resemblance between a man that was sick, severely beaten, wounded, and entirely livid and sore, and a land perfectly desolate, destroyed, and devoured is here given to us as a picture of the harvest of rebellious children.
The Desolation of the Nation
Isaiah 1:7 depicts the country as desolate, cities burned, and land devoured by strangers, illustrating the national harvest of sin.
Now, when God says to Judah and Jerusalem, "Your country is desolate," it is a Hebrew expression that is exceedingly emphatic, which literally means this: Your country is perfectly desolate, destroyed and devoured. In other words, it's a country that is completely and totally in ruins. May I point out that here is a perfect picture and a perfect illustration of Romans chapter 14 and verse 7, where the Word of God says,
"For none of us liveth unto himself, and no man dieth unto himself."
So what God is telling us in Isaiah chapter 1, it is the rebellious children that basically destroyed the country. You see, most people think, well look, it's my sin. Sin doesn't affect anybody but me. And usually when you try to reprove or rebuke or exhort someone who's in their sin, they will say this, "It's my business, but out. It's my life. Leave me alone."
And what they fail to understand is this. Their sin always affects more than themselves. It affects their family. It affects their church. It affects their society. And eventually it's going to affect the nation itself. You stop and ask, did Adam's sin just affect himself? And the answer is no. Did the sins of those antediluvians, that is, those people who lived before the flood, only affect themselves? No. Did the sins of the people in Sodom and Gomorrah just simply affect them? No. God not only destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, but the cities of the plain as well. What about the sins of Jacob? Did the sins of Jacob just affect himself? The answer is no. What about the sins of Levi and Simeon?
Sin's Corporate Consequences
Weaver argues that sin never affects only the individual; it impacts family, church, society, and nation, citing examples from Adam to Sodom.
And what they fail to understand is this. Their sin always affects more than themselves. It affects their family. It affects their church. It affects their society. And eventually it's going to affect the nation itself. You stop and ask, did Adam's sin just affect himself? And the answer is no. Did the sins of those antediluvians, that is, those people who lived before the flood, only affect themselves? No. Did the sins of the people in Sodom and Gomorrah just simply affect them? No. God not only destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, but the cities of the plain as well. What about the sins of Jacob? Did the sins of Jacob just affect himself? The answer is no. What about the sins of Levi and Simeon?
No, the truth of the matter is this. Our sins always affect the lives of others. No one ever escapes the destruction and the devastation of sin. Now, I told you at the beginning of this message that there is an application and implication that we can derive from Isaiah chapter 1. For instance, if in America we think for one minute that somehow we are going to escape the harvest that we have sown, we need to think again. If we think that the sin of legalized murder through abortion and the sin of legalized fornication through sodomy and gay marriage, and the overlooking of adultery and fornication, as well as the continued theft and fraud and deceit of the Federal Reserve System and the fractional reserve banking system, and the political sins of socialism, and communism, and Marxism, and the overall idolatry of America, if we think for some way that we're going to escape the just wrath and punishment of God for those sins, we better read Isaiah chapter 1 all over again. Individual sins always break out into societal sins, and societal sins always break out in national sins. It's like God said in Hosea 8 and verse 7, "They have sown the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind."
Application to America
Weaver applies the judgment of Isaiah 1 to modern America, listing sins like abortion, sodomy, and idolatry, and warning that the nation is already under judgment.
So unless there is individual repentance, which leads to familial repentance, which leads to ecclesiastical repentance, which ultimately would lead to national repentance, unless there is that, then like Isaiah chapter 1, all we can expect is the righteous judgment of God. Why? Because God is not mocked. You see, we are not only going to be receiving judgment, we are already under judgment. And the truth of the matter is this, the more we refuse to acknowledge it, the more we refuse to repent and confess and turn from our sins, the more intense, the more frequent and the more severe the judgment will come. All you have to do is read Amos chapter 4, verses 6 through 13. God would send one judgment. They would fail to repent. God would send another judgment. They would still fail to repent. Then God would send another judgment over and over. And with each judgment, there was an increasing of intensity and severity.
