Isaiah 30:1-10

INTRODUCTION

People love smooth things.  Women love smooth talking and charming men that know how to say all the right things to make them feel good and make them feel special.  We love smooth riding cars; Cadillacs, Lincolns, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, and Jaguar’s are cars that ride as if you are practically floating on air. Athletes when showing off their “skills” like to make smooth moves.  But it’s a shame when we live in a society that has come to accept a smooth gospel, and even worst, when Christians demand to be taught a smooth gospel. 

We live in a world that is saturated with false preachers and false teachers who preach false doctrine.  Millions of people are being led astray daily by their enticing words, watered down message, and smooth style.  There are some who started out in the church of Christ but somewhere along the way someone came along and perverted the truth and caused them to stray away from the ark of safety.  That’s why Paul said in Galatians 1:6-9 “⁶ I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: ⁷ Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

Church there are those today who have come along and have perverted the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The word pervert means to change, taint, distort, misrepresent, to alter.  There are some preachers who are misrepresenting the word of God. Instead of giving people book, chapter, and verse they’re giving them lip, tongue, and teeth.  Instead of giving them the bread of life, they’re giving them bread pudding.  Instead of giving them the sincere milk of the word, they are giving them sweet milk.  Instead of preaching the sureness of Christ they rather sugarcoat.  Instead of preaching water baptism that puts one into Christ, they rather water down the book.  Instead of preaching the plan of salvation, they want the plan of temptation (story of temptation).  These change agents would much rather preach to people the things they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. 

But I heard Paul tell Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-5 “ ¹ I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; ² Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. ³ For the time will come (the time has come) when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; ⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Paul gave the responsibility to Timothy to “preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2) and he also gave the reason (2 Tim. 4:3–4). The time would come when most people would not want to endure “sound doctrine” of the Word of God. They would have carnal desires for religious novelties. Because of their “itching ears” they would accumulate teachers who would satisfy their cravings for things that disagree with the word of God. The fact that a preacher has a large congregation is not always a sign that he is preaching the truth. In fact, it may be evidence that he is tickling people’s “itching ears” and giving them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.

Let me say this, it’s only a short step from “itching ears” to turning one’s ears completely away from the truth. Once people have rejected the truth, they turn to fables (myths). It’s not likely that man-made fables will convict them of sin or make them want to repent! The result is a congregation of comfortable, professing people, listening to a comfortable, religious message that contains no biblical doctrine or substance. These people become prey to every false teacher and religion because their lives lack a foundation in the Word of God.  That’s why the Hebrew writer says in Hebrews 5:12-14 “¹² For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. ¹³ For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

In our text we want to look at three points this morning.  The Alliance, The Defiance, and The Compliance.

I. THE ALLIANCE

Isaiah 30:1-3 “¹ Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: ² That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! ³ Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.”

In the text, the obstinate children of Judah have rebelled against God. After all that God had done for His people they turned away from Him and sought help from feeble Egypt.  Unlike Moses, Joshua, David, and Jehosaphat, these leaders did not seek the will of God.  The negotiations for an alliance were underway and God’s prophet Isaiah condemned their twisted plans. The people of Judah sought advice from everyone but God!  They made plans, but not God’s plans.  They carried out a will, but not God’s will.  They worked through the power of a spirit, but not God’s Spirit.  They found comfort, advice, and relief, from other sources hoping to find an easy way out of our their troubles.  Instead of God and His word being a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their pathway, they looked for Him only to give them emergency help in a time of crisis.  Brothers and sisters God does not want to be our Gene, He wants to be our Guide. God does not want to be a temporary fix, but He wants to be a permanent Father. 

Hosea 4:6-12 says “⁶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. ⁷ As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. ⁸ They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. ⁹ And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings. ¹⁰ For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD. ¹¹ Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.  ¹² My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.

Brothers and sisters God does not want us to go out and run footloose and live reckless lives only to continue to return back to Him time after time after we have made a mess of our lives and now we want to lay everything at the feet of God. (Prodical Son)

II. THE DEFIANCE

Isaiah 30:8-10   ⁸ Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: ⁹ That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: ¹⁰ Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

The charge drawn up against them was very high and the sentence passed upon them very dreadful. These people opposed and forbade the pure preaching of the word of God and demand that Isaiah prophesy “smooth things” to them.  The prophets told them of their faults, and warned them of their misery and danger by reason of sin, and they could not bear that. They wanted to hear smooth things, they wanted them to flatter them in their sins.  They wanted Isaiah to say they did well, and there was no harm, no peril, in the course of the life in which they lived. It didn’t matter if a thing was right and true, if it was not smooth, they didn’t hear it.  But if it was agreeable to the good opinion they had of themselves, even though it may not have been true, they wanted it prophesied to them. Those who desire to be deceived deserve to be deceived.  That’s why Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 “⁸ And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: ⁹ Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰ And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: ¹² That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Brothers and sisters you put yourself in danger of the wrath and the condemnation of God for believing and advocating false teaching and false doctrine.

III. THE COMPLIANCE

Isaiah 30:18-21 “¹⁸ And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him. ¹⁹ For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. ²⁰ And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: ²¹ And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”

Here we find the prophet Isaiah turning from the subject of rebellion to the subject of restoration.  He proclaims,  “The Lord longs to be gracious to you,” he told the people; “He rises to show you compassion”. God’s grace is His favor toward those who do not deserve it, and it is only because of His grace that we have any blessings at all. Isaiah described that future day when Israel would be restored to her land to enjoy the blessings of the kingdom. They would be like liberated prisoners of war. Instead of scoffing, they would listen to God’s Word and put away their foolish idols. The land would be restored and become prosperous again, and God would bind up the bruises and heal the wounds of His people if they would only comply with His word.

If we are going to be renewed, restored, refurbished, and re-established, we have to be in compliance with sound doctrine, the pure unadulterated word of God that liveth and abideth forever.

Brothers and sisters don’t let the smooth taste of a watered down gospel fool you.  The man of God has a solemn charge to preach to please God and not man.  The preacher is not to be:

A people-pleasing preacher

A prominence-seeking preacher

A popular preacher

A watered-down, don’t hurt anybody’s feelings preacher

But he ought to be:

A God-pleasing preacher

A water-washed preacher

A blood-bought preacher

A Holy Spirit filled preacher

A Christ-exalting preacher

A true to the book preacher

Thank God for the Gospel preacher that preach the word and strives to live what he preaches.  No wonder the Apostle Paul said in Romans 10:14-15 “¹⁴ How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Preaching is a charge given from the preacher’s superior commander Jesus Christ.  If his preaching pleases God, it will stir those who hear. 

His preaching on God will stir the idolaters and atheists

His preaching on divine creation will stir the evolutionist

His preaching on “the one true church” will stir the denominationalist

His preaching on the headship of the church will stir Catholicism

His preaching on modest apparel will stir hootie mamma’s

His preaching on leadership will stir brethren to stop being lazy and lethargic