We Have Freedom! What is Our Response?
(Independence Day, 2010)
Isaiah 9:13-21
Introduction
- Today, we celebrate our nation’s birth; as well as look forward …
- Title: We Have Freedom! (So, What is America’s Response?)
- God is calling us to respond; and His people we must obey Him: Always
- On Wed night, we discussed the response of God’s people to His word
- Importance to understand the mindset here (Read verses Isaiah 9:9-10)
- We have a revelation of a prophecy of Hope to be given to us
- Sadly though, the response from the people contains pride and arrogance
-- The people proclaim that the bricks have fallen down, but we’ll rebuild
-- The fig trees are taken out (food & shade), so we’ll just plant cedar
- The pride seeping out of these verses is immense and we have to see this to grasp the impact of God’s response
-- Prov 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
- APP: When the Lord speaks to us, our response has to be to move; we must respond to changing our own course (most important app)
- So, we see word being sent; but nothing in their lives changes
- Have they not seen God’s power? Have they not seen God’s strength?
- Were these same people brought from captivity by God’s mercy?
- QUOTE: Abraham Lincoln said almost 150 years ago: “We’ve grown in numbers and wealth and power as no other nation has grown…We’ve vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our own hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient…, too proud to pray to the God that made us.” (p. 80, as quoted in “America, Return to God”; edited by Thomas Wang)
- This morning, I hope we can leave here with a renewed sense of purpose
- Our country needs the Lord; today more so than ever
- It is God’s people who will impact it & set the example to follow
- Stand and Read Isaiah 9:13-21 / Pray
Point 1 – No Vision brings Confusion
- There are several things to see here; prayerfully we can see ourselves in it
- The people were experiencing confusion; a sense of no direction
- V16 says “Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray” … and V19 repeats this same confusion and says “… and the people will be fuel for the fire; no one will spare his brother.”
- The confusion and anarchy here is paramount that we grasp and understand
- Without direction, without vision and purpose, success is impossible
- This confusion Isaiah writes of is the cause of one thing: poor leadership
APPLICATION:
- Hear me, don’t miss this: it is not a matter of Republican or Democrat
- No pastor of any church should EVER tell someone how to vote
- Don’t miss: But, it is a matter of understanding that everyone has a leader
- 20 years of military service has taught me that everyone has a boss
- Who that person follows guides their own direction and choices
- And this is what we have to focus in on and observe; then choose to follow
- Understand your own morals/values; choose a leader who represents you
-- The Bible is the plum line of our lives; it is the standard that we have
-- If our lives do not match God’s Word; then we must change our lives
-- So, if your beliefs line up with Biblical truth – the choice is simple
- Isaiah speaks of mass confusion because there is no order; no discipline
- When you follow God you get Godly direction; when you don’t you get …
- Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”
- What is the vision for our nation? What is the vision of “Isaiah’s people”?
- I tell you that if it seems unclear; then confusion and chaos follows
- TRANS: We must listen, hear, and respond to God’s calling
Point 2 – Heed the Warning
- The people Isaiah preached too were ignoring the warning signs from God
- When we are about to have a hurricane, we get warnings from everywhere
-- Fisherman are advised to stay in port; residents told to leave, etc
-- The red flags hit the beaches and it is impossible to miss what’s coming
- Isaiah proclaims the warnings here; as believers are commanded to do also
- And the response? V13, “But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the LORD Almighty.”
- I think it is safe to say, that history is repeating itself over and over
- Our nation needs to return to the Lord, and it is our job to show the Way
- QUOTE: “What a consolation it is that our God never changes! What he was yesterday he is today. What we find him today we shall find him for ever. Are you struggling against sin? Don't struggle in your own strength: it is God who performeth all things for you. Victories over sin are only sham victories unless we overcome through the blood of the Lamb, and through the power of divine grace.” – Charles H. Spurgeon, 1915
- God is always the same …
- Mal 3:6, “I the LORD do not change …”; there is no change in Him
- TRANS: If God is consistent in dealing with nations; He will be the same in dealing with our nation as well
Point 3 – Our Response is Critical
- How do we impact change for our nation?
- QUOTE: “I believe that the real difference in the American church is not between conservatives and liberals, fundamentalists and charismatics, or Republicans and Democrats. The real difference is between the aware and the unaware. When somebody is aware of the love that the Father has for Jesus (and how Jesus loves us), that person is spontaneously grateful. Cries of thankfulness become the dominant characteristic of the interior life, and the byproduct of gratitude is joy. We’re not joyful and then become grateful — we’re grateful, and that makes us joyful.”
(Brennan Manning, in “The Dick Staub Interview: Brennan Manning on Ruthless Trust,” ChristianityToday.com (December 1, 2002))
- The first thing we must do as we celebrate freedom, is pray and seek God
- Without Him, we are incapable of doing anything additional; or effective
- Because God gives us the ability to call on Him – we must do so always
- We have freedom today; the Bible specifically tells us there is freedom in Christ
- There is a release from bondage
- There is freedom when you serve the Lord; when you live for Him
- Romans 8:1-2, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
- The Declaration of Independence tells us, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
- APP: Do we show equality in Christ to all?
- APP: Will we be revealers of freedom?
- Invite singers
- So, if we are free – will we use our voice to proclaim freedom?
- Will we celebrate our freedom with a willingness to witness for Him?
- Will we do whatever it takes to bring Jesus’ freedom to our nation?
- With every head bowed and every eye closed, would you pray with me …
- Would you pray for our Nation/State/City/Community/Church …
- Do you need to meet Jesus? Do you need to be right with Him …