Obviously, they did not hear. They did not answer. They did not turn. You look around our country today. We have floods and droughts. And by the way, there was an article the other day that said that drought is now affecting 14 states in this country. Many individuals that work in the agricultural sector have totally lost their crops. So we have floods, we have droughts, we have hurricanes, we have tornadoes, we have plagues, we have pestilences, we have famines, and these are just some of God's judgments.
There's a passage in Ezekiel chapter 14, verse 21, when God is going to send against Jerusalem his judgment, he says this,
"For thus saith the Lord God, how much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword and the famine and the noisome beast and the pestilence to cut off from it man and beast."
You know, it may surprise you to understand that God has an arsenal. God has an armory. God has many weapons for which he can use to destroy a nation, in fact, in Jeremiah 50 and verse 25, we read this. "The Lord has opened his armory and has brought forth the weapons of his indignation, for this is the work of the Lord in the land of the Chaldeans." The Lord had opened his armory and has brought forth the weapons of his indignation. Wow. Do you think that God will not judge sin? Do you think that God will not judge our sin? Do you think that somehow America shall escape the judgment of God?
The Faithfulness of God in Judgment
God's faithfulness guarantees both mercy and judgment; He is faithful to destroy those who hate Him, as seen in Deuteronomy 7:9-10.
Let me point something out. The very faithfulness of God is at stake. The very faithfulness of God. I want you to hold Isaiah 1, but look in Isaiah 11 and verse 5. Isaiah 11 and verse 5. Here we're reading about Messiah. And the Bible says this,
"And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."
Now, the reins speak of a heart. So the very heart of our sovereign God is the heart of faithfulness. He is the faithful God. Now, let me show you how that works out in light of Isaiah 1. I want you to hold Isaiah 1, but look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy 7. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. Deuteronomy 7, fifth book in the Old Testament, Deuteronomy chapter 7, and look if you would please beginning there with verse 9. And I want you to note the word faithful in relation to God here. Deuteronomy 7 verse 9, "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him, and keepeth his commandments to a thousand generations."
Now watch, "...and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack to him that hateth him. He will repay him to his face." Now I want you to note that God is designated in verse 9 as the faithful God. May I ask you? And what area is God faithful? And the answer is he's faithful in each and every area. He is faithful in all areas. So in verse nine, the Bible teaches us that God is faithful to his covenant and keeping mercy to those who love and obey him. But when you get to verse 10, verse 10 teaches us that God is faithful to judge and destroy those that disobey him and hate him. And notice if you would this phrase in verse 10, "He will not be slack to him that hateth him." Simply stated, God is not going to cut anyone any slack. And God is not going to be slack in judging His enemies. He will go ahead and destroy them. God is equally faithful in sending His judgment as He is in sending grace and mercy. He is the faithful God. God is faithful in disciplining and chastening even His own children. God does not fail.
As parents, many times we threaten to discipline our children. But we never do it. We fail to follow through. But God is not like that. David said in Psalm 119 verse 75,
"I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and in Thy faithfulness Thou hast afflicted me."
It's the very faithfulness of God that guarantees not only God's mercy and grace, but also guarantees His judgment as well. Now, if you go back to Isaiah chapter 1 in verse 7, I want you to look at what God says. Isaiah 1 in verse 7, "Your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire, your land strangers devoured in your presence, and it is desolate as overthrown by strangers." I want you to consider some verses with me.
Strangers Devouring the Land
Weaver explains that 'strangers' refers to foreign enemies who invade and destroy, and he connects this to illegal immigration and cultural decay in America.
Now, the word stranger in the Hebrew is the word zur, which literally means a stranger, a foreigner, an enemy. And it also refers to a prostitute. Now, look, if you would, please, in the book of Proverbs, Chapter 2, the book of Proverbs, Chapter 2. And notice, if you would please, beginning there with verse 16. Proverbs 2 and verse 16. Proverbs 2, verse 16. Look what God says. "To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words." So a harlot is referred to then as a strange woman throughout all the Bible. A harlot is referred to as a stranger. Do you remember Jephthah? Jephthah was cast out from the family. Why? Because in Judges 11, in verse 2, we read this, "And Gilead's wife bare him his sons, and his wife's sons grew up. And they thrust out Jephthah from them, and said, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house, for thou art the son of a strange woman." So, very obviously then, here was a strange woman that Gilead had had Jephthah by, so the family then basically cast him out. Whenever you read the word stranger in the Bible, it refers then to an enemy, to a foreigner, someone who is not of the family, someone who is not of the kindred, someone who is not of the nation.
