Come On...be Reasonable Series

"COME ON...BE REASONABLE"

TEXT: ISAIAH CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

IN AUGUST OF 1980 I LEFT -- UP STATE NEW YORK WHERE I WAS RECEIVING TRAINING IN THE NAVY TO GO TO JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA TO GET MARRIED.... IT WAS A LONG DRIVE AND I COULDN’T WAIT TO GET THERE. WHEN I ARRIVED I PULLED INTO THE DRIVE WAY OF JUDY’S PARENTS HOUSE, SHE AND HER FAMILY CAME OUT TO MEET ME.

LATER WHEN I WAS GETTING SOMETHING OUT OF THE TRUNK OF MY CAR - JUDY’S 3 YEAR OLD NEPHEW DID SOMETHING THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET. WHILE I WAS BENDING OVER THE TRUNK, WEARING A PAIR OF SHORTS (I MIGHT ADD), I FELT SOMETHING WARM AND WET RUNNING DOWN MY LEG AND LOOK TO FIND CHRIS JUDY’S NEPHEW PEEING ON MY LEG....

BESIDES BEING PEED ON I WAS ANGRY.... BUT NO ONE ELSE SEEMED TO TAKE IT TOO SERIOUSLY.... AND I BEING A MERE 20 YEARS OLD WITH NO EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN DECIDED I WOULD TAKE ACTION -- I TOOK CHRIS INTO A SIDE ROOM AND TRIED TO REASON WITH HIM (A 3 YEAR OLD) ABOUT WHY PEEING ON SOMEONE’S LEG IS NOT A NICE THING TO DO.. AFTER A FEW MINUTES I GAVE UP -- AS I DISCOVERED THAT REASONING WITH A 3 YEAR OLD ISN’T THAT EASY TO DO...

DON’T UNREASONABLE PEOPLE FRUSTRATE YOU? DOESN’T IT JUST DRIVE YOU CRAZY WHEN PEOPLE WON’T LISTEN TO SOUND REASON? INSURANCE COMPANIES FRUSTRATE YOU WITH WHAT MEDICAL TREATMENT THEY WILL COVER AND WHAT TREATMENT THEY WON’T COVER. EMPLOYERS FRUSTRATE EMPLOYEES WHEN EMPLOYEE’S KNOW A BETTER WAY TO DO THINGS BUT THEIR BOSSES WON’T LISTEN TO REASON....

PARENTS FRUSTRATE CHILDREN; CHILDREN FRUSTRATE PARENTS AND PEOPLE FRUSTRATE GOD ALL BECAUSE THEY DO NOT LISTEN TO REASON.

OUR TEXT TODAY IS THE FIRST CHAPTER OF ISAIAH, WHICH REALLY SERVES AS A PROLOGUE TO THE ENTIRE BOOK OF ISAIAH, A BOOK WRITTEN TO WARN GOD’S PEOPLE OF THE DANGERS OF REBELLION AND TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO RETURN TO HIM.

AND THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST NOR THE LAST TIME THAT GOD’S PEOPLE WOULD REBEL AGAINST HIM.

PAUL WROTE IN I CORINTHIANS 10:11;

"THESE THINGS HAPPENED TO THEM AS EXAMPLES AND WERE WRITTEN DOWN AS WARNINGS FOR US, ON WHOM THE FULFILLMENT OF THE AGES HAS COME..."

IN ISAIAH CHAPTER ONE WE SEE GOD CALLING HIS PEOPLE WHO ARE IN REBELLION AGAINST HIM -- THE ISRAELITES THEN AND US TODAY -- WE SEE GOD CALLING ON US TO BE REASONABLE, ASKING US TO THINK THINGS THROUGH, TO USE A LITTLE COMMON SENSE >> TO USE THE BRAINS THAT THE GOD LORD GAVE US, IN ORDER TO REALIZE WHAT WE ARE DOING...

GOD SAYS IN THE THEME TEXT FOR THIS PASSAGE, VERSE 18, "COME ON LET US REASON TOGETHER...."

NOW UNDERSTAND THAT GOD IS NOT OBLIGATED TO DO THIS -- HE DOES NOT HAVE TO GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO THINK THINGS THROUGH (HE IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT, HE IS IN CHARGE) -- BUT HE DOES!

AND I KNOW THAT GOD MUST FIND US AT TIMES AS HARD TO REASON WITH AS I FOUND JUDY’S 3 YEAR OLD NEPHEW, CHRIS.

HEAR ME, IT IS VERY UNREASONABLE AND EXTREMELY FUTILE FOR SOMEONE TO REBEL AGAINST GOD -- IT IS COMPLETELY ILLOGICAL.

BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS; THAT THE ISRAELITES 700 YEARS AGO WERE AND PEOPLE TODAY STILL ARE REBELLING AGAINST THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY -- MAYBE YOU’RE ONE OF THEM....

AND IF THAT’S THE CASE GOD’S PLEA TO YOU IS:

COME ON... BE REASONABLE

YOU’LL NEED A BIBLE AND AN OUTLINE -- IF YOU WANT TO GET THE MOST OUT OF GOD’S HOLY, GOD-BREATHED WORD TODAY....

THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER OF ISAIAH IS AN APPEAL FROM GOD TO HIS PEOPLE TO BE REASONABLE -- TO THINK THINGS THROUGH -- TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE DOING... TO GRASP JUST WHO THEY ARE AND WHO GOD IS.

FOR YOU SEE; THINKING, REASONING AND UNDERSTANDING ARE NOT OUR ENEMIES THEY ARE OUR FRIENDS... IT IS WHEN WE ACT WITHOUT THINKING THAT WE GET OURSELVES INTO TROUBLE. SATAN THE PRINCE OF THIS DARK WORLD, PREFER US TO BLINDLY LIVE LIFE LIKE AN ANIMAL DOING WHAT WE WANT WITHOUT EVER THINKING THINGS THROUGH... WITHOUT EVER THINKING ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES AND THE SUFFERING OUR ACTIONS WILL BRING.

BUT GOD ON THE OTHER HAND CALL ON US TO BE REASONABLE -- TO REASON WITH HIM... AND WHEN WE USE REASON WE WILL SEE THINGS GOD’S WAY.

OUR APPROACH TO THIS STUDY TODAY WILL IS TO READ THROUGH ISAIAH CHAPTER ONE A FEW PASSAGES AT A TIME -- STOPPING TO UNCOVER WHAT IS ASKING HIS PEOPLE TO REASON THROUGH...

ISAIAH 1:1,2

1. "I AM YOUR FATHER, I HAVE TAKEN CARE OF YOU"

NOW REMEMBER THAT THE ISRAELITE NATION AT THE TIME OF ISAIAH HAS TURNED THEIR BACKS ON GOD -- THEY HAD NEGLECTED HIS WORD -- PARTICIPATED IN IMMORALITY AND PRACTICED IDOLATRY (THEY PUT OTHER THINGS BEFORE GOD).