The Day of Visitation

The Day of Visitation

November 12, 2006

Pastor Matt Black

Evening Service

Isaiah 10:3-4

Open your Bible to Isaiah 10:1-4, “Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; 2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! 3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? 4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”

Introduction: Israel was a country that was legislating the protection of sin. Once you begin down this direction, it is a slippery slope. Last week we talked about how our own country has legalized infanticide calling abortion “pro-choice”. They’ve legalized the unnatural affections of Sodom and called it a lifestyle choice. They have legalized adultery and called it no-fault divorce. If we are going to be pro-choice, we must make sure we choose that which is godly. We must choose the Way of Christ and reject every false way!

But our country is so much like rebellious Israel of old. As Isaiah said in Isaiah 5:20 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil”.

Just this week I read an article in the New York Times about new laws that are being passed in New York City. The article reads:

“New York City is moving forward with a plan to let people alter the [gender] on their birth certificate [simply based on how a person feels]…Under the rule being considered by the city’s Board of Health, which is likely to be adopted soon, people born in the city would be able to change the documented [gender] on their birth certificates by providing affidavits from a doctor and a mental health professional laying out why their patients [feels he] should be considered [a] member of the opposite gender… If approved, the new rule would put New York at the forefront of efforts to redefine gender.”[1]

Dear friend, if this kind of legislation continues, the fabric of our society as we know it will unravel! The people of this nation are headed to certain destruction. “Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees” (Isaiah 10:1).

The Psalmist said in Psalm 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” The only hope for the people of our land is King Jesus! He must be God. If he is not, then America will most certainly become expendable. Our country will go the way of the greatest nations that have existed. We have not learned from our past, and we are therefore doomed to repeat it!!

The truth is all nations will eventually come to nothing when King Jesus. There is coming a day when every eye shall see Him! “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him” (Revelation 1:7).

Dear friends, those who are waiting on the Lord will be ready at His coming.

We come to verse 3 in our text, and we see that there is a Day of visitation

I. There is a Pattern of self indulgence.

Human nature wants to take all—to take advantage of the vulnerable.

A. First Woe: Protect of sinful behavior with legislation, “Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees,” that is, Woe to those who legislate the protection of sinful behavior. They protect the right to self indulgence at any cost.

B. But, there is a Second Woe: Woe to those who Prey on the vulnerable. Woe unto them that… turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! (verse 2). God says that self serving attitudes will receive His Woe, and His judgment.

I could say much about this. There is an attitude in America that takes advantage of the vulnerable. We’ve touched on this:

1. Children (Abortion): the most vulnerable is the child in the mother’s womb. It is to be the safest place, but instead, for simple money, hospitals and so called “doctors” are murdering for money—all legislated RIGHTS under the laws of our land. Dear friend murder is not a right. Every child has a right to live. Even the first paragraph of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, says as much:” we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Yet there is the pattern of ungodly gain. For $764 dollars, those rights can be forfeited under the law!

2. Elderly: Of course the very young are vulnerable, but also the very old are quite vulnerable. We forget about our widows and widowers. Nursing homes are certainly not wrong to utilize—they can be a tremendous blessing in extreme circumstances, but they ought to be a LAST resort! The fact that nursing homes are so full shows the utter selfishness of our society.

3. The Family. Another item must be addressed. The family unit itself is under attack in our culture, and if we do not change our ways, we will become as Europe and China. In our American cities our families in some cases are having a negative growth rate! In Europe and China, children are an inconvenience! The less children you have, the more time and money you have for yourself. Dear friends, we should be radical about the truth of God’s Word. Psalm 127:3-5, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them…”

Yes, raising children is hard. God had given children of all different personalities. Some strong willed, some bent in this ungodly direction, or that ungodly direction—all sons of Adam and all sinners, just like their Mommy and Daddy! There’s a price to pay—hours in prayer—more hours in discipleship—more hours in loving discipline and Bible study. Children cost lots of money, and if they are to be raised right, they take your full attention. “Woe to those who turn aside the needy” for gain!

II. Second we see, the Promise of restitution.

Illustration: General Douglas MacArthur once made a very astute observation. "History," he said, "fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has either been a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster."

Look at our text in verses 3-4, “And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? 4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”

God is not sitting idly in heaven. People are blinded by their imaginations and passions to the wrath of God. He is ready to act. He will not withhold judgment.

A. There will be a Day of Visitation. Verse 3 again says, “what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?”

Three questions

1. what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far?

God’s judgment seems so far away! But the Bible is clear. Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Judgment seems like it’s so far off, but dear friends “what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14).

Jesus Christ may appear at any time! 1 Thessalonians 1:7-10, “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

But we see the second question:

2. to whom will ye flee for help? Do you understand that the wrath of God abides on all who do not know Christ? Christ is our helper. Hebrews 13:5-6, “he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

3. and where will ye leave your glory?” The New Testament puts it another way. Mark 8:36, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

When you leave this earth, your glory, (or your possessions) will not be taken with you.

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

So there will be a day of visitation. Are you living in light of judgment day?

B. The restitution will be earthly. You will reap what you so if you live without Christ.

Look at verse 4, “Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”

“Without me” Jesus said in John 15:5, “Without me ye can do nothing”.

“Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain.” This is a gruesome sight referring to the carnage that the Assyrians would wage against Israel. It is saying there is going to be major carnage. If you are lost, you have no protection from the Lord. The world has a fierce appetite, and it will use you and abuse you.

C. Ultimately the restitution is heavenly, spiritual, and eternal.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

He is ready to strike. At any moment God may strike no matter how young or old you are. You may find yourself before a holy God before the week is over.

There is a judgment, a day of reckoning with God for every act committed in our bodies. On the Day of Judgment, our body parts will testify against us.

· Our own tongue will speak the things that we have said thinking no one heard.

· Our eyes will testify against us that which we have viewed with them. We have viewed very little Bible and very much immodesty and we have looked upon silly worthless things. We have let our eyes scan articles on the internet and email that meant nothing, but how much time have we used our eyes for the Word of God in comparison. The Day will declare it.

· Our ears will testify against us all that they have heard and brought into the entrance of your soul. The fleshly ungodly music. The thousands, and tens of thousands of blasphemies against God’s holy name.

Conclusion: Do you realize that one day you are going to stand before God who is from everlasting to everlasting? Has that gripped you? That is salvation! To know you are delivered from the wrath to come!

Closing Hymn: 6 I sing the Mighty Power of God