In fact, in Exodus chapter 30 and verse 33, you remember there was a holy anointing oil. It was made only for the priests. And do you realize that God said this, "Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall be cut off from his people." In other words, death. To use the holy anointing oil upon a stranger. Do you realize that part of the curse and the judgment of God upon the wicked is that strangers will devour his goods. In Psalm 109, verse 11, we read this. "Let the extortioner catch all that he hath, and let the stranger spoil his labor." The stranger, again, is someone who is not of the family, not of the kindred, not of the nation.
Now, let me just point out several passages for your consideration. And I want you to listen and pick up on the word stranger. For instance, if we would turn in our Bibles very quickly to the book of Ezekiel. Right after the book of Jeremiah, Lamentations, you have Ezekiel. Look in Ezekiel 11 and verse 9. Ezekiel 11. And notice if you would please verse 9. Ezekiel 11 and verse 9. Look what God says.
"And I will bring you out of the midst thereof and deliver you into the hands of strangers. And I will execute judgments upon you." I'll deliver you in the hands of strangers. Look, if you would, in the book of Ezekiel chapter 28 and verse 10. Ezekiel 28 and verse 10.
In this passage, God says this, "Now shall die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers. For I have spoken it, saith the Lord God." Look in Ezekiel 30 and verse 12. Ezekiel 30 and verse 12. God says, "And I will make the rivers dry and sell the land into the hand of the wicked, and I will make the land waste and all that is therein by the hand of strangers. I, the Lord, have spoken it." Let me just quote two of the verses. In Hosea 7 in verse 9, God says this concerning Israel. "Strangers have devoured his strength. And he knoweth it not. Yea, gray hairs were here and there upon him, yet he knoweth it not." But notice what he said. "Strangers have devoured his strength." Then in Hosea 8 in verse 7, he says this. "They have sown the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind."
"It hath no stalk, the bud shall yield no meal. If so it yield, strangers shall swallow it up." Now listen. Strangers are foreign enemies that invade the land and eat up its resources, destroy its productivity, confiscate, use and abuse the inhabitants and could care absolutely nothing about the land. When strangers come in a land, the only thing they can consider is getting what they can get, taking what they can take. And destroying whatever is left. The attitude of strangers is if I can have it, no one can. I'll destroy it. I do want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Judges, Chapter six. I want to show you a wonderful biblical statement concerning this truth. Look in the book of Judges, Chapter six. And you'll hear read about the Midianites. Judges, Chapter six. And let's begin reading with verse one. Judges, Chapter six, verse one.
"And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. And because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made them the dens which were in the mountains and caves and strongholds. And so it was when Israel had sown that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them." Now look what happens. Look what the strangers do to the land. "And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth till thou comest to Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor oxen, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude. For both they and their camels were without number, and they entered into the land to destroy it." And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites. What did they do? They literally destroyed the land.
Now, I want you to go back to Isaiah chapter 1. I want you to look at verse 7. I want you to think with me about America. I want you to see if the judgment that God applied to Judah and Jerusalem is not happening in our own land because of our sin and our rebellion. But look at Isaiah 1 in verse 7. "Your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire. Your land strangers devoured in your presence. And as desolate as overthrown by strangers." Now, here's an extremely agitating and calamitous situation. Look at it again in verse seven. "Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire, your land, strangers devour it. In your presence." You can see it.
But you can't stop it. You can see it. But you can't hinder it. You can see it, but you can't do anything about it. You just simply watch your country, your society, your home destroyed by strangers.
Now, undoubtedly, Isaiah 1 and verse 7 referred to the invading Babylonian army. Because they were strangers, they were the enemy, they were the foreigners, and they came in to absolutely destroy. You can read for yourself in the book of Jeremiah and in the book of Lamentations what they did to Jerusalem. How they broke down the wall, how they burned the temple, they destroyed the city, they murdered the people, they carried some away into captivity, and they literally pillaged and ruined absolutely everything.
