Let’s start with God’s Word as Moses says in Deuteronomy 28:28, “The L ORD will
strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart. And you shall
grope at noonday, as a blind man gropes in darkness; you shall not prosper in
your ways; you shall be only oppressed and plundered continually, and no one
shall save you. ” This was the Lord speaking to the Children of Israel after they
were told conditional promises of blessing if they walked in obedience. Then the
Lord drops the hammer of reality and lets them know what they can expect if
they are disobedient. Amazing when we understand that the Lord God does
not change, and the principle of blessing and discipline remains for anyone who
comes to Him by faith. For clarity sake, it is quite clear that the Church and Israel
are two different people groups, called and chosen by God for sure. But the
severity of God with the Israelites has given way to even a greater
accountability. Most of the false prophets of our day can do nothing but talk
about God’s love, God’s promises, and God’s blessing. But a survey reading of
the New Testament surely reveals something far different! He has called His
blood-bought people to holiness. Not self-righteousness, or smugness, that we
are not as bad as someone else. But we are called to humility, for apart from
Christ we are no better than anyone else! But the Lord holds His children
accountable. What loving father would not? Our Heavenly Father loves us too
much to let us go our own way and not discipline us. Hebrews 12:3-11, “For
consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you
become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to
bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which
speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the L ORD , nor
be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the L ORD loves He
chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening,
God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not
chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become
partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had
human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much
more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for
a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we
may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the
present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of
righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Yes, His discipline at times can seem harsh, but everytime He uses a heavy
hand it is perfect, with absolute pure undefiled love for those He has redeemed.
For Old Testament Israel, when they went their own way, they found themselves
smitten with blindness, darkness of sight at noon day! That’s when the sun is the
brightest. So it is safe to say, they were really smitten with madness when God
had given them His clear Word and they chose to walk in their own way. How
dark can it be when we read in Isaiah 5:20-21, “Woe to those who call evil good,
and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter
for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
and prudent in their own sight!” When people start to be wise in their own minds
and don’t know if they are male or female, that is being smitten with blind
madness.
As we have left the madness of March, and enter into the Fools of April,
David says in Psalm 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘ There is no God.’
They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, there is none who does
good.” A person doesn’t have to go back very far in American history to see
that the country has been adrift, and is now headed for an epic crash against
the rocks of self-destruction! In the funeral service of William Little I talked about
the world that he was born into. He was born May 5, 1925. When he was born,
” John T. Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution in Tennessee.” Just think of
how many teachers in Tennessee would be arrested today for teaching
evolution. There are not enough prisons! And this is a conservative State. Take
it up North and it is more likely a person who holds to a biblical world view in
creation, who believes in the Creator could possibly be arrested. “How the
mighty have fallen.” So what does the United States look like when children
have been indoctrinated for 70 years that they are nothing more than a
glorified baboon? Let me close this with Scripture. Since the Bible says a person
is a fool who rejects God and says that He is not real. This is what that looks like
when it comes to the end of that foolishness. Romans 1:18 and following, “For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because
what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,
so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did
not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts,
and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became
fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like
corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to
dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for
the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is
blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For
even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust
for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in
themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not
like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind,
to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness,
sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder,
strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God,
violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the
righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving
of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”
We have become a nation of fools! What will it take to turn us back to the
fear of God? Just as our National Debt is piled all the way to heaven, our sins as
a nation far surpasses that. Think of the millions of unborn and now-born children
that are slaughtered and their body parts are sold for profit. The gross sin of
sodomy, that is celebrated in the highest court in the land, has now given way
to a new word invented to warn anyone who would dare say that this is wrong,
gross perversion and an abomination in the sight of God! That word is,
“homo-phobic”. True, most would say this is not a new word, and that alone is
alarming. Only fools would come up with such a word! This is just the tip of the
iceberg. The land is polluted from head to toe. There is “One” way, “One” hope,
and it is in our resurrected Lord who died for the sins of all who believe, and rose
from the dead on the third day! “Is there no balm for Gilead?” Yes, there is! It is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. You might be a fool, or have been influenced by the
doctrine of godless fools that are everywhere. Repent of your sin and follow
what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:10, “We are fools for Christ’s sake.” May we be
willing to stand for Christ in our foolish culture. Let us humble ourselves! As some
Russian writer has recently said when admonishing the women: “Instead of
lipstick, let us have prayer on our lips. Instead of mascara, let our eyes be wet
with tears,” Good word from our Russian family in Christ.
It is the beginning of April. President Trump and the Task Force is saying that
the worst is yet to come. Let us pray that as a nation, with an incredible rich
history of deep Christian faith, we can find our way back home to our merciful
God! What amazing mercy is found when we celebrate an empty tomb. Let us
join with Marry Magdalene and tell as many as we can, “He is risen from the
dead.”
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Pastor David & Family