Sin has a Price
Isaiah 10:5-34
Introduction:
- Focus: Sin turns man away from God’s plans for our lives
- Often times, it is obvious to state this – but very painful to try to change it
- God calls us to turn away and to return to Him fully; today we’ll explore this a bit
- This morning we shall see how pride affects repentance, recognize it’s nonsense
- Read Isaiah 10:5-34
- Pray
Point 1 – The Effect of Sin
- The King of Assyria figured he had everything worked out and is leading w/o God
- (v7) His purpose is to destroy; to conquer; to be totally self sufficient
- Because his pride is leading him, he feels that perhaps he is invincible
- Can you just picture it? He’s got it all worked out and he’s in charge of it all
- His desire to conquer is fed from one place: Satan’s lie that we don’t need God
- 1 Peter 5:8 cautions us, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ”
– Lions do not need training on how to eat or how to devour
– They are fully prepared to take you out, and thus why Peter compared them
– His game of lying and deceiving is long-standing
- The king fell into it because he stepped outside of God’s will and God’s protection
- (v12) “God will punish this action”
- APP: If God will correct a king; what does that say about us? (Come back to this)
- IMP APP: When God brings his people into trouble, it is to bring sin to their remembrance; to humble their attitudes, and to awaken them to repentance and the need for God’s provision in their lives.
- God demonstrates this control by first getting our attention; then calling us to Him
- (v15-16) Can an inanimate object boast?
- No, of course not; as God’s servants we must be careful to not do so as well
- It is a dangerous road of self promotion here when we think we’ve got it all handled
- TRANS: So, which side will you be on?
Point 2 – Which side are you on?
- (v20-22) What is the remnant?
- Who are they faithful to?
- What is their commission?
- APP: God’s people return to Him due to their inability to defeat the enemy
- Come back to the remnant in a few minutes …
- Ref from several weeks ago: God’s Law is something we could never keep … but it is in place today to break us and remind us of how far we’ve come from God’s intention. We can never keep the Law, but through Grace provided through Christ we can be forgiven of it’s due punishment (death).
- (v24-25) Look at God’s order of events
1) First, do not be afraid
2) Second, God’s displeasure with us ends
3) Third, He then directs it at His people’s enemies
- However, before God turns to His people’s enemies, something has to happen
- God knows your struggle, He is aware of your heartaches & troubles; He’s seeking you
- Before you can receive power, you must first receive what He has provided for you
- (v20b – KJV) – “stay upon the Lord”
- (v20b – NIV) – “truly rely on the Lord”
- The people are called to repent; called to return to God; just as we are at this moment
- APP: God will not take up your case with sin between you and I
– Prov 15:29, “The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”
– 1 John 1:6-8, “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
- If you’ve never received Jesus; today is the day to stop running and get serious
- Before we can be part of the remnant, we must be obedient to how God calls us
- So, what is the expected level of obedience in our lives?
- Jesus was crushed for our sins; died horribly on a cross so that we could be free
- This is the Gospel; the GOOD NEWS is that we don’t have to live in sin
- But before there was good news there was bad news; sin had to be crushed for us
- Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Point 3 - How do we respond?
- APP: Then, this must be our response – go to and read Romans 8:12-15
- The obligation is to fully submit to the leadership of Jesus Christ
- To not live in sin; because this is what brings us to the point of death
- The Spirit then controls us (once we have Christ); and the Spirit seeks the remnant
- We are not controlled by our own ideas; but controlled through God’s will
- Consider the Assyrian King from Isaiah 10:
- “I’m in charge … I don’t need God to be involved here in this … I got it”
- The result? Judgment from God upon him – it will never be the other way around
- APP: If God will treat a king this way; what does that say about little old us?
- Psalmist writes in Psalm 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? ”
- Today, can you say that the Lord is your salvation? That He is your everything?
- Are you willing to return to God? To fully give yourself over to Him?
- Or, are you tempting fate and waiting for the same judgment upon yourself?
Invite singers
- James 4:6 says “ … God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- I plead with you to put to death the pride in yourselves – and flee to Christ
- Will you today, lay down your pride and seek first Christ?
- (Ref IMP APP on Page 1 …)
- With every head bowed and every eye closed …
- Invitation to accept Christ …
- Invitation to join with this body of believers to be strengthened …
