Isaiah's Call: Recognizing Sin and Embracing Salvation

"ah sinful nation a people laden with iniquity a seed of evildoers children that are corrupters they have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger they are gone away backward ah sinful nation the people laden with iniquity a seed of evildoers children that are corrupters they have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the Holy One of Israel and to anger they are gone away backward" [00:00:18]

"the Prophet has got two big things to say the first is he tells the people the cause of their troubles that's the starting point oh you can't treat a condition unless you know what it is now the world is always interested in cures but you can't get it that way you've got to know what's wrong so the prophets start by a great message of exposure of the trouble exposure of the ill and it is only after they've done that that they come to the second aspect of their message which is their enunciation of the only the one and only remedy the one and only cure" [00:02:56]

"the Bible insists upon our facing this we've gotta follow its teaching therefore as it unfurls to us and then masks before us our actual state and condition and the cause of it and so you see Isaiah immediately proceeds to do that first of all only he gives us an account of what we may call the general characteristics of this thing that causes all our troubles which the Bible calls sin and Samia still does in its essence in verse 2 is a wrong relationship to God" [00:04:44]

"sin makes a man blind can't think can't reason doesn't consider makes a fool of a mouse makes a pervert of emotion and prevents is knowing what is good for him now that's the point at which we've arrived there is it where are the general characteristics of this condition called sin which is making the world what it is tonight people have this curious notion that the and it's message are remote they think that a preacher should be talking politics the whole time what are not are they short-sighted view that is what we are meant to do here is to show you the thing behind politics behind all your social and economic troubles" [00:06:09]

"the world thinks it's going forward the world thinks it's going upwards never the world as it goes from God goes backwards this is of necessity true isn't it people talk about going up to London doesn't matter where you live you go up to London you don't go down to London you go up to London why capital city there's nothing above there's nothing higher you go up to London and my dear friend you go up to God and if you turn your back of him you're going down you're going backward" [00:23:32]

"sin is defined there's transgression against divine law or against principles of morality and that's a very good definition of it sin is transgression against divine law sin is deliberately breaking God's law sin is doing what God has told you not to do and doing it quite deliberately the commandment says thou shalt not men says I will and he does it that's it the laws of God are perfectly plain my dear friends there's no need to argue about this is that anybody here tonight who really wants to defend killing and adultery and all these things of course there isn't" [00:28:16]

"the modern world is full of confidence and full of pride pride in its achievement what a wonderful people we are we mid 20th century people how ignorant was every generation before us how ignorant when our ruled forefathers hundred years ago what did they what did they know even fifty years ago when did what did they know before the war they haven't split the atom well they weren't doing it but not in the way they're doing it now and so on look at the advances look at our daughters the thing is tremendous to ask us to believe in God and to believe in righteousness and the Ten Commandments it's an absolute insult we are no longer going to be bound by such childishness" [00:32:59]

"the Apostle Paul puts this in terrifying language at the end of the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans having given that awful account which he gives and which I'm tempted to read to you again because if you think the Bible's out-of-date you're making a mistake the popular programs these days of the programs that are supposed to mirror life that's modern art isn't it modern art is meant to mirror life we don't like artists any longer that paint beautiful portrait or we say that's photographic we don't like it we don't like plays that did that sort of thing we want to place now that Murrell life and the programs that are most popular those that mirror life that letter see it in the raw as it is" [00:37:23]

"the one who men in his wisdom is forsaken is the Lord he is the Holy One of Israel he is our maker he is the judge of the whole world and he is told us from the very beginning that there is to be a day of judgment he's the Holy One of Israel he hates him he is an office upon sin God wouldn't be God if he didn't hate sin if God didn't manifest his wrath against sin he wouldn't be God he is light and in him is no darkness at all and he made men for himself and he meant to enjoy him and Men has become what I've described to you and God in heaven he hates it he abominates it" [00:43:43]

"the world can laugh the world is often left of God the people before the flood left him the people of Sodom Gomorrah left of him the people in the time of Christ laughed at the preaching of John the Baptist ridiculed the preaching of the Lord Himself the world has always done this but you know the fact that the world does laugh doesn't make the slightest difference what God has said God has always done and God is still there and there's going to be an end to this world and there is going to be a day of judgment when the righteous judgment of God against sin is going to be revealed and made plain" [00:47:22]

"the amazing thing to me is that God still speaks to us but he does though the nation of Israel was like that God sent his prophet I saw a speak to him why was to deliver them out of it and what's the message here it is I told you at the beginning repent recognize what you're doing see the utter folly of it all the arrogance the enormity of it all repent o hasten to God and acknowledge it and confess it fall at his feet ask him is it still possible that you can pardon me is it still possible that you can receive me and he'll say to you yes I loved you even when you didn't know it I loved you even when you were walking away from me" [00:54:55]

"thank God that though we all have sank so low as the result of men's original sin and our own personal sin that we are a sinful nation that we are laden with iniquity that we are a seed of evildoers and corrupters and corrupt a violent father if we acknowledge it and repent and believe on the name of the only begotten Son of God crucified for us body broken blood in the past shall be forgotten a present joy be given a future Grace be promise of Laureus trouble in heaven have you seen it" [00:56:57]