But have you understood that it is possible for strangers to devour your country without a war? Have you considered that it's possible for strangers to make your land desolate without a war? Some of you have seen, if you have not, I would urge you to look at the pictures that are all over the internet of what the illegals have done in Southern California and in Southern Arizona. You're talking about a trashed country. You're talking about filth. You're talking about murder and mayhem. Even the federal government put up a sign warning the people of Arizona not to go into the southern part of Arizona simply because of the illegal immigrants who are destroying and murdering and killing everything and everybody they can find. It's amazing. Have you seen, have you looked at the pictures of Detroit, Michigan? Go on the internet and I want you to look at the cities in Michigan and especially Detroit. And I want you to look at the buildings and the towns. How everything is absolutely desolate.
The Remnant and Call to Repentance
Isaiah 1:9 shows that only a small remnant is spared by God's grace; Weaver urges repentance and faithfulness to avoid the fate of Sodom.
He sent fire and brimstone and destroyed them. Only Lot and his two daughters actually got out. Everyone else was totally wiped off the face of the earth. Now, look, if you would. Isaiah 1, verse 9, "Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant." Those who do escape, escape only by the grace of God. And unless God has mercy upon us, we should be like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Now, let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. The most awful judgment that God can bring upon any people is when he no longer speaks to them or disciplines them. What would you think as a child if your father never spoke to you and never disciplines you? He just left you alone. You think, boy, that's an unusual father. But may I point out when God refuses to speak to us and refuses to discipline us,
He's leaving us in our own incorrigibility. He's leaving us in our own rebellion to the day of judgment. What does he say in Revelation 22 and verse 11? "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. He that is filthy, let him be filthy still." In other words, when God is ready to destroy a people, He's silent toward them. And when God refuses to speak, there's nothing but judgment. The second application is this. The evidence of a nation under the extreme and severe judgment of God, and the evidence of a nation about to be destroyed by God, is when the people of that nation are made worse by the things or by the methods which God would use to make them better. It's just like he said back in verse 5, "Why should you be stricken anymore?"
"You will revolt more and more." In other words, discipline no longer works. All discipline does is makes you more rebellious. You know what the Bible says in Romans 2 verses 4 through 6, he says, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance." But he says, "After the hardness and impenitent heart now treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds." The goodness of God, the grace of God, the mercy of God should make us better, the discipline of God should make us better. But when we fail to respond to discipline and the goodness and the grace of God, the only thing left is judgment.
And then he said in verse nine, "Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant." Here's where we can rejoice. Because God will never leave himself without witness. God will always have his elect. He will always have his remnant. He will always have his 7000 that have never bowed the knee to Baal. And God will spare those who will be faithful unto him. You know what we should do? We should do like some of the Old Testament prophets and some of the New Testament apostles, we should look back and say, wow, God was so good to us. God delivered us. We need to glory in God's deliverance. We need to glory in the fact that what he has done in time past, he may do again now. And what did our Lord say, "Turn ye, turn ye, turn ye, for why will you die?" That's true of individuals. It's true of families. It's true of society. It's true of nations.
Our response should be one of repentance and faith. The harvest of rebellious children is awful. I don't know about you. But I don't want that kind of harvest in my life. Or my family or my church or my nation. And if we don't want it, we need to repent. Do you remember as wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah were? God was willing to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if he found, what, ten righteous people. And there's far more than ten in this room. What can you do to be as holy and as godly and as obedient and as righteous as you can be by the grace of God?
Study Guide
Major Themes
The Harvest of Sin
Summary: Sin inevitably produces a harvest of destruction, both individually and nationally, as seen in the desolation of Judah.
Evidence: Weaver states, 'He's going to show us the harvest of rebellious children... the resemblance between a man that was sick, severely beaten... and a land perfectly desolate.'
Corporate Consequences of Sin
Summary: Sin never affects only the sinner; it brings ruin to families, churches, and nations.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'Their sin always affects more than themselves. It affects their family. It affects their church. It affects their society.'
God's Faithfulness in Judgment
Summary: God is equally faithful to judge and destroy the wicked as He is to show mercy to the obedient.
Evidence: Weaver cites Deuteronomy 7:9-10: 'God is faithful to his covenant... God is faithful to judge and destroy those that disobey him.'
National Judgment through Strangers
Summary: God uses foreign enemies ('strangers') to devour a rebellious nation's land and resources as a form of judgment.
Evidence: Weaver explains, 'Strangers are foreign enemies that invade the land and eat up its resources... could care absolutely nothing about the land.'
The Remnant Preserved by Grace
Summary: Even in judgment, God preserves a faithful remnant, as seen in Isaiah 1:9.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant... God will always have his elect.'
Call to Repentance
Summary: The only escape from judgment is individual and national repentance and turning to God.
Evidence: Weaver urges, 'Our response should be one of repentance and faith... if we don't want it, we need to repent.'
Key Arguments
Sin's harvest is inevitable and devastating
Summary: Just as a beaten man is covered in wounds, a sinful nation becomes desolate and destroyed.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it... Your country is desolate.'
Sin has corporate, not just individual, effects
Summary: The sins of individuals lead to societal and national ruin, as seen in biblical examples.
Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Did Adam's sin just affect himself? And the answer is no.'
America is under God's judgment
Summary: The nation's sins, including abortion and sodomy, have brought desolation similar to Isaiah 1.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'If in America we think for one minute that somehow we are going to escape the harvest that we have sown, we need to think again.'
God's faithfulness demands judgment
Summary: God cannot be faithful without judging sin; His character guarantees both mercy and wrath.
Evidence: Weaver states, 'The very faithfulness of God is at stake... God is faithful in sending His judgment as He is in sending grace.'
Strangers devour the land as judgment
Summary: Foreign enemies, including illegal immigrants, are instruments of God's judgment on a rebellious nation.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'Strangers are devouring our land in our presence... what the illegals have done in Southern California.'
Only a remnant is spared by grace
Summary: God's mercy preserves a small faithful group, but the nation as a whole faces destruction without repentance.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been a Sodom.'
Scripture References
Isaiah 1:1-4
Context: Weaver reads the opening verses of Isaiah 1, describing the vision and the rebellion of Judah.
Isaiah 1:5-7
Context: Weaver reads verses describing the sickness of the nation and the desolation of the land.
Isaiah 1:8-9
Context: Weaver reads about the daughter of Zion left as a cottage and the remnant spared.
Jeremiah 44:4
Context: God pleads with His people not to do the abominable thing He hates.
2 Chronicles 36:15-17
Context: God sent messengers, but the people mocked them until there was no remedy, leading to the Babylonian invasion.
Psalm 81:13
Context: God laments that His people did not hearken to Him.
Romans 3:18
Context: There is no fear of God before their eyes, explaining why people sin.
Galatians 6:7-8
Context: Whatever a man sows, he will reap; sowing to the flesh reaps corruption.
Romans 14:7
Context: None of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
Hosea 8:7
Context: They have sown the wind and shall reap the whirlwind.
Amos 4:6-13
Context: God sent successive judgments, but Israel did not repent.
Ezekiel 14:21
Context: God sends four sore judgments: sword, famine, noisome beast, and pestilence.
Jeremiah 50:25
Context: The Lord has opened His armory and brought forth weapons of indignation.
Isaiah 11:5
Context: Righteousness and faithfulness are the girdle of Messiah.
Deuteronomy 7:9-10
Context: God is faithful to keep covenant and mercy, and to repay those who hate Him.
Psalm 119:75
Context: David acknowledges God's faithfulness in afflicting him.
Leviticus 26:22,33,43
Context: God warns of desolation and scattering for disobedience.
Deuteronomy 28:49-52
Context: God will bring a fierce nation to destroy Israel for disobedience.
Micah 6:14-16
Context: God will make Israel a desolation because of their statutes.
Isaiah 46:10
Context: God's counsel shall stand, and He will do all His pleasure.
Historical References
Babylonian invasion
Context: Weaver identifies the strangers in Isaiah 1:7 as the invading Babylonian army that destroyed Jerusalem.
Sodom and Gomorrah
Context: Weaver references the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of God's judgment, noting only Lot and his daughters escaped.
Midianite oppression in Judges 6
Context: Weaver reads Judges 6:1-6 to illustrate how strangers (Midianites) destroyed Israel's land and impoverished them.
Illegal immigration in Southern U.S.
Context: Weaver mentions the destruction caused by illegal immigrants in Southern California and Arizona as a modern parallel.
Detroit, Michigan decay
Context: Weaver cites the desolation of Detroit as an example of urban decay, possibly linked to strangers devouring the land.
Muslim influence in Michigan
Context: Weaver notes the presence of a large mosque and Arabic language services in Michigan as evidence of strangers' influence.
Congressman Weiner's wife and Muslim Brotherhood ties
Context: Weaver mentions that Congressman Weiner's wife is a Muslim with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, working with Hillary Clinton.
Execution of a Mexican national in Texas
Context: Weaver recounts the execution of a Mexican for murder and rape, noting his last words were 'Viva Mexico' and Washington D.C. tried to intervene.
Important Quotes
Your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire, your land strangers devoured in your presence, and it is desolate as overthrown by strangers.
Significance: This is the key verse describing the harvest of rebellious children, showing the national desolation resulting from sin.
The very faithfulness of God is at stake.
Significance: Weaver emphasizes that God's character demands He judge sin, making judgment as certain as mercy.
Strangers are foreign enemies that invade the land and eat up its resources, destroy its productivity, confiscate, use and abuse the inhabitants and could care absolutely nothing about the land.
Significance: Weaver defines 'strangers' and explains how they execute God's judgment on a nation.
Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been a Sodom and we should have been made like unto Gomorrah.
Significance: This verse highlights the grace of God in preserving a remnant, without which total destruction would occur.
The most awful judgment that God can bring upon any people is when he no longer speaks to them or disciplines them.
Significance: Weaver warns that God's silence is a sign of impending judgment, leaving people in their rebellion.
Our response should be one of repentance and faith.
Significance: The sermon's application calls for personal and national repentance to avert judgment.
Discussion Questions
How does the picture of a sick, beaten man in Isaiah 1:6 help us understand the spiritual condition of a nation?
Context: Weaver draws a parallel between the man's wounds and the nation's desolation.
In what ways does sin affect more than just the individual sinner, according to the sermon?
Context: Weaver argues that sin impacts family, church, society, and nation.
How is God's faithfulness demonstrated in both mercy and judgment?
Context: Weaver uses Deuteronomy 7:9-10 to show God is faithful to bless and to curse.
What does the term 'strangers' mean in Isaiah 1:7, and how might it apply to modern America?
Context: Weaver explains 'strangers' as foreign enemies and applies it to illegal immigration and cultural decay.
Why is God's silence considered the most awful judgment?
Context: Weaver states that when God stops speaking, He leaves people to their own destruction.
What role does the remnant play in God's plan of judgment and mercy?
Context: Weaver emphasizes that God always preserves a faithful remnant by grace.
How should believers respond to the national sins and judgment described in the sermon?
Context: Weaver calls for repentance, faith, and faithfulness as the proper response.
Applications
Repentance from personal and national sin
Summary: Weaver urges individuals to repent of their sins to avoid the harvest of destruction, emphasizing that repentance can lead to God's mercy.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'Our response should be one of repentance and faith... if we don't want it, we need to repent.'
Faithfulness in a rebellious nation
Summary: Believers are called to remain faithful and righteous, like the remnant, even as the nation faces judgment.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'God will spare those who will be faithful unto him.'
Recognizing God's discipline
Summary: Weaver warns that when discipline no longer leads to repentance, it is a sign of severe judgment; believers should respond to God's correction.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'The evidence of a nation under the extreme and severe judgment of God... is when the people of that nation are made worse by the things which God would use to make them better.'
Trusting God's sovereignty in judgment
Summary: Even as strangers devour the land, believers should trust that God is in control and commit themselves to Him.
Evidence: Weaver prays, 'Help us, Lord, to know what to do and where to turn... to turn to Thee and to be obedient.'
deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T12:38:06Z
deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T22:01:20Z